Baseball Prospectus 1996
The core of the World Series Champions has either been let go (Alomar, White, Molitor) or aged (Carter, Morris), and the new players haven't succeeded in replacing them. With owners who aren't interested in having a baseball team, they haven't been willing to commit the money for a top-notch team, and fan interest (in terms of season ticket sales) have dropped off. It could be interesting to watch their claims if they continue dropping; will they whine about being an uncompetitive small market, just a few years after being noted as a large market? Could somebody realize that "market size" has a large component of "team success" mixed in?
A special thanks to Gordon Niguma, who contributed heavily to these player reports.
SHARNOL ADRIANA 1971 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STC 176 29 2 0 3 15 4 2 .165 .230 .227 .146 26 6 1992 DUN 215 49 4 2 1 26 5 2 .228 .311 .279 .213 46 18 1993 KNX 177 30 2 1 0 19 6 4 .169 .250 .192 .141 25 6 1994 KNX 193 43 5 1 2 27 5 4 .223 .318 .290 .216 42 17 1994 SYR 30 3 2 0 0 6 1 0 .100 .250 .167 .130 4 1 1995 KNX 259 61 10 1 2 26 10 7 .236 .305 .305 .217 56 23Obviously not much of a prospect, caught behind a slew of other prospects and the immortal Domingo Cedeno.
D.J. BOSTON 1972 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 STC 268 50 2 1 3 25 8 2 .187 .256 .235 .169 45 13 1993 HAG 469 120 16 1 9 34 16 7 .256 .306 .352 .236 111 48 1994 DUN 434 109 12 1 7 44 13 5 .251 .320 .332 .235 102 44 1995 KNX 476 100 15 1 8 39 9 5 .210 .270 .296 .198 94 33Look at his statistics and guess his size and position. His numbers look so out of line with his 6'7", 230 pound frame that you may overlook another key issue: he's a first baseman who isn't hitting. Strangely enough, he does have good speed. Odd, odd player. No matter how interesting a story this *might* be, it ain't gonna matter because he's not going to ever be a big league regular. He was considered a good prospect after a solid 1993 campaign, but since then has done nothing to further his career and he's not going to force Toronto to trade John Olerud either, not to mention Carlos Delgado.
BRENT BOWERS 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MYR 412 83 5 2 2 16 13 6 .201 .231 .238 .157 65 16 1992 DUN 529 109 7 2 4 29 17 7 .206 .247 .250 .171 91 26 1993 KNX 571 118 14 2 4 15 25 11 .207 .227 .259 .168 96 27 1994 KNX 474 118 12 7 4 18 11 5 .249 .276 .329 .215 102 39 1995 SYR 305 73 10 3 5 9 5 1 .239 .261 .341 .213 65 24The Toronto organization, like most major league organizations, has been enamored by "tool" guys; people who can run like the wind but hit like Michael Jordan. This mix doesn't usually lead to good major league players and the trend is unlikely to change with Bowers. That .261 translated OBA just doesn't scare anyone.
TILSON BRITO 1972 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 DUN 458 94 10 1 7 45 16 7 .205 .276 .277 .197 90 32 1994 KNX 480 116 12 5 4 31 22 7 .242 .288 .312 .218 105 41 1995 SYR 329 75 11 2 6 26 16 6 .228 .285 .328 .221 73 30Cited by Gord Ash as a potential starter at second base for the 1996 Jays. He's up against a cast of thousands and the Blue Jays org. doesn't particularly recognize him as a real "up and comer". He might get into a role if a couple players struggle, whine or hurt their backs slipping on a banana peel, but is merely a stop gap type player.
ERIC BROOKS 1969 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DUN 137 21 1 0 1 13 1 0 .153 .227 .182 .107 15 2 1992 DUN 83 16 1 0 1 5 0 0 .193 .239 .241 .153 13 3 1993 DUN 141 20 3 0 1 13 1 1 .142 .214 .184 .092 13 2 1994 KNX 159 27 4 0 1 18 0 2 .170 .254 .214 .143 23 5 1995 KNX 53 14 1 0 3 10 0 1 .264 .381 .453 .283 15 9 1995 SYR 121 21 2 1 0 11 0 1 .174 .242 .207 .132 16 3Ignore the 641 other at bats of this catchers career and his 1995 Knoxville line makes him look like another Chris Hoiles.
RICH BUTLER 1973 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 MYR 452 81 7 1 2 24 6 6 .179 .221 .212 .126 57 11 1993 DUN 434 105 9 3 10 36 7 6 .242 .300 .346 .227 98 41 1994 KNX 194 51 5 2 3 17 5 2 .263 .322 .356 .243 47 21 1994 SYR 302 66 4 1 2 18 7 6 .219 .262 .258 .178 54 16 1995 KNX 215 50 7 2 3 21 8 2 .233 .301 .326 .227 49 20 1995 SYR 199 30 2 1 2 9 2 2 .151 .188 .201 .082 16 2Brother of token Candian Rob Butler, who has since moved on to the Philadelphia Phillies. His only real asset is (supposedly) hitting for average. He is young, but even if he can hit .300 he's not going to be that good: he doesn't walk much, steal a lot of bases or hit for any power. At best he's a filler/role player. Will get more chances then a typical player of his skill simply because he is Canadian. Unlike Rob Ducey several years ago, he has very little chance of being a good player.
