Future Blue Jays Newsletter

    Their work is done in the shadows of the big league club, but it’s of vital importance.  And the Blue Jays player development staff is understandably proud of the part the farm system made to the club’s memorable World Series run, as well as the considerable gains the organization made on the pitching side. I caught up with the director of the department, Joe Sclafani, as he prepared to head to the winter meetings.

 DM Fox: It must have been really gratifying from the player development side to see the contributions that players came up through the system made to that run.

Joe Sclafani:  It was incredibly special for our group. You know, you have a unique perspective on just how much effort and time and work goes into helping these guys try to maximize their potential and put themselves in positions to get the opportunity to contribute regardless of the circumstances that they got, or that happened for them to get those opportunities, I’m incredibly proud of our group helping them. 

  Obviously, the players get all the credit, but our group helped them prepare to take advantage of those opportunities. And then, you saw the way, not only the way they played and how they represented themselves that way, but in post-game interviews, the way they talked about things,

how they worked throughout,  nobody complained when they got sent back down to Buffalo, they just had their heads down, did the work they needed to do, and were ready for their next opportunity and it was really special watching them do it and do it the right way…. people

talk about the way that they were playing and the way they love each other, and the way they support each other - you know how rare that is, so I could not speak highly enough about the group and it was it was a lot of fun for us on our side watching them get to live their dreams and do it on the biggest stage.

DMF:   Tell me about Trey Yesavage’s development plan.  It must have been one of the most unique ones you’ve ever been part of.  

JS: Justin (Lehr, minor league pitching director) and Ricky (Meinhold, pitching coordinator)  and the pitching group and all the other leaders on the HP (High Performance) side, all of them deserve a ton of credit for it. But, you know, we're proud of the way that that played out.

  Obviously, our amateur scouting group did a great job identifying Trey. We were thrilled that we were able to get him. And then it was kind of, okay, he's got wow stuff. You know, what does ideal look like?  And we got through a process where we joke that its sober thoughts in January, and no emotional reactivity is in play - what does ideal look like in a perfect world ?   And you know, across the board, the org agreed that he had the potential to do that and at that point it was kind of a pipe dream, but basically our goal was, okay, ideal scenario, he's in AA by July or somewhere around there. 

  And in a position where if we're playing well and we're in the mix and, you know, he's throwing well, he's checking all the boxes that we put in front of him, how can we get him there so that he has an opportunity to do what he did?  It probably looked strange from the outside looking in, but you and I have talked about the research we've done on Vancouver in the previous three years. A ton of rain and kind of the impact it had on stuff. And we were just really focused on getting Trey on a consistent routine all year. We tried to communicate that as much as we could with him on the front end. He was awesome every step. He had his thoughts on some of that, but credit goes to the pitching group and others that work with them to map that out. Some of those stops were a little shorter than others, but he answered the bell every step of the way. The monitoring stuff was good. The routines continued to get better.

 There was always an adjustment period when he jumped up to the next level, which was a good thing. That's why you can skip levels probably, but there's something that you're going to get out of each one. And we felt like it was important for him to touch each level - the biggest conversation was just about him going right from Dunedin to AA. . But we felt the benefits of going to Vancouver - and in our minds, we're viewing Trey as a long-term piece of the puzzle for our rotation for a long time to come - like, playing with future teammates and interacting with different coaches who say things in different ways…..who knew what was going to be said that stuck with Trey that helped him down the line? 

   But all credit goes to him. He was open-minded, had conversations, and learned at every step. I was neat to see his Dunedin teammates  t-hey all showed up to his debut because they had a camp going on in Tampa at that time. And yeah, I can't say enough good things about him. You've seen him compete. We knew he was a dog and a competitor but you know for him to to turn on light like his best when the lights were brightest was just incredibly special, and something that our group is really proud of.

DMF: … let's face it  - Trey was something of a unicorn, and you may not get that opportunity again as a player development director and the thing that I say to people is that so many pieces of that puzzle had to fall in exactly the right way, and every one of them did.

JS:   Yeah, they really did, and again - Trey drove all of it.

