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During August, four players were called up to the Blue Jays in quick succession from the AAA Buffalo Bisons. One was a top centre field prospect with question marks in Anthony Gose, and the three others were thought to be AAAA players in the form of Moises Sierra, Ryan Goins, and Kevin Pillar. Every one of them has things to fix if they want to stay on the 25-man roster next year, but there has been some positives as well.
Anthony Gose
The former top-5 prospect has had a rough couple years in the big leagues and people seem to be starting to questioning whether he was a bust that didn't live up to his tools. He's made some adjustments to his swing and since being called up in mid-August he's hit .260/.268/.438 with two home runs. The book on Anthony is that he always strikes out too much and that's still part of the problem for him. There's also the issue of only having one walk in 98 plate appearances since being recalled, which is J.P. Arencibia territory. His speed is supposed to be a big plus, but he's only 3-6 stealing bases since the promotion.
On the plus side, his defense is still good enough for the middle of the diamond and saves him from being a huge liability in the lineup. He's probably running out of time to make a big impact with the organization and a Rajai Davis type of fourth outfielder hitting from the left side may await him.
Moises Sierra
Sierra was never considered much of a top prospect in the outfield, but his ceiling of a fourth outfielder may actually be within reach for the 25-year-old (as of tomorrow). He's hit .307/.367/.511 with a single home run since coming from Buffalo. He's walked nearly 10% of the time and has reduced his strikeouts from last year, but is being pulled up by a .382 BABIP.
On the other side of the coin, his defense still isn't great and his decision making on the field is horrible at best:
Ryan Goins
Goins has impressed people with his play at second base and might have the best chance of a starting job next year in Toronto. He is only hitting .233/.250/.311 with one home run, which is good enough for a wRC+ of 49. His defense has helped him to stay in the lineup and a future as a soft hitting second baseman may in store for the left-handed hitting Goins.
Kevin Pillar
It's been a rough ride for the first time big leaguer in his two month stay in Toronto. At times, he's looked dreadful at the plate and his long swing has made easy work for pitchers. His line of .192/.253/.301 echoes these sentiments, although a .235 BABIP doesn't help.
His defense has been fine, but a lot of players can provide adequate outfield play for the Blue Jays and hit above the Mendoza Line meaning Pillar must work on his hitting this off-season. Unfortunately for Toronto, Pillar may be another player with a fourth outfielder ceiling waiting in Buffalo until injuries pile up with the big league club.
Personally I have no idea which of the call-ups has the most promise going forward, but sticking with the tools of Anthony Gose might be the wisest decision at this point. How about you?