JOE CARTER 1960 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TOR 635 176 37 3 33 47 26 9 .277 .327 .501 .284 181 101 1992 TOR 626 175 30 7 37 34 13 5 .280 .317 .527 .286 179 100 1993 TOR 599 155 30 5 32 42 9 3 .259 .307 .486 .271 163 86 1994 TOR 432 119 22 2 23 27 13 0 .275 .318 .495 .283 122 67 1995 TOR 555 144 21 1 21 30 15 1 .259 .297 .414 .253 140 66 1996 PRJ 492 119 26 2 24 39 13 2 .242 .298 .449 .261 128 65Joe Carter is interesting because in May he becomes a "10 and 5" man (ten years of service, five with the same team), which means he can veto any trade. The Jays would be much further along in their rebuilding phase if they were willing to trade him somewhere last year or in 1994, but this didn't happen. Why? There was a rumor that Carter was being shopped around. In fact, one rumor had Carter going to the Braves last year for Ryan Klesko which would have been a steal for the Blue Jays. Of course, it didn't happen. Here is my (highly hypothetical) take on the situation: Carter was being shopped around by Ash and made the offer to others around the league. He may have asked for Klesko, which sensibly the Braves laughed at. This is consistent with another rumor which claimed Ash did shop many of his veterans around, but made ridiculous trade proposals (another rumor was Cone for Tavarez and Embree). At the last minute, when no one was biting, he traded only David Cone (for questionable value) and got stuck with a bunch of old veterans who were going to leave as free agents anyways. In my opinion, Gord Ash's single biggest shortcoming so far as a Blue Jays GM is not relinquishing these players and getting something in return. He watched them leave and didn't even offer most of them arbitration, which would have at least netted some draft picks. It is quite possible that he did not know how to handle the situation; he certainly didn't learn this from Gillick, who was always a buyer in the "rent-a-player" game rather than a seller. Speculation on my part, but we all gotta believe something, right? So we'll see what happens to Carter this year, when his contract runs out.
As far as Carter the player is concerned, many people will tell you he's capping off a great, Hall of Fame career. *unprintable expletive* Here's how he ranks in important equivalent categories:
Career EPEQA: .274. This puts him in 660th place, behind such hitters as Pee Wee Reese, Buddy Bell, Stuffy McInnis, Jose Cardenal, and two of the worst outfielders currently in the Hall of Fame, Tommy McCarthy and Harry Hooper.
Career EPER: 995. 267th place, behind Claudell Washington, Richie Hebner, Harvey Kuenn, and Lloyd Waner.
Best 5-Year EPEQA: .280. 656th place, trailing Ray Knight, Wally Pipp, and Lloyd Waner.
Best 5-year EPER: 474. 269th place, behinf Don Buford, Bob Bescher, Ralph Garr, Alvin Davis, and Mike Greenwell.
Number of players ahead of him on all 4 lists: 186. Just on the last page of the listing, I see such batting luminaries as Mike Tiernan, George Van Haltren, Roy White, Roy Sievers, both Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker, George Scott, Eddie Yost, Bob Watson, Ken Singleton, and Dixie Walker: and that's without naming any of the Hall of Famers on the page.
To say that Joe Carter is an above average player now, is certainly a stretch of the truth. To say that Joe Carter was *ever* a great player is certainly a stretch of the truth: an outfielder who posts a .300 EPEQA exactly once (.301 in 1986) cannot be considered great. People *thought* he was a great player, and many still do, so perhaps Ash can still get a prospect or two for him. If Danny Tartabull can net you Andrew Lorraine and another player, you should have been able to get James Baldwin or Scott Ruffcorn or Mike Sirotka for Carter.
DOMINGO CEDENO 1969 SS-2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 KNX 343 70 5 4 2 21 8 4 .204 .250 .259 .174 60 18 1992 KNX 340 71 5 5 2 16 7 5 .209 .244 .271 .175 59 17 1992 SYR 57 10 4 0 0 3 0 0 .175 .217 .246 .141 8 2 1993 SYR 384 98 13 6 1 30 15 8 .255 .309 .328 .229 88 37 1993 TOR 46 8 0 0 0 1 1 0 .174 .191 .174 .072 3 0 1994 SYR 80 21 2 1 1 7 3 2 .262 .322 .350 .239 19 9 1994 TOR 97 20 2 2 0 8 1 2 .206 .267 .268 .179 17 5 1995 TOR 160 39 6 1 3 8 0 1 .244 .280 .350 .218 35 14May win the second base job despite being the classic "good field, no hit" player....minus the "good field" label. Domingo Cedeno doesn't really kill the Jays because he doesn't play that much. Quite possibly will win the second base job by default, since he's got experience. Added to that was his performance in the Dominican League this winter, where he hit safely in every game he played and won the league batting title with a remarkable .425. Winter ball records notwithstanding, he can't hit.
FELIPE CRESPO 1973 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 MYR 275 64 7 1 2 43 4 3 .233 .336 .287 .224 62 26 1993 DUN 338 81 10 3 6 36 10 3 .240 .313 .340 .235 79 35 1994 KNX 509 125 18 2 8 50 14 5 .246 .313 .336 .233 119 51 1995 SYR 350 99 14 3 11 37 12 5 .283 .351 .434 .276 97 51 1996 PRJ 574 160 27 4 16 71 16 5 .279 .358 .423 .277 159 85Another candidate for the second base job, but unlike the others this guy can actually hit! I'm guessing that he won't play second base because of his defense and it's quite possible that he'll rot in AAA because he's not a good enough fielder to play second and because they already (foolishly) signed Ed Sprague to a long term deal. He used to play third base but switched with Chris Stynes. Not really considered a great prospect but has defintely shown ability and is still quite young. Should develop into a solid hitter (better than Ed Sprague).
LORENZO DELACRUZ 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 HAG 461 94 8 1 12 21 7 4 .204 .239 .304 .186 86 27 1995 KNX 503 118 14 7 6 29 9 6 .235 .276 .326 .211 106 40Uninteresting.
CARLOS DELGADO 1972 1B-OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MYR 458 109 8 1 11 48 4 5 .238 .310 .332 .226 103 43 1992 DUN 495 144 12 1 24 49 2 3 .291 .355 .465 .283 140 75 1993 KNX 464 123 14 1 17 84 7 2 .265 .378 .409 .279 130 71 1994 SYR 306 92 7 1 13 36 1 0 .301 .374 .458 .291 89 49 1994 TOR 129 28 5 0 7 23 1 1 .217 .336 .419 .260 34 18 1995 SYR 336 105 17 2 18 41 1 3 .312 .387 .536 .311 105 63 1995 TOR 91 16 4 0 2 5 0 0 .176 .219 .286 .164 15 4 1996 PRJ 527 156 18 1 29 71 0 1 .296 .380 .499 .302 159 93Should be the DH on the 1996 team, but seems to be undergoing serious transitional problems to the major leagues. His struggles in winter ball are also worrisome. However, his upside is tremendous and he really dominated AAA last year. The Jays should certainly give him a shot, because he could be the best hitter on their team. With the departure of Molitor, I don't see how the Jays can't let Delgado get 400-500 at bats this year.