  There were  times where he was a little disenchanted with how we were handling things but not in a negative  - you know, the Futures Game that got botched a little bit, he was supposed to throw one full inning, but only threw to one batter four pitches, and because of that we had dialed back the workload a little bit and kind of revamped it. But the goal was to not have him have any restrictions if he were to get to that major league level in that scenario that we talked about. So our group, you know, for it to happen to play out that way, was pretty damn cool.

DMF:  So what, and this is a question you could probably take a half an hour to answer, but if you had to pick one thing that impressed you the most about Trey throughout the course of this year, what would it be? 

JS: I think it would be adaptability, honestly. You know he has such a unique arm angle. The margin for error is a bit smaller. He went from ABS (automated balls and strikes system) to no ABS, ABS to two levels, to ABS and AAA and a different baseball, to Major League ballparks. He was able to maintain a routine and really focus on things that we wanted him to focus on, learning how to navigate it. This was his first full season, which is absolutely boxed for him to be able to do that.

 And we talk to guys about preparing your body to pitch into October, through October, and he actually got to live it. And his ability to adapt and learn, and be open-minded about things that he needed to do to keep his body in that place was pretty special, and he learned that there are tough ones at every single at every single level -  except the big leagues which is crazy - he learned from those, didn't get discouraged and just bounced back and was like, “okay this is what i need to do moving forward.”...... he just kept figuring it out .

DMF: So, you guys made changes on the pitching side last offseason.  And I don't want to say things were in shambles a year ago, but certainly some changes needed to be made, and you made them. You brought in Justin, you split up the pitching coordinator role, so he gave you more of a big picture view, and that left Ricky more able to work on the nuts and bolts kind of administrative things, and now the Blue Jays are known as a pitching development organization.   Tell me from your perspective how that all worked this past year.

 JS: Number one, Justin was somebody we had targeted, and we thought he could be a difference maker for us. And then once he went through our process, he was a clear number one, a good cultural fit, we loved his ideas. And then credit to Ricky. You know, that's not an easy spot to be in where we hired somebody over him, but he embraced it and they got along

from day one, and because of that cohesion,  I think we were able to hit the ground running pretty quickly because as you and I have talked, we had a ton of resources and a lot of our processes we were proud of, and felt like they would work, but we needed the right people to kind of  pull them all together and really take that big step forward. Thankfully, we were able to do that.

   The other element, or I could definitely talk about this one for a long time, but Frank Hermann (pitching acquisitions specialist) still being in the mix with us, he has intimate knowledge, obviously, of what we were trying to do on our side. Him being a connector between amateur scouting and us, and then at the same time he has a little bit of a hand in some of the international stuff and whatnot, that cohesion definitely enabled us to get the kind of guys we thought we could make some progress with. And then it worked out pretty well.

  And credit to our coaching staff, credit to the leadership of Justin and Ricky. They got buy-in from that group pretty much immediately. And then if you were walking around in spring training, it was definitely different in the way that we were going about the work,  and attacking certain things, but guys were all in. And that's not always an easy thing to do when we're throwing some new philosophies and practices out there about the way we go about our work. But they were all open-minded. They attacked it. You know, we have incredible support on the R&D side. I have a few, you know, Alex Kachler (Complex League and Special Projects Pitching Coach) down here, Kieran Liming (Minor League Pitching Analyst) down at the PDC. You know, it really felt like everybody came together and just focused on doing their part and improving our processes.

   And our guys benefited. I mean, at baseline, we got more aggressive and we were just going at guys and we're working ahead and leveraging counts. And, we were confident our guys had good enough stuff to be able to do that.

   I think whatever we talk about all the time and put in front of them, it makes it more important to them. And then all of a sudden they started to see the results. You know, being in leverage counts, first pitch strikes, working ahead,  their stuff was good enough. A lot of them have pretty special fastballs. Teaching them how to work off of that and we had a little bit of success with our pitch grip library and introducing some new things and how their bodies work. You know, I could go on and on, but it was really special to be able to do it.

  The fun part for us is now, now people are taking notice is how do we build off of it? What does 2026 look like? And I think that's  the challenge that fires everybody up and gets us out of bed in the morning.

DMF:  And then the obvious question is how do you do this for hitters?

