DSL Blue Jays Season Underway

Naswell Paulino - Twitter photo

   Play in the Dominican Summer League opened this past weekend, with the DSL Red Sox paying tribute to native son David Ortiz at their home opener against the DSL Royals.  The DSL Blue Jays topped the Orioles' entry 2-0 in their opener.
    The 40-team league (several MLB teams have more than one entry) play a 72 game schedule, which translates to 6 games per week, wrapping up with a brief playoff among the division winners in late August.  Games start at 10:30 in the morning to avoid the worst of the afternoon Caribbean heat.
   The Blue Jays entry plays out of their Boca Chica complex, just outside of Santo Domingo.  The majority of the players in this league are between the ages of 16 and 18 - most were signed sometime on or after July 2nd of last year.   Of the 40 or so players the team will likely use this year, only about a quarter will go on to stateside play in the Gulf Coast League.  High profile international signings usually skip the DSL for the more advanced competition in the U.S. - Roberto Osuna, Franklin Barreto, and Vladimir Guerrero all started their pro careers stateside.  Still, it's an important step in the development of international prospects.  Learning about proper nutrition and training, as well as English classes, are part of each player's baseball education.

   Due to bonus pool limits imposed as a result of the over-slot signing of Guerrero in 2015, the Blue Jays do not have a lot of highly regarded IFAs making their debuts in the DSL this year.  Top 2016 signing Joseph Reyes will begin his career in the GCL, as will RHP Rothier Hernandez.  But there will be some talent on the Blue Jays' DSL entry:  players that had flown under the prospect radar due to age, poor workouts, etc., and there are the usual high-tools but (so far) under-performing prospects.  Among the players to watch if you're a daily box score puruser are:

1.  Venezuelan SS Hugo Cardona.  Blue Jays Assistant GM Andrew Tinnish, whose portfolio includes overseeing international scouting and development, labels Cardona's speed "plus," and his arm "plus-plus."  His glove is well ahead of his bat at this point, but if his bat does develop, he could profile as a to of the order hitter.

2.  Venezuelan RHP Elixon Caballero, a Marcus Stroman-sized Pitcher who added 4-5 mph to his fastball after signing, and now sits in the mid-90s.  Tinnish is impressed by his athleticsm and smooth delivery.

3.  LHP Naswell Paulino, a converted OF, who has made great progress is a short period of time.

Two players not currently on the DSL Jays roster who Tinnish also mentioned last fall include Mexican RHP Felix Castaneda, who has an advanced feel for pitching and an effective change-up, and RHP Eliezer Medrano, who like Caballero experience a bump in velo after signing.


  Given the lengthy developmental timetable and the distance of the DSL from MLB, what are the chances we see any of these names on our TVs or devices anytime soon?  The range is from slim to none, with a heavy leaning toward the latter.  A study of the 2012 DSL Jays roster notes that only one player from that roster (Miguel Castro) has reached the majors, one is at AA (Jose Fernandez), with the rest who have moved on (such as Juan Kelly, Angel Perdomo, Osman Gutierrez, Jesus Tinoco) still in A ball.

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   As if on cue, Paulino was dazzling in his DSL debut today, striking out 5 in 2 and a third innings, as the DSL Jays shut out the Orioles for the second game in a row.

Brazilian IFA P Eric Pardinho Linked to Blue Jays

WBC Baseball photo

      A bit of a throwaway at the end of an excellent analysis of the top Blue Jays prospects by Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs was this tidbit about a rising International Free Agent prospect:

I’ve also heard the team mentioned as a potential suitor for Brazilian righty Eric Pardinho, who will be eligible to sign with a club in July

  It took me a few hours to remember it, but I knew that name, and had seen him pitch before.  At the tender age of 15, Pardinho became the youngest player in WBC history when he pitched in the 6th inning of his native Brazil's 10-0 whitewashing of Pakistan in a WBC qualifier last October.  Prospect hunters like myself had tuned in to watch Toronto's 2016 2nd round pick, Bo Bichette, suit up for the Brazilians.
   In truth, the Pakistani team was overmatched against  Brazil.  The athleticism was there, but the lack of baseball experience was painfully obvious.  Pardinho acquitted himself well just the same, surrendering a hit (up 1-2, he hung a breaking ball) and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.  Pardinho's first pitch clocked in at 94 mph.  He was half the age of some of the hitters he was facing.