ALEX GONZALEZ 1973 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 MYR 546 126 12 4 8 24 13 6 .231 .263 .311 .202 110 39 1993 KNX 554 138 17 4 11 30 27 8 .249 .288 .354 .232 129 55 1994 SYR 437 115 15 2 9 45 19 5 .263 .332 .368 .254 111 53 1994 TOR 53 8 3 1 0 3 3 0 .151 .196 .245 .154 8 2 1995 TOR 364 91 18 4 8 39 5 5 .250 .323 .387 .248 90 42 1996 PRJ 574 153 30 5 11 64 16 6 .267 .340 .394 .262 150 75Hit major league pitching quite well last year, but was benched because Cito didn't like his defense. Certainly Gonzalez has a strong arm and was considered a good defensive shortstop in the minor leagues, but his defensive stats are atrocious. The Jays tried him at third a little bit towards the end of the year, but now that Ed Sprague is signed to a long term contract, Gonzalez may have to play SS effectively to ever be a major league player for the Blue Jays. Considered to be a hard worker, he has worked on all aspects of his game. When he first broke into pro ball, he couldn't hit. He's worked on that. He's added walks to his arsenal in 1994. I am impressed that he has done the things that he needs to do to become a good major league player. His next challenge will be to work on his range at shortstop. His offense is coming along fine, but whether he can field well enough to remain at shortstop is the key. He's not Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter, but he should develop into a damn fine shortstop.
SHAWN GREEN 1973 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 DUN 421 96 15 2 2 24 13 5 .228 .270 .287 .198 83 29 1993 KNX 356 83 9 1 3 20 4 5 .233 .274 .289 .195 69 23 1994 SYR 430 138 18 2 9 34 17 6 .321 .371 .435 .287 123 66 1994 TOR 33 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 .091 .118 .121 **** -5 -1 1995 TOR 377 112 28 4 13 15 1 3 .297 .324 .496 .279 105 55 1996 PRJ 571 165 44 6 17 41 8 4 .289 .337 .476 .281 161 86One of the very few bright spots in a dismal season for the Jays, Shawn Green continued his torrid hitting from AAA into the major leagues, showing power and hitting for a decent average. He has been hyped for quite some time after being a high draft pick but didn't really hit until he exploded in 1994 with Syracuse. If the Jays can get Green, Gonzalez and Delgado to play the way they are capable of, they will be quite a strong team in the future. As the team turns away from it's glory days, it will be looking for a marquee player to put butts in the stands. Shawn Green is an exciting player, good looking and talented and is well qualified for the marquee player role.
KRIS HARMES 1971 C-DH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STC 239 37 4 0 4 22 3 3 .155 .226 .222 .134 32 7 1991 DUN 45 10 3 0 0 8 1 0 .222 .340 .289 .231 10 4 1992 STC 238 44 3 0 3 15 0 2 .185 .233 .235 .143 34 8 1992 DUN 52 12 1 0 1 6 0 0 .231 .310 .308 .219 11 4 1993 HAG 490 107 11 1 9 47 2 2 .218 .287 .300 .205 100 36 1994 DUN 403 104 21 1 11 28 2 4 .258 .306 .397 .244 98 45 1995 KNX 258 50 9 1 3 31 0 1 .194 .280 .271 .188 49 16Will probably never impact the major league roster and is never mentioned as much of a prospect.
SANTIAGO HENRY 1973 2B-SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 STC 236 33 3 1 0 4 3 2 .140 .154 .161 **** -24 -3 1993 HAG 405 92 12 4 7 10 7 3 .227 .246 .328 .201 81 28 1994 DUN 407 91 13 3 7 14 7 3 .224 .249 .322 .200 81 28 1995 KNX 450 85 16 2 2 7 12 4 .189 .201 .247 .144 65 14Capable of hitting .300 with 40 homeruns, if the league would have to allow him to hit off a tee.
MIKE HUFF 1964 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CLE 147 38 5 1 2 25 14 2 .259 .366 .347 .271 40 21 1991 CWS 97 27 4 1 1 12 4 2 .278 .358 .371 .262 25 13 1992 SBN 42 12 0 1 1 8 1 1 .286 .400 .405 .283 12 7 1992 CWS 116 27 5 0 0 10 1 2 .233 .294 .276 .197 23 8 1993 NAS 342 95 7 4 6 59 21 6 .278 .384 .374 .278 95 52 1993 CWS 44 8 2 0 1 9 1 0 .182 .321 .295 .223 10 4 1994 TOR 204 63 10 2 3 24 2 1 .309 .382 .422 .285 58 31 1995 TOR 136 32 7 1 1 21 1 1 .235 .338 .324 .235 32 14 1996 PRJ 157 41 6 2 1 24 2 1 .261 .359 .344 .254 40 19Pretty good utility guy, accidentally played himself into a starting positing in 1994 after Delgado stopped hitting after a month of major league pitching (and then Delgado promptly returned in time to destroy AAA pitchers). Huff can do an OK job fielding and will draw a walk and not embarass you, but don't give him too much of a role or your team will sink faster than a cruise ship with Delta Burke on board. He was acquired for Domingo Martinez, which was much maligned at the time because people thought Martinez was a good prospect. This is a perfect illustration of how people do not understand age and minor league stats. Domingo Martinez was blocked behind John Olerud and had no future. Domingo Martinez didn't have many good minor league seasons and was fairly old for a prospect. That he wouldn't ever develop into a major league regular should have been no surprise to anyone. Meanwhile, Huff did what he was required to do as a bench player. Unforunately, his job was quickly forgotten because the Jays were not in contention.