JS:  Yeah…it's a great question….we go back at the end of every year and we do departmental reviews and we're trying to dive into what went well, what didn't, what processes should we amend, refine, et cetera. So what can we learn from what happened there? You know, we felt our baseline on the hitting side, we've done a decent job in our opinion. We've had a lot of guys who've had success, maybe not necessarily with us, but a lot of former Blue Jays minor leaguers are sprinkled in the big leagues. So we think our foundation is good. You know, I think some of the stuff you saw in the big leagues and bringing in Pop (hitting coach Dave Popkins) and(assistant hitting coach) Lou (Ianotti) and their ideas, we're starting to sprinkle that down even further.

  We have some success with improving bat speed across the board on the minor league side. Maybe not across the board, but the majority of them. And yeah, we want to just keep building, keep thinking through things:  what can we bring in? Some fresh ideas and keep trying things we'll figure out what we can do there.

DMF:  Next, let’s get the injured guys out of the way and you know hopefully a year from now we're not having this long a conversation again, but  can you can you give me a general idea  at least starting with the pitchers where they at, like starting with Tiedemann in terms of where they're at in their rehab and what your expectations are for spring training for them. 

JS:  Starting with Ricky, you know, one, we've changed some of the personnel and approaches down in rehab. Obviously, it was a crazy high-leverage group that was down here, so we want to make sure we're trying some new things with Anthony Gomez and a few others, and Joe Hallock  (physical therapist) on the medical side - they did a great job. We were able to keep those guys engaged. And it (rehab) can be lonely, and those guys banding together and sharing experiences and talking through it, you know, I think helped navigate that process a little bit. Then, with the quality of humans we had down there, between Ricky, Cheese (Chad Dallas), Cookie (Connor Cooke), (2024 MiLB Rule 5 pick Richard) Gallardo, everybody down here was in a great mindset.

  Ricky was close to being ready to throw by the end of the year, and had a little soreness, but is totally fine. He’s throwing bullpens right now. The stuff looked good. No concerns on him moving forward, going to have a normal off season and be ready to go. He's fired up about being on the 40 man. He knows he hasn't done anything yet. He's ready to go prove it. 

DMF:  And I would guess that the plan - depending how spring training goes - is a gradual buildup for him?

JS: Yes, and Ricky's going to be a part of those conversations. He knows his body. He knows how we approach things. You know, we're going to try to be smart about it. No decisions have been made. But he hasn't thrown much in his career in general, and especially in the last two years. So we're going to be really conservative and thoughtful about the way that we map it out because we want him to get the opportunity back to a major league team in a meaningful way as well. 

DMF: Chad Dallas is a bit of a forgotten man. I haven't forgotten about him, and I'm sure you haven't either. Where's Chad at? 

JS: Yeah, he's in a good spot. Very similar timeline to Ricky. He was throwing pens before he left. He's hungry. One byproduct of watching your boys and your teammates get the opportunities and go up there and show that they can do is it gives these guys confidence that they can be the next one -  so he had a great mindset the whole time thought he looked good stuff was coming up pretty good he's going to have a normal off season be ready to go in spring training .

DMF:  And then some of the bullpen guys which ones in general - Cooke and (T.J.) Brock in particular, where are they in the rehab process?

JS:  So Cookie, let’s start with him - he was in a place where we were going to send him to the AFL, and he was pretty much right there and then had a little bit of setback and some soreness so we ended up pulling him back from that but seems like he's in an okay spot there's a couple things we're trying to figure out um so that one's a little TBD.

  Brock has looked good. Body has felt good. Expecting him to be pretty normal going into next year. And again, that whole group is hungry because their boys are the ones that got those opportunities and they want their chance to show what they can do.

DMF: And you sent (Rule 5 draftee Angel) Bastardo to Arizona, but he didn't pitch? 

JS: Yeah, similar thing as Cookie. He was throwing his last live BP, which I was watching from my office on our IP cameras, and he grabbed at his shoulder. And it was nothing crazy serious, but it essentially eliminated his opportunity to be able to go out and pitch over there. So I think he's good, and we'll see what happens on that front. But it was disappointing that we didn't get to see him out there because we were just trying to get him some run in a Blue Jays uniform so we could see him and he could feel good about getting back out there. 

DMF: And Jake Bloss, because he had the most recent surgery, I imagine is still quite a bit behind the others.

 JS: Yeah, he's a bit behind. He looks great. He's been down here a lot. And, you know what a unique opportunity is to try to keep guys engaged when they're unable to physically throw.