   Eric Pardinho hails from Bastos, a town in the state of Sao Paolo with a significant Japanese heritage.  His mother, in fact, was born in Brazil to Japanese parents, and Pardinho spent part of his childhood in Japan. He entered Brazil's famous CT Yakult Academy at the age of 12, and spent three years there, using "traditional Japanese training techniques."  He first gained international acclaim at the U16 Pan Am championships in Panama last year, fanning 14 and giving up just one hit against a prospect-laded Dominican Republic team.  Pardinho has also spent time at the MLB Elite Camp which is housed at the Yakult complex.

   At 5'10"/165, there are some concerns about Pardinho's size, but the Blue Jays have a starter in the rotation who has easily dispelled that notion.  One look at his parents suggest that he won't get a lot bigger, but there is still plenty to like about him.  Pardinho has hit 95 with his fastball, but usually sits at 93.  There's ample room for added velocity there.  He has a clean, drop-and-drive delivery which he consistently repeats, and has a solid lower half, which should mean that despite the speed his teenage elbow has been subjected to, his health history is likely clean.
   In addition to his fastball, Pardinho's curve is said to be his best secondary pitch.  Pardinho pitched at a Perfect Game World Showcase earlier this year, and this report was filed on him:

 Medium, athletic frame with square shoulders, very nice build with present strength throughout, strong lower half and core which are incorporated into delivery. Primary righthanded pitcher, lots of tempo, rhythm, and balance to delivery, high leg lift up past belt, gathers over rubber well and and shows a long and fluid arm stroke through the backside working to a high three-quarters arm slot. Advanced ability to repeat delivery, especially for age, and remains on line with lower half directionality. Very low effort delivery and release, able to generate plane on fastball and showed advanced command of fastball that lived comfortably in the 90-93 mph range. Worked either side of the plate with fastball with intent, curveball shows downer life and 12-6 shape with late, tight bite at 79 mph, slider was just as tight at 81 mph with solid finish to the glove side. 

    Calling him "A special kid," Carlos Santos-Silva, coordinator of international game development for MLB said:

       His size is not too striking, but the ball just explodes out of his hand. There is a lot of      potential. Not just to be a player, but to also be a spokesperson for the game in Brazil.

   Yan Gomes was the first Brazilian to play in MLB, making his debut with the Blue Jays in 2012.  Since then, Padres P Andres Rienzo and Royals OF Paulo Orlando have joined him.  Brazil has long been viewed as a fertile, untapped market of prospects.  Hall of Famer Barry Larkin has helped lead MLB's efforts in the South American country, Managing the WBC entry last fall, and helping to establish MLB's first Brazilian complex.  Pardhino may become the first of many signings from that country over the next few years.


   2016 was a hangover year for the Blue Jays in terms of International signings.  Having broken the bank for Vladimir Guerrero Jr the year before, Toronto could not sign a prospect to a bonus of greater than $300 000.  Blue Jays Assistant GM Andrew Tinnish was understandably tight-lipped about the club's plans for this year's July 2nd signings ("I'd prefer to talk about our strategy on July 3rd," he said in an interview), but it's no surprise to hear that the Blue Jays have targeted one of the highest profile IFAs this year.  Pardinho has reportedly been scouted by the Mets, Giants, Reds, and Padres, and had workouts this spring in Arizona for the Angels and the Indians.  According to Longerhans, though, the Blue Jays have the inside track.  We hear rumours of teams being involved with players all the time, but where there's International smoke, there's usually fire.  Guerrero was widely said to have a pre-July 2nd agreement (unofficially, of course) with the Blue Jays long before he actually signed on the dotted line.

  Pardinho does have some red flags:  his age, his relative lack of size, and despite his delivery and training (he wasn't allowed to throw breaking balls until he was 13), there has to be some concern about his elbow with that 90+ FB. At the same time, many MLB organizations would love to get their top prospects into their respective folds by 16,  not 18.  In addition, when you look at the number of decent pitchers under 6', it's actually a pretty impressive list.  As far as the elbow is concerned, most teams would have to be cautious, but it's pretty hard to pass on that velocity.   There is much to suggest that there is huge upside here.

  It won't be a big surprise to see the Blue Jays land Pardinho on July 2nd.

Some video for your consideration....