PAT KELLY 1967 SS-2B-3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DUR 122 24 4 0 0 9 2 2 .197 .252 .230 .157 19 5 1991 GRN 92 26 4 2 0 11 4 1 .283 .359 .370 .266 24 12 1992 GRN 330 77 8 1 1 23 8 2 .233 .283 .273 .199 66 23 1993 DUR 129 28 2 0 1 10 3 2 .217 .273 .256 .184 24 7 1993 GRN 211 45 6 1 0 11 2 2 .213 .252 .251 .168 35 10 1994 RIC 190 48 4 0 2 14 6 5 .253 .304 .305 .216 41 16 1995 KNX 160 33 4 1 1 11 1 1 .206 .257 .262 .175 28 8 1995 SYR 68 8 0 0 2 6 0 0 .118 .189 .206 .081 5 1Not the Pat Kelly from the Yankees.
This shortstop is too old to ever expect to be anything in the major leagues. Pretty well a generic middle infielder who clings to the hope that he might get a chance, but the probability of him getting enough service time to qualify for a major league pension is about the same as his probability of winning the lottery.
RANDY KNORR 1969 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 KNX 76 12 4 0 0 8 1 0 .158 .238 .211 .140 11 2 1991 SYR 342 84 11 1 5 15 1 0 .246 .277 .327 .213 73 27 1992 SYR 230 62 10 1 9 15 1 0 .270 .314 .439 .262 60 30 1993 TOR 100 25 2 2 4 9 0 0 .250 .312 .430 .257 26 13 1994 TOR 123 30 2 0 6 9 0 0 .244 .295 .407 .244 30 14 1995 SYR 67 17 3 1 1 5 0 0 .254 .306 .373 .239 16 7 1995 TOR 132 29 6 0 3 9 0 0 .220 .270 .333 .209 28 10 1996 PRJ 162 45 4 0 6 11 0 0 .278 .324 .414 .259 42 20The subject of many trade rumors in the offseason. Cito Gaston has a severe dislike for Knorr's defensive abilities at catcher. Randy Knorr looked like he would develop into a decent hitting catcher (most of his offense generated by home runs) but he simply never got a full chance. The last straw was when Lance Parrish emerged as the starting catcher in 1995. Knorr would be best off in another organization.
JOE LIS 1969 2B-3B-OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STC 213 48 4 1 3 25 1 1 .225 .307 .296 .213 45 17 1992 MYR 450 114 9 1 10 48 3 4 .253 .325 .344 .236 106 46 1993 KNX 443 109 18 1 6 33 5 5 .246 .298 .332 .222 98 39 1994 SYR 318 87 11 1 8 21 3 1 .274 .319 .390 .251 80 37 1995 SYR 488 124 24 2 14 42 6 2 .254 .313 .398 .250 122 57Not singled out as a candidate for the second base job, but considering the competition, he should be given a look. Lis has kicked around for years with the Jays but was never considered by them very seriously. Won't be much more than a stop gap solution.
BRENT LUTZ 1970 C-OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 MYR 93 13 1 0 1 10 1 0 .140 .223 .183 .106 10 1 1993 DUN 242 50 6 1 4 24 9 4 .207 .278 .289 .202 49 18 1994 KNX 376 93 9 3 7 30 13 6 .247 .303 .343 .231 87 37 1995 KNX 144 16 2 0 2 13 3 1 .111 .185 .167 **** -5 0 1995 SYR 86 12 0 0 1 4 1 1 .140 .178 .174 **** -5 0The AA or AAA equivalent of Charlie O'Brien, it seems.
SANDY MARTINEZ 1973 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DUN 39 6 1 0 0 6 0 0 .154 .267 .179 .135 5 1 1993 HAG 340 71 7 1 5 10 1 0 .209 .231 .279 .171 58 16 1994 DUN 449 102 10 3 7 16 1 2 .227 .254 .310 .193 87 29 1995 KNX 143 28 6 1 1 5 0 1 .196 .223 .273 .159 23 6 1995 TOR 191 48 9 0 2 4 0 0 .251 .267 .330 .209 40 14AKA Angel Martinez, he is being set up as the Toronto catcher of the future. Surprisingly, he was brought up in time to get 191 at bats with Toronto after struggling to hit at Knoxville, and din't embarass himself completely. Strong armed, but the rest of his defense was criticized hard and often by Jay commentator Buck Martinez.
OTIS NIXON 1959 YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ATL 402 121 10 1 0 47 64 17 .301 .374 .331 .274 110 58 1992 ATL 464 149 16 1 3 43 43 17 .321 .379 .379 .278 129 68 1993 ATL 463 125 12 2 1 60 48 13 .270 .354 .311 .254 118 57 1994 BOS 390 101 9 2 0 50 47 11 .259 .343 .292 .248 97 46 1995 TEX 578 165 15 3 0 50 60 24 .285 .342 .322 .249 144 68 1996 PRJ 415 112 7 3 0 50 49 15 .270 .348 .301 .251 104 50As a ball player, I respect him in so much as he has stuck around. He does steal some bases, and draws some walks, which are good things. But he has a disgusting lack of power, and isn't really a good fielder anymore. I really think Stan Javier was a better option, and was cheaper. Hopefully Otis will be gone by the start of 1997, so that Shannon Stewart can play. However, Otis' two year deal pretty well guarantees him a starting role for the next two years, oui?
CHARLIE O'BRIEN 1961 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 NYM 170 33 4 0 3 17 0 2 .194 .267 .271 .179 30 9 1992 NYM 159 38 10 0 4 17 0 1 .239 .312 .377 .240 38 17 1993 NYM 188 49 8 0 4 15 1 1 .261 .315 .367 .241 45 20 1994 ATL 152 38 9 0 8 15 0 0 .250 .317 .467 .269 41 21 1995 ATL 197 45 7 0 8 28 0 1 .228 .324 .386 .247 49 23 1996 PRJ 171 37 5 0 8 21 0 0 .216 .302 .386 .239 41 19Not a good player by any means, but serviceable because he's cheap. Brought in as a mentor to Sandy Martinez.