  Jake's an extremely cerebral dude, and he's been a joy to have down here. He's going to be a little bit further behind…..  We'll probably be conservative with that one as well, and just make sure that when he gets back out there he can pitch throughout the end of the year. And so that's probably mid-summer, maybe July, whatever, but it all depends on how his body's reacting. 

DMF:  But things were just starting to come together for him when he went down. 

JS:  Yeah, the stuff is real, and sometimes there's an adjustment period when your stuff picks up a little bit. We have confidence in the person and he'll figure some things out. I mean he's an impressive dude. So that's exciting.

DMF:  Now let's go through some of the top guys. And I think we kind of have to start with Arjun Nimmala because he had an incredible first half.. And really the sky was looking like the limit.  Then things really fell off in the second half. And, you know, from my 30,000 foot view, I saw a guy who was working at bats and having quality at bats, but then maybe just not ultimately making good swing decisions when it came right down to it. And how does he rebound for next year? 

JS:  Arj, we all know how talented he is. And him getting off to the start that he did, was not surprising.  You know, we've talked about the challenges in the Northwest League, and there you play the same five teams over and over and over again. So once they made a little bit of an adjustment, he maybe necessarily didn't make the necessary adjustments as quickly as he could have, but I think it was a good learning experience for him. That was technically his first actual full season. Obviously, the year before it was, but we had pulled him back, and it was a bit disjointed. So it was a matter of letting him kind of figure it out, try to figure it out in the moment for a 19-year-old, we thought that was valuable. And hearing the way Arj talked about it, I think he learned a lot and that's the most important part about it for him. He dealt with some soreness and stuff throughout the year but never anything serious enough, so figuring out how to play when you don't play and perform and you're not feeling like your best was another important lesson.  I think his ability to maintain his body throughout the year is going to be a very, very crucial piece for him. And he's aware of that. You know, it's a long year. And grinding it down and playing every single day. I mean, people forget that, you know, he's been around for three years now.  Or two and a half years. So people forget he's going to play next year at his age 20 season, which is still crazy. But, yeah, sky's the limit for him. There are definitely some opportunities. I think he's on board with the plan. 

 He's going to attack the offseason really well and hopefully put himself in a position where he's going to explode early again and then maintain it throughout the year. 

DMF: So you're saying maybe he wore down a little bit in the second half, which is understandable. He plays the most demanding position aside from pitcher-catcher on the field and his age was a factor.

JS: Yes, and it is an adjustment for anybody. And learning how to do that and how to maintain that body throughout the year is going to be important as he continues to progress. But  physically, he's in a good spot. He's a tremendous worker. We're going to keep working on some of the nuanced part of the game, how to plan on how people are going to attack you and what you can do to counter punch and all that. But yeah, I mean, Arj  still in a really good spot. He can play next year at 20.  He can't really have a drink yet in the States.

DMF:  Definitely. And I think if he plays in New Hampshire, the ballpark there, the dimensions might be a little bit better for him. And like you say, more teams, not as many second looks at him. Next up on my list is Johnny King. You told me back when I was asking you back in June to let me know when he was moving up from the complex leagues, and you said, take a number. Man, he certainly met, if not exceeded your expectations this year. 

JS:  Yeah, I can't say enough positive things about him.

  He deserves all the notoriety and recognition that he got. I mean, guy's a bulldog….he's surprisingly physical for such a young kid.  And I think our favorite part about him is, like, he’s the ultimate bulldog. He's a competitor. He wants the ball. He wants to go figure it out. We were conservative on the plan from the jump. And when we met with him in spring training, I told him he was going to start in Extended, and he wasn't thrilled with me. But, you know, we explained the whole thing, that's why he is who he is, right? That's why they are where they are. And it would be disappointing if guys weren't viewing it that way. 

  We explained the plan and kind of what we were thinking and what a successful year looked like in our eyes for him. And he went out there and dominated Extended, dominated the FCL. You know, at one point we had to sit down with him because he was eager to get over to Dunedin. And we said, “Hey, man, we need you to get in the zone more. You got the stuff and you can dominate people at this level, but you're going to face more advanced hitters over there.”  And I think his next four starts after that, the zone rate improved in every single one.  So at that point, he checked the boxes on the physical side, routines, teammate, worker, all of that. And we felt like it was the appropriate time to give him that challenge. And you saw what he did over there. And I think the ABS was an interesting thing for him, awareness-wise. And you know, the stuff is about as real as it gets.

