Blue Jays Minor League Season Report

Baby Bird Performers of the Week
Offense - Dickie Joe Thon had a strong week at Lansing. His OPS of 1.187 shined through. Thon had a 3B & 2 HR's. He walked 4 times and struck out 11 for the week.
Honorable Mention - Matt Hague had a good week at Buffalo. He had 2 2B's, 1 3B & 1 HR as he put up an OPS of 1.135. Hague added 2 walks and only struck out once.

Pitching - Matt Boyd had a fantastic start, striking out 9 over 5 innings. He allowed 1 hit and 2 walks in his start this week
Honorable Mention - Scott Copeland had another solid week, after being named the Baby Bird Pitching Performer of the week for week one. He threw 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 3 batters during the week

Overall the organization struggles offensively, but seems to have the pitching to keep most of their teams close.

Leaders

Buffalo
Buffalo continues to get strong pitching as they have rebounded from a slow start. Buffalo has won 5 straight this week.

Players to keep an eye on for Blue Jays fans: Andy Burns is probably the closest to a prospect that hasn't already played in MLB. There are a number of bullpen arms that will probably shuttle up and down the QEW this year. Steve Delabar, Chad Jenkins & Rob Rasmussen are almost certain. Ryan Tepera, Preston Guilmet and Gregory Infante could also be in play.

New Hampshire
New Hampshire had a rough week going 2-4, losing 4 straight. Only one of the losses has been close. Having said that they went 3-1 against New Britain at home, and are now 0-3 on the road

Prospects to keep an eye on at New Hampshire include starters Matt Boyd & Taylor Cole. Dwight Smith & A.J. Jiminez are the offense's top hope. There are a few other guys who may become bullpen arms, but need to get a move on. Danny Barnes, Blake McFarland and Arik Sikula have all took turns as closers in the minors. Jorge Flores seems to have utility guy written all over him. Luis Perez is also here, as he looks to return to the big league.

Dunedin
Dunedin has went back and forth all season long so far, never winning more than 2 in a row and not losing more than 2 in a row. In their losses so far, they have scored 2 runs, getting shut out 3 times. Not a recipe for success, but the offense hasn't been fantastic either

Dunedin has a few names to keep an eye on. Jairo Labourt has potential as a starter, but can be inconsistent. Alberto Tirado has some premium stuff, but seems to find himself in a reliever role. On offense, the team has Dawel Lugo, Mitch Nay, Matt Dean & Derrick Loveless. Emilio Guerrero goes between roster filler and potential depth guy. Roemon Fields has a fantastic story and good speed. Jimmy Cordero has a power arm which would be nice to see develop.

Lansing
Lansing had an eventful week. The Lugs had a strong start to the season, but after their 16 inning win, they have lost a couple in a row. They did just end a 5 game road win streak. The pitching has been solid, striking out a number of batters. It would be nice to see the catchers throw a runner out trying to steal too (0 for 9 so far). So far Dickie Joe Thon's bat has been unsustainably good, as noted above.

There are a few more names to keep an eye on here, as is often the case the lower you go. In the rotation there is Chase De Jong on his second trip through the league. Sean Reid-Foley has a lot of positives, but is young. Shane Dawson & Starlyn Suriel both are intriguing. Richard Urena is now the SS of the future. Rowdy Tellez & Danny Jansen are both interesting. D.J. Davis is here again, though the shine is off. Gunnar Heidt & Michael De La Cruz could move up lists with a good year.