JOHN OLERUD 1969 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TOR 451 118 24 1 18 67 0 2 .262 .357 .439 .276 124 67 1992 TOR 461 139 22 1 19 69 1 0 .302 .392 .477 .303 140 81 1993 TOR 539 198 42 3 24 109 0 2 .367 .474 .590 .362 195 135 1994 TOR 378 113 22 2 10 56 1 2 .299 .389 .447 .292 111 62 1995 TOR 484 144 18 1 8 77 0 0 .298 .394 .388 .281 136 71 1996 PRJ 598 198 29 1 17 98 0 0 .331 .425 .468 .316 189 112The Jays best player, now that Alomar has left. He is, sometimes, a great hitter. However, Olerud has typically gotten off to really slow starts (except in 1993, when he outhit Frank Thomas), which have really hurt his year end stats. Last year he was Alfredo Griffinesque for three months and George Brett in his prime for three months. He plays pretty good defense. The major concern about John is his lack of power. He really tailed off last year and hit very few homeruns at home. To be a premier player, Olerud is going to have to bang about 20 dingers a year and hit 40+ doubles. He is capable of doing it.
For all of those fans who complain about loud mouthed egotistical ballplayers, take a look at John Olerud. You gotta love him!
LANCE PARRISH 1956 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CAL 407 97 12 1 20 34 0 1 .238 .297 .420 .247 101 47 1992 CAL 83 20 2 0 4 5 0 0 .241 .284 .410 .240 20 9 1992 SEA 193 48 10 1 9 18 1 1 .249 .313 .451 .262 51 26 1993 ABQ 31 6 1 0 0 4 0 0 .194 .286 .226 .173 5 2 1994 TOL 51 16 1 0 1 4 0 0 .314 .364 .392 .271 14 7 1994 PIT 125 34 3 0 3 18 1 1 .272 .364 .368 .261 33 16 1995 TOR 177 37 6 0 4 13 0 0 .209 .263 .311 .197 35 12Was a very good player at one point, back when we thought Atari 2600 video games were cool and David Lee Roth had hair and was still in Van Halen. Shockingly grabbed the starting role over Knorr in 1995. It seemed clear that he had long lived out his usefulness years ago. A real slap in the face for Knorr, who didn't complain.
ROBERT PEREZ 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DUN 486 130 19 3 7 13 4 4 .267 .287 .362 .228 111 45 1992 KNX 529 128 19 3 8 12 10 6 .242 .259 .335 .208 110 40 1993 SYR 524 145 19 6 9 22 14 11 .277 .306 .387 .243 127 57 1994 SYR 507 142 18 2 7 22 4 5 .280 .310 .365 .238 121 51 1995 SYR 501 163 29 3 8 13 7 4 .325 .342 .443 .277 139 69 1995 TOR 48 9 2 0 1 0 0 0 .188 .188 .292 .151 7 2 1996 PRJ 651 199 32 4 9 18 8 4 .306 .324 .409 .261 170 79Continues to hit well in Syracuse, but his batting average is pretty empty. He is now too old to ever be a long term plan for the Blue Jays but I would expect him to stick around this year on the roster. A trade of Carter might open up playing time for him.
TOMAS PEREZ 1974 SS-2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 BUR 467 98 11 1 5 34 5 5 .210 .263 .270 .182 85 26 1995 TOR 98 25 2 1 1 5 0 1 .255 .291 .327 .215 21 8Rule V draftee, acquired through draft by California who promptly traded him to the Jays. He's obviously young and it's extremely hard to gauge how good he is after having to stay all year in Toronto. The organization loves him and Cito projected him to play either in AAA or in the majors this season. Ash mentioned that he has a chance to grab the second base job this year. Plays with confidence or cockiness...whatever you want to call it. Not exactly tearing up winter ball; he's not yet major league material.
JOHN RAMOS 1966 DH-1B-C-OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 COH 375 109 12 2 9 44 1 0 .291 .365 .405 .274 103 52 1992 COH 65 11 2 1 1 7 1 0 .169 .250 .277 .181 12 4 1993 COH 159 38 4 0 1 17 1 1 .239 .312 .283 .211 34 13 1994 LVG 294 79 13 1 6 33 0 0 .269 .343 .381 .256 75 36 1995 SYR 416 102 13 1 17 34 2 2 .245 .302 .404 .245 102 47If you need a cleanup hitter on your local softball team, you might want to give him a call. He'll probably be free this summer.
LONELL ROBERTS 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MYR 397 71 3 1 2 14 14 7 .179 .207 .207 .123 49 9 1992 STC 252 40 2 1 0 12 12 6 .159 .197 .175 .093 24 3 1993 HAG 509 96 11 1 3 34 25 9 .189 .239 .232 .164 83 23 1994 DUN 489 116 13 2 4 25 39 8 .237 .274 .297 .216 106 41 1995 KNX 451 90 7 2 1 21 39 11 .200 .235 .231 .173 78 23Read "Brent Bowers" comment and then tell me what Lonell Roberts is. All speed, no hit player getting older without large progressions forwards. Given vast amounts of opportunities by organization to make use of his speed.
RICH ROWLAND 1967 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TOL 382 99 14 1 12 47 4 2 .259 .340 .395 .259 99 49 1992 TOL 479 111 12 1 21 49 9 3 .232 .303 .392 .244 117 55 1993 TOL 328 86 18 1 16 47 2 5 .262 .355 .470 .279 92 51 1993 DET 46 10 3 0 0 5 0 0 .217 .294 .283 .202 9 3 1994 BOS 117 27 4 0 7 9 0 0 .231 .286 .444 .250 29 14 1995 PAW 123 30 5 0 6 6 0 1 .244 .279 .431 .242 30 14 1996 PRJ 155 39 5 0 5 18 0 0 .252 .329 .381 .251 39 18Sort of a Randy Knorr type guy. A catcher who just couldn't make it despite showing some decent power. Could be a decent starter for the Jays in 1996, but might not even make the 25 man roster. Getting older and running out of time.