  So his ability to consistently get in a zone is always going to be paramount. But you know, as he starts to figure that out and learns the nuances of how to set hitters up and read swings, the sky's the limit for this dude. Absolutely. Impressive young man.

DMF:  I talked to him this year, and he's kind of learning that part of the game with the media as well.

JS:  You know, for somebody who just turned 19, there's still a huge learning curve ahead of him, but I think he's tackling it well.  And I get asked about him a lot. He's a dude.  It's going to be on him to check the boxes and things that we put in front of him. But, you know, if he answers those challenges and continues the performance and the competitor comes out and he's in the zone, there's a lot to like there. He's going to be able to move.

DMF:  And Gage Stanifer, just to touch on him, I know we talked about him at the beginning, but I know that Yesavage and Khal Stephen got most of the accolades this season up until the trade deadline, but he was right there with him, in my opinion. This is a guy who had a lot of trouble with the strike zone in Dunedin as a 9th round pick two years ago but to me he made as much if not more progress than any other pitcher in the organization this year and the job that he and you guys have done is just incredible think of where he is now.

JS:   All the credit goes to Gage…. we've talked about him in the past and everybody knew that the potential was there with the stuff and how hard he works and how physical he is and how the stuff had picked up. All of that was tremendous and for him it was just a battle with the zone.  

 In spring training this year we identified something I don't know if it's an astigmatism, but it might have been something with this vision and once we saw it and  gave him some corrective lenses, he really took off.

DMF:  Yeah, I think being able to see the zone is probably pretty important. 

JS:  Yes….and from that point on, everything was there.

   And I think, you know, the confidence builds when you're in the zone that much. You see that you can just challenge somebody with your heater at times and see what they can do. And, you know, not that he was ever pitching scared, because that's not who he is but I think there was a little bit of a tentative nature in the past. This year, it was just all go, full throttle the whole time. I think pairing him with Trey was a positive thing. Credit to our pitching guys on that.

  One, he got to see how Trey works. They got tight. The different looks from release points and just delivery in general, I think, helped early on. And then as that confidence grew, the goal was how do we separate them, give him his own day, and credit to him he just continued to do his thing and ended the year on a positive note and we could not ask for more momentum going into the off season this year.

 He’s really put himself on the map so he's about as exciting as we have as well….I know I’ve used those words a lot but they're true you know and this was what we were dreaming on when we got him as a high school kid in the 19th round.

 DMF:  Edward Duran got off to a tremendous start - put together a 21-game hit streak, led the FSL in throwing out base runners. He struggled a little bit in Vancouver, but again, he's a guy, with the progress that he made, the changes that he made to his body, I can see a bright future for him, even with the tail off… you guys must have been really pleased with the progress he made. 

JS:  Super pleased. We've been trying to push to get back to the plate with developing catchers again, after we had the golden age of  Jano, Riley (Adams), Kirky, and Gabby, that was a pretty good group. But we've been working to get back there and, you know, Duran - first, you have to start with who he is as a person. I mean, he's just an elite human being. Everybody loves him. Latin teammates, American teammates, he's a true connector guy, which is obviously really important for that position. But you can see with the staff that was in Dunedin at the start of the year, probably was the most advanced staff than he ever handled.

 We thought he handled that well, made adjustments, and got better because of that. The receiving, the technical skills, obviously he can throw a little bit, but all of those continued to incrementally get better. The body was a big piece of what we were paying attention to, and he did a great job managing that this year and staying in great shape. And, you know how tough Dunedin is with how hot it is, and managing workload and trying to do all those things. So, he made a lot of steps forward. The contact and barrel accuracy is really, really good.

   I think he learned when he got up to Vancouver, at least on the offensive side, there were some things that exposed him, and he reflected on it, and the way he talked about it was encouraging. So at the end of the day, if we can continue to see the improvements on the defensive side, he can help pitchers be at their best. We have something pretty interesting there.