 

 

Blue Jays International Review

Hugo Cardona

  The Blue Jays have traditionally been aggressive players in the International Free Agent market. In the past, they have inked players such as Roberto Osuna, Richard Urena, and Franklin Barreto on the annual July 2nd signing day. 2016 was a hangover year, as the team was limited by the slot-busting deal they signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr to the year before.

   Toronto was limited to a bonus pool of $2.1 million last year, and could not sign a player to a bonus larger than $300 000. By trading prospects Chase DeJong and Tim Locastro to the Dodgers for some of their pool money after signing Guerrero, they were able to avoid a two-year penalty.

   Players as young as 16 are eligible to sign, but they do not begin play until the following year.  There has been increased talk of an International Draft one day, and MLB owners pushed for one in the last round of collective bargaining last fall with the MLBPA, but dropped their insistence on one in order to forge a new deal with the players. After signing, prospects are invited to stay at the Blue Jays complex at Boca Chica, near Santo Domingo. They play in the "Tricky" League against other recently-signed prospects in July and August, then head back to their homes. They return for the Dominican Instructional League in late October for six weeks, then return once more in the New Year. The Blue Jays close their complex in March, then re-open in mid-April for extended spring training.  After that, some play in the Dominican Summer League, which runs from mid-June to mid-August; the more advanced head to the Gulf Coast League in Florida, which begins play in later June, and ends in late August.

   Two players were given the $300K bonus in this crop:  3B Joseph Reyes, a left-handed hitting Dominican by way of New York, and SS Hugo Cardona from Venezuela. Blue Jays Assistant General Manager Andrew Tinnish, who oversees the scouting and development of  International Free Agents along with Director of Latin America Operations Sandy Rosario, says that Reyes has an approach that the team really likes,  is selective at the plate, and makes a lot of hard contact.  His size may eventually force a move to the oufield.  Reyes uses a toe tap as a timing mechanism, and while his swing is a little long, he gets the barrel of the bat into the strike zone quickly, with a slight uppercut to provide loft:

   Reyes has flown under the radar the last few seasons and went unsigned.  This is not unusual, as some International prospects have game skills and baseball IQ that does not always show up in pre-juy 2nd workouts, and as Tinnish observed, not all prospects develop at the same rate and at the same time. Because of his age (19), his advanced skills (he was invited to Instructs last fall), and the fact that he's fluent in English means that he will start in the Gulf Coast League this year.

Cadrona has the fast-twitch athleticism that will likely allow him to stay at short. His swing is more of the line-drive type at the moment. Tinnish calls his arm "plus'" and his speed "plus-plus," and if his bat develops, he could profile as a top of the order hitter.  Cardona, who is 17, will begin in the Dominican Summer League, and is likely to spend the season there.


   Dominican RHP Roither Hernandez went unsigned on deadline day the previous two seasons, was signed for $150K, and has what Tinnish calls a "heavy fastball," with good downward movement as it approaches the plate.  Tinnish terms Hernandez a "large, athletic power pitcher," with a fastball that sits anywhere from 90 to 97.  His secondaries are developing, with a slider that is coming along between 84-89 as he works at finding the right arm slot and release point. Hernandez also throws a change up in the upper 80s that's a great complement to his fastball. Tinnish lauds his make up, and says that he's a hard worker.  He struck out the side in his first inning of spring training work earlier this week. Given his age (18), his advanced feel for pitching, and the fact that like Reyes he was at Instructs last fall, he should begin the year in the GCL. SS Kenny Mauricio was another player who joined the organization on July 2nd, signing for a $110K bonus.

   All told, the Blue Jays signed 13 players on July 2nd, and twice that number after the deadline.  There are always some "sleeper" prospects included in that number, and Tinnish mentioned four in particular:

-Mexican RHP Felix Castaneda, who Tinnish lauds for his pitchability, already has an above average change up;
-Venezuelan RHP Elixon Caballaero, who Tinnish says is a "smaller guy (5'9"/160) with a smooth, athletic delivery."  Caballero topped 90 with his FB last July, but caught the eyes of the Blue Jays when he was hitting 94-95 4 months later.  He's currently at the Blue Jays minor league facility in Dunedin for spring training.  Think about Marcus Stroman as a high school junior, and you have a picture of Caballero.
-LHP Naswell Paulino, a converted outfielder who has shown feel and polish quite quickly despite being very new to pitching.  He has a solid FB that he can command both sides of the plate with.
-RHP Eliezer Medrano, a tall, lean power righty, who liked Caballero experienced a spike in velo, jumping up from 89 after signing to 95-96 this fall.  Also like Caballero, he's at spring training in Florida.