WARREN SAWKIW 1968 OF-3B-2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 LAK 434 108 17 4 4 32 2 4 .249 .300 .334 .222 96 38 1992 LAK 434 92 13 2 3 33 4 3 .212 .268 .272 .185 80 25 1995 KNX 120 25 3 1 0 11 2 1 .208 .275 .250 .182 22 7 1995 SYR 42 7 1 0 0 5 2 0 .167 .255 .190 .156 7 2
ED SPRAGUE 1968 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SYR 87 30 6 0 4 7 2 0 .345 .394 .552 .326 28 17 1991 TOR 159 45 6 0 4 19 0 3 .283 .360 .396 .262 42 21 1992 SYR 375 103 14 2 13 38 0 2 .275 .341 .427 .267 100 50 1992 TOR 47 12 2 0 1 3 0 0 .255 .300 .362 .233 11 5 1993 TOR 543 145 24 2 12 28 1 0 .267 .303 .385 .242 132 58 1994 TOR 403 99 15 1 9 18 1 0 .246 .278 .355 .222 89 35 1995 TOR 517 130 23 2 16 51 0 0 .251 .319 .397 .250 129 61 1996 PRJ 601 153 26 2 19 50 0 0 .255 .312 .399 .249 150 70If Lou Gehrig had to bow out today he would no longer proclaim himself the luckiest man alive....that distinction would go to Ed Sprague after Gord Ash signed him to a $5.8 million, three year deal. I have some real problems with this contract. First off, there were better alternatives. Sign him to a one year deal. Go to arbitration. Sign Dave Hollins. Sign Kevin Seitzer. Second, the length of the deal. Isn't it imminent that the Jays are going to have to force someone out of a position soon? Felipe Crespo is a good young hitter, but may not field well enough to play second base. Ditto Alex Gonzalez. Miguel Cairo and possibly Tomas Perez will be looking for jobs. But they can't because they've already committed to Sprague. Third, Sprague just isn't that good even in his career year. It is astonishing that Jays fans actually think that Ed Sprague might be above average. This is a league with Wade Boggs, Jim Thome, Robin Ventura, Travis Fryman, Dean Palmer, Tim Naehring and Bobby Bonilla. If Ed Sprague is above average, then Tim Wallach and Jack Howell must be a pretty potent duo as well. Sprague's defense seems to have improved a little bit, but if he falls back into his previous "lump" defensive style, the Jays pitchers will concede all ground balls hit to third as singles.
SHANNON STEWART 1974 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 STC 314 69 7 1 2 21 11 5 .220 .269 .268 .190 60 20 1994 HAG 227 59 5 2 3 17 8 5 .260 .311 .339 .232 53 22 1995 KNX 495 121 14 4 4 75 30 10 .244 .344 .313 .243 121 56 1995 TOR 38 8 0 0 0 4 2 0 .211 .286 .211 .186 7 2A great prospect. Should take over center field in SkyDome as soon as he can push Nixon out of the way. He substantially increased his walks in 1995 (and carried that over into winter league ball). Clearly, someone in the organization told him to push up his OBP and he did exactly that. He can steal bases and play decent defense in center field (but his arm is not strong). Should be the Jays leadoff hitter by 1997.
JASON TOWNLEY 1969 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 KNX 219 39 4 0 1 24 0 2 .178 .259 .210 .145 32 7 1992 KNX 187 41 4 0 3 13 1 1 .219 .270 .289 .193 36 12 1994 SYR 187 47 3 0 2 21 2 0 .251 .327 .299 .227 42 17 1995 SYR 267 66 6 0 7 34 1 2 .247 .332 .348 .240 64 29AAA type catcher.
CHRIS WEINKE 1973 1B-OF-3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 STC 280 50 4 0 2 24 5 4 .179 .243 .214 .144 40 9 1992 MYR 475 96 7 1 9 50 3 4 .202 .278 .278 .191 91 30 1993 DUN 468 106 6 1 13 50 5 3 .226 .301 .327 .222 104 42 1994 KNX 531 122 14 1 7 40 8 2 .230 .284 .299 .207 110 40 1995 SYR 345 75 9 1 8 39 4 2 .217 .297 .319 .217 75 30This is incredible...Weinke's untranslated 1993 numbers are
AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA 526 133 23 2 8 45 0 4 .253 .309 .350Now, that's an awful season. He drove in *87* runs in that season. Amazing. Weinke's young, can't hit yet, and is running out of time to make the leap forward.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 32 Rank in MLB: 10th (T) Rank in Division: 3rd
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Janzen, Marty 4 2 9 0 5 7 6 4 -2 35 A- Spoljaric, Paul 8 1 3 0 6 4 11 0 0 33 B Ware, Jeff 8 1 2 0 5 2 7 4 0 29 C Almanzar, C 6 5 6 0 0 6 3 2 0 28 C Pett, Jose 6 7 7 0 3 3 1 1 0 28 C Sievert, Mark 0 0 8 0 6 6 5 4 -1 28 C Freeman, Chris 6 3 3 0 3 4 7 0 0 26 D+ Pace, Scott 4 0 8 0 3 4 4 3 0 26 D+ Brandow, Derek 6 -1 4 0 4 4 7 1 0 25 D Flener, Huck 8 -1 6 0 3 4 1 2 0 23 D- Carpenter, C 4 5 8 0 3 0 1 3 -1 23 D- Lee, Jeremy 0 3 7 0 1 8 4 1 -1 23 D- Best Prospect in 1994: Jose Silva (C-) Best Rookie Starter in 1995: Paul Menhart (NR) & Edwin Hurtado (D)
CARLOS ALMANZAR 1974 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1995 KNX 118.7 154 73 15 35 77 5.54 4 9 11.68 2.65 5.84Young; too early to comment on him.