DMF:  I’m just curious, you mentioned him being a connector, and it got me to wondering, just for Latin guys going up to Vancouver, how much of an adjustment is that for them?  I mean, we're not just talking about a different language. We're talking about different geography, different climate. In the case of Canada, although I guess everything is tap now pretty much, or at least it is in Canada - a different currency different tv stations, milk in bags all that -  we as Canadians don't always appreciate that but how much of an adjustment is that for Latin players?

JS:  I think it's a series of adjustments - it's a cultural adjustment in general just coming from the Latin American countries and coming to the States for the first time, we pour a lot of time and effort into assimilation and, and just transition. And, you know, a lot of these things, these guys would never even think about.

  So Sonia de la Cruz, our education coordinator, does a really good job. Erika Monsalves down there, Danny Canales and Ashley Ponte as well.  There's a lot of effort that goes into helping them figure out what's necessary and the things that they need to pay attention to when they get over to the States.  It’s obviously slightly different when they get up to Vancouver as well, but I don’t think it’s a huge difference.  It is an adjustment for the players, but the support that we give out there and all of those elements all help to make the transition. The cold weather is the one thing we can’t really help with.

DMF:  I think Vancouver is an important piece of the puzzle, because it gives all of the players - even if they’re only there a few months - the experience of living in a foreign country.  

JS:  We talk to our guys about that all the time - it’s their first taste of Canadian baseball, and we couldn’t ask for a better atmosphere for them.  It usually leaves them with wanting to experience the Canadian fanbase on a bigger stage.  

DMF:  A couple of more injury updates I missed asking you about earlier - can we start with Brandon Barriera?

JS:  He was all the way back, and it was exciting - the stuff was coming out of his hand really well.  He just couldn’t get out of that 1st inning (Barriera didn’t last past the 1st in 3 of his 4 FCL starts), which was more of a mental block than anything else.  Then he had a mini-fracture in his arm, which was unavoidable, which was disappointing, because he’s worked his butt off to be in a really good spot, put his body in position - all he wants to do is compete, and he hasn’t had that opportunity yet.  So we were disappointed for him - he’s throwing bullpens now, body looks great, he’s moving good, so we don’t see any concerns about him this spring.  

DMF:  Carson Messina - I was really looking forward to seeing him.  He had that one FCL outing, then was shut down, I recall you saying that it was just a lot of soreness.

JS:  It was disappointing that he didn’t get the full experience in his first pro season, but he was in the rehab group with some of the older guys we talked about earlier, and I think he learned a lot this year as a result.  The stuff is real, he’s physical, he’s going to come right after you - looking forward to seeing him next spring with all that he’s experienced this season.

DMF:  This is the part that I’m excited about - who were the guys who stood out in the Bridge League and/or Instructs, guys we haven’t seen yet.

JS:  One guy we’ve missed that I want to talk about first is Austin Cates - he’s a guy who just doesn’t get enough attention.  He’s a dude.  He doesn’t look the part, and his stuff doesn’t jump off the page, but man - the year he put together, and the momentum he had was really exciting.

DMF:    Austin is a guy that I did want to ask you about, but I realize there's only so many minutes that I can get you for. But with a season he had, Austin certainly has injected himself into the conversation here. That splitter is a legit pitch.

JS:   It certainly is. As far as guys down here go, Dayne Pengelly (signed as an undrafted free agent) is the first who jumps out on the pitching side.  The delivery is kind of funky, and the ball explodes out of his hand.  And he had some success early, there’s some uniqueness there, and we’re very high on him.

  Micah Bucknam (4th round pick from Abbotsford, BC) - we’re excited to see what he can do next year.  He’s an A+ kid, a Canadian, we have some history with him (Jays originally drafted him in the 16th round in 2022, when he was considered one of the best Canadian prospects in the draft).   

  Jared Spencer (RHP taken in the 11th round, had shoulder surgery) it will be interesting to see how he responds to rehab.  He’s got some elite stuff.

  Trace Baker (RHP, 13th round) is pretty interesting.   Noah Palmese (14th) is a reliever, but has pretty interesting stuff.  

  On the position player side is where most of the interest is.  Jo Jo (1st round pick Parker) came as advertised. We immediately understood why our group was so high on him, and was thrilled to get him.  Again, number one - he’s an elite human being.  He moves well, in the batter’s box, he hits the ball hard, we think he has some adjustability in there - there’s a lot to like.  As far as the defence goes, he had limited resources where he lives, so we’re looking forward to seeing what an offseason in our program does for him.  I think the defence is going to be better than people expect.  