 The Blue Jays signed 13 players altogether on July 2nd.  What is the chance that we see any of these players reach even AA or AAA?   Admittedly slim.  While the other teams were shopping at Nordstrom's, the Blue Jays and several other teams on sanction were buying at Giant Tiger.  Given the lengthy gestation period of most IFAs, most names fade out of our consciousness long after they have signed, and when they do pop up again, it's often at another position, or with another team. After going all in to sign Vladdy Jr, regarded as the top International prospect in 2015, the Blue Jays were content to look for diamonds in the rough the following year.
  With $4.75 million and no restrictions this year, Tinnish was understandably reluctant to discuss the Blue Jays strategy this year.  Given their history of being players for the top names in the past, the Blue Jays will no doubt be looking to sign some higher profile prospects this year.


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   One thing that has impressed me in the conversations I have had with Blue Jays front office executives over the past few weeks is how they insist on giving credit to their colleagues.  Tinnish was no exception, deferring to the Dominican-based Rosario.  "He does a great job," says Tinnish.  "We work extremely well together, he calls me up to tell me to get down to the DR to see players.  He's a very, very good scout."

Cherington Adds to Blue Jays Front Office Wealth

  In the midst of a pennant race last fall, the Blue Jays made an acquisition that may have escaped the attention of most fans, but served as another piece in the puzzle that President Mark Shapiro has been putting together to shape the long-term foundation of the team by hiring former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington to become their VP of Baseball Operations.

   Cherington had taken the Red Sox from worst-to-first in 2013, leading a team that had finished last in the AL East the year before to a World Series title.  Along the way, he oversaw the addition of elite prospects like Mookie Betts, Xander Boegaerts, and Jackie Bradley Jr, as well as the since-traded Yoan Moncada. After signing free agents such as Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and Cuban Rusney Castillo, the Red Sox found themselves back in the cellar in 2014 and 2015, and after Dave Dombrowski was brought in to oversee the organization, Cherington chose to resign rather than continue with the Red Sox.

   Cherington spent a year away from the game, teaching sports management at Columbia University in New York (he has a Masters from Mass-Amherst in Sports Admin).  During that time, he spent considerable time contemplating his future in the game, and came to the conclusion that it did not necessarily have to be in the GM's chair.  He told the Boston Globe:

 There probably was a time in my career where I was aspiring to a title because at a certain point in your career, and if you have aspirations to be a GM, which I did, there are steps you have to do to get there,” he said. “There are titles that are of importance to some degree as you’re sort of building yourself to be prepared to be a GM and then be a GM. I was aspiring to that. I don’t feel that anymore.

  Enter Shapiro, who hired Cherington as an Advance Scout in 1998, before he left for Boston.  Shapiro knew about Cherington's revised aspirations, and jumped at the chance to bring one of the most respected player development minds in the game (prior to becoming the Sox' GM, Cherington held various positions in the Boston front office, including Coordinator of International Scouting, and Director of Player Development) to Toronto.  For Cherington's part, he said in an email that he was looking for the right situation to make his return to the game:

 When I started looking for a job last summer I was focused on finding an opportunity with the right group of people, in a place where I could make a contribution, and in a place where I could learn.  The Blue Jays opportunity checked all of those boxes and I was fortunate that they felt I could be of some help.  Since I’ve been here I’ve gotten to know the group even better and feel really fortunate to work with such a strong group of smart, humble people who are focused on getting better every day. 

     As VP of Baseball Ops, Cherington is responsible for all aspects of the Blue Jays player development program, including the newest department in the organization:

 I’m trying to collaborate with the baseball ops leadership group to help in any area that I can.  Hopefully I can do that.  I am spending more time with our player development and high performance staff and that’s an exciting area to be involved with the Blue Jays right now.  We’ve got outstanding leadership in Gil Kim, Angus Mugford, Eric Wedge, and many more.  Our staff worked tirelessly all winter to prepare for spring training and trying to figure out the best way to help players get better.  It’s been exciting to see that unfold this spring.  I’ve learned a lot already in 6 months.  