TRAVIS BAPTIST 1972 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 MYR 107.3 118 45 7 22 65 3.77 6 6 9.89 1.84 5.45 1993 KNX 30.7 40 17 4 7 19 4.99 1 2 11.74 2.05 5.58 1994 SYR 116.0 158 77 23 34 38 5.97 4 9 12.26 2.64 2.95 1995 SYR 74.7 84 51 16 36 48 6.15 2 6 10.12 4.34 5.79Like many Jay prospects, pitched well at A ball but has since struggled. Might get a chance, but don't get too excited about him.
ALONSO BELTRAN 1972 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 STC 89.0 106 85 25 41 62 8.60 2 8 10.72 4.15 6.27 1994 DUN 23.7 26 16 7 11 9 6.08 1 2 9.89 4.18 3.42 1995 KNX 80.3 118 56 11 35 45 6.27 3 6 13.22 3.92 5.04Not the second coming of David Cone.
DEREK BRANDOW 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 STC 50.3 73 43 14 36 43 7.69 1 5 13.05 6.44 7.69 1993 HAG 66.3 95 47 11 40 40 6.38 2 5 12.89 5.43 5.43 1994 DUN 129.3 148 73 15 66 105 5.08 5 9 10.30 4.59 7.31 1995 KNX 100.7 100 58 17 55 88 5.19 4 7 8.94 4.92 7.87Strikeout ratios along with a heater, in my opinion, will give you consideration as a prospect. Brandow obviously has struggled with his control but dominated the Arizona Fall League, giving some hope that he'll get straightened around. Your guess is as good as mine, and probably about as good as Gord Ash's.
CHAD BROWN 1972 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 STC 20.3 10 9 8 7 14 3.98 1 1 4.43 3.10 6.20 1994 DUN 72.0 72 37 4 47 48 4.62 3 5 9.00 5.88 6.00 1995 KNX 38.3 41 22 3 24 29 5.17 1 3 9.63 5.63 6.81 1995 SYR 20.3 21 11 1 22 13 4.87 1 1 9.30 9.74 5.75If you're going to walk that many guys and last, you'd better throw pretty damn hard.
TIM BROWN 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 DUN 110.7 151 63 13 41 68 5.12 5 7 12.28 3.33 5.53 1992 KNX 142.7 170 78 17 38 67 4.92 6 10 10.72 2.40 4.23 1992 SYR 15.0 20 11 3 4 12 6.60 1 1 12.00 2.40 7.20 1993 SYR 143.3 174 85 20 40 78 5.34 6 10 10.93 2.51 4.90 1995 SYR 70.3 96 61 14 31 49 7.81 2 6 12.28 3.97 6.27These guys don't really look all that good, do they?
CHRIS CARPENTER 1975 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1995 DUN 89.0 97 41 7 58 43 4.15 5 5 9.81 5.87 4.35 1995 KNX 60.0 74 44 5 34 42 6.60 2 5 11.10 5.10 6.30Carpenter was a high draft pick and came out of high school. This is the typical Blue Jay draft: big, high school pitcher. Considered a good prospect and has made some good strides forward. Considering his age, you have to like him.
GIOVANNI CARRARA 1968 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 STC 83.0 85 38 15 17 51 4.12 4 5 9.22 1.84 5.53 1992 MYR 89.0 119 64 23 42 67 6.47 3 7 12.03 4.25 6.78 1992 DUN 21.0 27 18 5 14 13 7.71 0 2 11.57 6.00 5.57 1993 DUN 126.7 158 85 29 68 93 6.04 4 10 11.23 4.83 6.61 1994 KNX 152.7 171 89 26 71 82 5.25 6 11 10.08 4.19 4.83 1995 SYR 125.0 117 67 16 64 71 4.82 6 8 8.42 4.61 5.11 1995 TOR 47.3 64 35 8 22 29 6.65 1 4 12.17 4.18 5.51When you have a bad team with few talented starters, you have two options:
1) try to acquire older guys like Danny Darwin to do something 2) Pitch a bunch of young pitchers
The Jays did sign Danny Darwin, but when he didn't work out, their pitching cupboard was about as bare as Elizabeth Berkeley in "Showgirls". So they ran a bunch of nondescript guys out there, who they were pretty sure couldn't pitch, out of sheer desperation. I'd be surprised in any of these guys worked out, but they simply had no options. I will refer to these guys as the "Desperation Group" or DG for short. This is what bad teams have to do to get innings. Don't believe me? Check out the Tigers for the last, oh, five or six years?
TONY CASTILLO 1963 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 RIC 113.3 95 47 8 27 75 3.73 7 6 7.54 2.14 5.96 1991 NYM 23.7 27 9 1 6 11 3.42 2 1 10.27 2.28 4.18 1992 TOR 43.7 54 23 3 14 29 4.74 2 3 11.13 2.89 5.98 1993 TOR 49.7 45 16 4 21 32 2.90 4 2 8.15 3.81 5.80 1994 TOR 67.3 64 21 4 24 46 2.81 5 2 8.55 3.21 6.15 1995 TOR 71.7 65 21 5 20 42 2.64 6 2 8.16 2.51 5.27A contender could certainly use Tony Castillo and since he's not exactly a marquee name in TO, it's a wonder he wasn't traded. He's got decent control but his usefullness to a rebuilding team is only to be traded for prospects. Broke into the Jays staff as a situational lefty, but has since gone through all progressions and actually got some save opportunities here and there. His effectiveness isn't likely continue, but that's what's been said for a few years now. Not a power pitcher...a real "slopballer".
BRAD CORNETT 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 STC 54.7 75 48 19 12 37 7.90 1 5 12.35 1.98 6.09 1993 HAG 157.0 208 101 18 28 104 5.79 5 12 11.92 1.61 5.96 1994 KNX 35.7 36 19 5 8 22 4.79 2 2 9.08 2.02 5.55 1994 SYR 17.7 20 8 0 10 11 4.08 1 1 10.19 5.09 5.60 1994 TOR 30.7 39 18 1 9 23 5.28 1 2 11.45 2.64 6.75 1995 SYR 10.3 13 6 1 5 4 5.23 0 1 11.32 4.35 3.48Another member of DG (Desperation Group). At least he's got major league memories now.