  As for the outfielders Jake Cook (3rd round), he set a record at the scouting combine (for the 30 yard dash - also had the longest jump), despite having something like a quad splint.  I don’t know the full medical extent of it, but he was pretty limited in what he could do for us.  But it’s truly remarkable he did that at the combine even though he wasn’t 100%.

DMF:  Is that why you guys shut him down after the draft?

JS:  Exactly.  It’s not something we were worried over, just wanted to be smart about it.  In terms of tools, I don’t think we’ve had an athlete like this since I’ve been here.  So, we can’t wait to see what he can do, challenge him to steal bases.  

  Jordan Rich (17th round, HS) is pretty interesting….he’s not the biggest dude, but is pretty physical.  I like the way he swings, he can go get it, and he’s not afraid.  Alek Manoah was throwing a live BP to him, and Jordan slapped a double down the line off of him.  Blaine Bullard (12th, HS) is another one to watch - the tools are legit, and I think he’s going to compete his butt off….that group is really tight.  Tim Piasentin (5th, Alberta HS) is part of that group - it’s one of the best we’ve had  - he’s got ridiculous bat speed, hits the ball really hard.  We’re trying to get him to make contact.  He’s a big human.  We’re still going to explore 3B with him, may move him to RF, we just want to see his ability to get to that power consistently.  Austin Smith (LHP/OF, 10th), we’re going to let him do both next year, that should be a fun challenge.  And Jake Casey (15th)  - he can do some things.  He’s got tools, and has the pedigree and thinks the game at a more advanced level.  

DMF:  Is the plan for Jo Jo to get him the majority of his reps at SS?  

JS:  I think to start, yes.  We’ll see what happens in spring, but he can definitely play the left side.

DMF:  Will his situation be like Arjun’s two years ago, where there was something of a split in opinion as to whether to start him in Extended and the Complex, or let him start at Dunedin?

JS:  Probably.  It’s a little bit more straightforward with him than it was with Arj.  He’s going to be 19 when the year starts - if he does the work in the offseason and shows up in shape, and we have confidence in him, well - you know we’re not afraid to challenge players. 

DMF:  I wanted to touch on the International guys as well.  Reading the reports on Juan Sanchez, you guys must be really excited to get him Stateside next year.

JS:  He’s about as exciting as they come. I think the thing that has been overlooked is he dominated the first half of the (DSL) season, and teams started to pitch around.  He didn’t take the bait, stayed committed to his approach, and he would take his walks, but if they made a mistake, he’d hammer it.  That’s pretty advanced for someone that age (Sanchez turned 18 in September).  Typically, they get frustrated, and start chasing and get away from it.  He did not stray from his approach, which is impressive.

DMF:  If I could, I’d ask you about every guy in the system, so tell me about someone I’ve missed.

JS:  On the pitching side, Silvano Hechavarria.  We could not be more thrilled with his year.  He’s another one - he always has a smile on his face, everyone loves being around him.  He put in the work, put on a good amount of weight from the time we got him to now, he’s going to be a strong dude moving forward.  The stuff picked up a little bit, we challenged him with different levels, and he continued to answer the bell.  He was older (22) for those levels, and a bit green experience-wise, but for him to get in a full season of routines and jump three levels was awesome.

DMF:  You have had a good run of Cuban pitchers of late.

JS:  Definitely….two other guys I’ll throw in here are Fernando Perez and Grant Rogers.  They’re kind of after thoughts, but they just consistently fill up the zone every time they’re out there.  They may not have crazy strikeout numbers, but at some point, getting outs consistently matters.  We’re excited about the years they had.

  (Reliever) Javen Coleman was the other one on the pitching side. He hadn’t pitched in a long time (originally drafted by the Dodgers in 2023, Coleman opted to return to college, was signed by the Jays 6/24, but didn’t pitch until this season) and for him to go out - there were stretches where he was utterly dominant (in a relief role for Dunedin and Vancouver).  Coleman had an immaculate inning for Vancouver, almost had another. (You can read more about Coleman at my friend Niall’s excellent blog about the Cs.