 Under former GM Alex Anthopoulos, the primary purpose of the farm system was to provide currency to upgrade the major league roster.  From November 2015 to the end of July the following year, he dealt 18 prospects in order to acquire proven MLB talent like Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, and Josh Donaldson.  In the late fall, he dealt away a passel of prospects including Noah Syndergaard for R.A Dickey, and another to the Marlins for a return which included Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle.

  While Anthopoulos' wheeling and dealing did bring post-season baseball back to Toronto, it also left the major league roster on the old side, and a farm system that had been emptied of much of its depth. Cherington would not come right out and say that such a development would not happen under his watch, but his player development roots are obvious:

Player development's job is to help players get better.  Period.  If we do that successfully then we are impacting player's lives on the field and off.  If we do that successfully we are also helping the Blue Jays by preparing players to be part of a winning Blue Jays Major League team.  Along the way there may be times when trading a minor league player makes sense.  So our job is to help players get better which in turn supports the Blue Jays mission to bring a World Series back to Canada.  

  And while the Blue Jays system did take a hit, there still is top-level talent in the system, and a decent draft last year helped rebuild it quickly.  Under Anthopoulos and departed Amateur Scouting director Blake Parker, the emphasis was on finding high-risk/high-reward athletes, including players from non-traditional markets, high schoolers with college commitments, and others whose draft stock had tumbled for a variety of reasons.  While not tipping his hand in terms of his drafting philosophy, Cherington did indicate that when it comes time to pick in the June draft, the Blue Jays will always go with the best player:

 Our amateur staff, under the leadership of Tony LaCava and Steve Sanders, works tirelessly to identify the best players available in the draft and there is a process to line those players up on the draft board in June.  Ultimately when its our time to pick we’ll take the best player.  If those players come more from a certain demographic in a given year I think that’s a function of how that particular draft unfolded, not a bias toward one demographic or another. 

   As for the international market, seen as one of Cherington's biggest success (despite the Red Sox getting dinged heavily for signing violations during his tenure) , he's confident that the combined efforts of Assistant GM Andrew Tinnish and Director of Latin American Operations Sandy Rosario will allow the Blue Jays to continue to be major players in that market.  As far as the prospects of a potential International Draft, Cherington isn't losing sleep over it:

It’s really not something we think about on a day to day basis and if there are ever further changes to the International signing rules, I know we have the people to make the right adjustments. 

   When asked where he thinks where the Blue Jays farm system ranks, Cherington prefers to be concerned about his own system, and not how it might compare to others:

I’ve been really impressed with our players and staff commitment to getting better.  And I’ve seen that happen between instructional league and spring training.  It’s exciting to see the progress.  And we have a lot of talent that is maturing.  Some of those guys have had a chance to make an impression in big league camp.  Some are doing that in minor league camp.  I’m excited to see what they do during the season.  We’re so focused on what we need to do every day to get better I haven’t spent any time thinking about other systems.  

    Mark Shapiro has wasted little time in assembling what is shaping up to be a top-flight organization.  There were not wholesale changes at first, but slowly he's been placing strong personnel in key positions throughout the organization, and has created the high performance division to help give the Blue Jays a potential competitive advantage when it comes to the development of their players.  The addition of Cherington solidifies the idea that Shapiro is endeavouring to build a system that is a model of player development.  He has brought in the likes of Cherington, Sanders,  Director of Operations Mike Murov, and Director of Player Development Gil Kim to add to a solid stable of holdovers from the Anthopoulos era like LaCava, Tinnish, Dana Brown, and Perry Minasian.  Often hampered by small-market constraints in Cleveland, Shapiro now has the resources to build an organization that could be poised to be competitive on an annual basis.  For someone who has been following the Blue Jays minor league system closely for five years, and has been a fan of the team since that snowy April day 40 years ago, this is a very welcome and exciting development. With all due respect to the management team that served under former GM Pat Gillick, there has never been such a wealth of front office talent in this organization.  And when you speak with members of that front office, you get a sense that this is a very cohesive, on-the-same-page group.  Add in the high performance division, and couple that with the anticipated changes to the minor league training complex, and the high degree of collaboration between the various facets of the player development side (minor league ops, scouting, and high performance) and the future for the Blue Jays looks very bright indeed.