DANNY COX 1960 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CLR 17.3 6 0 0 4 12 .00 2 0 3.12 2.08 6.23 1991 PHI 102.0 107 57 18 41 50 5.03 4 7 9.44 3.62 4.41 1992 BUF 40.3 33 13 1 20 31 2.90 3 1 7.36 4.46 6.92 1992 PHI 38.3 49 28 4 21 34 6.57 1 3 11.50 4.93 7.98 1992 PIT 24.0 22 10 3 9 20 3.75 2 1 8.25 3.38 7.50 1993 TOR 82.3 74 26 7 27 95 2.84 6 3 8.09 2.95 10.38 1994 TOR 18.3 7 1 0 7 15 .49 2 0 3.44 3.44 7.36 1995 TOR 44.0 57 31 3 30 41 6.34 1 4 11.66 6.14 8.39A good pitcher when healthy, which is almost never. Relies almost exlcusively on a hard breaking ball which really hurts his arm. Cito utilized his effectiveness early in 1993, but pitched him way too often, and not suprisingly he was injured again in 1994. It's not rocket science to be aware that Cox needs to be treated with kid gloves to remain healthy, but Gaston didn't really do it. If he is healthy, he should pitch well. If not, he won't make the club.
TIM CRABTREE 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 STC 62.0 66 35 4 30 27 5.08 3 4 9.58 4.35 3.92 1992 KNX 18.3 15 8 0 4 11 3.93 1 1 7.36 1.96 5.40 1993 KNX 145.3 190 91 16 65 54 5.64 5 11 11.77 4.03 3.34 1994 SYR 100.7 137 56 5 52 53 5.01 4 7 12.25 4.65 4.74 1995 SYR 30.3 38 23 1 14 20 6.82 1 2 11.27 4.15 5.93 1995 TOR 31.7 31 13 1 11 23 3.69 2 2 8.81 3.13 6.54DG. Shows potential at times.
HUCK FLENER 1969 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MYR 70.0 73 37 7 47 65 4.76 3 5 9.39 6.04 8.36 1992 DUN 103.7 86 53 12 66 73 4.60 5 7 7.47 5.73 6.34 1993 KNX 126.3 142 58 13 42 92 4.13 7 7 10.12 2.99 6.55 1994 SYR 35.3 41 21 7 9 18 5.35 1 3 10.44 2.29 4.58 1995 SYR 127.7 135 65 25 47 75 4.58 6 8 9.52 3.31 5.29Looked like a decent prospect after 1993 but hasn't really turned the corner. Again, this seems pretty typical of many, many Jays pitchers, who can pitch in A or sometimes AA ball but stink by the time they get to Syracuse. Must be the water.
CHRIS FREEMAN 1973 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 DUN 46.0 55 21 2 24 38 4.11 2 3 10.76 4.70 7.43 1995 KNX 76.7 81 50 17 42 64 5.87 3 6 9.51 4.93 7.51Still a while before he makes it big. Nice K rates.
JUAN GUZMAN 1967 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SYR 63.3 47 33 8 42 64 4.69 3 4 6.68 5.97 9.09 1991 TOR 136.7 117 57 7 66 145 3.75 8 7 7.70 4.35 9.55 1992 TOR 177.3 154 58 6 72 201 2.94 13 7 7.82 3.65 10.20 1993 TOR 217.0 215 89 16 103 220 3.69 13 11 8.92 4.27 9.12 1994 TOR 144.3 159 74 15 69 132 4.61 7 9 9.91 4.30 8.23 1995 TOR 133.3 151 78 11 65 103 5.27 5 10 10.19 4.39 6.95A ridiculous signing by Gord Ash. Spending over $2 million on a pitcher who has struggled badly for two consecutive years is dumb. The reason they'll give for signing Guzman is that they could only offer a twenty percent cut from last year's high salary and that if they cut it more than that then he could leave as a free agent. The Jays would have been better off to cut him free and look for cheaper alternatives (Jamie Moyer and Sid Fernandez and perhaps Tom Gordon were out there). As it stands now, they can't win on this deal. Even if Guzman pitches well this year, he'll be free to leave next year as well and demand a high salary. If he doesn't pitch well, it will have just been a waste of money. This move will never be mentioned again in the media. It's ramifications are not that obvious to the surface, but wasted money is wasted resources which help create a bad ball club.
ERIK HANSON 1965 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SEA 171.7 196 75 16 54 165 3.93 10 9 10.28 2.83 8.65 1992 SEA 183.3 212 94 16 54 132 4.61 9 11 10.41 2.65 6.48 1993 SEA 211.3 220 76 16 54 185 3.24 14 9 9.37 2.30 7.88 1994 CIN 122.0 138 53 10 24 104 3.91 7 7 10.18 1.77 7.67 1995 BOS 185.0 182 69 13 49 152 3.36 12 9 8.85 2.38 7.39Though not as bad as the Guzman deal, there are still some fair questions here. Hanson has always been injury prone, which makes a three year deal especially risky. He struggled badly at the end of last year (5.00+ ERA in each of the last three months) which was attributed to the fact that he couldn't throw his curveball because his arm hurt. People say that's a plus; sounds to me like another indication that his arm is only good for 180 innings a year. He'ss also a poor match in Toronto. He's a groundball pitcher, and the Jays could have an absolutely atrocious defensive infield next year (Sprague, Gonzalez and Crespo). Hanson's a good pitcher, if his arm holds out, but he doesn't seem likely to make it for three years.
PAT HENTGEN 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SYR 161.3 152 84 24 86 148 4.69 8 10 8.48 4.80 8.26 1992 SYR 19.0 16 6 2 9 15 2.84 1 1 7.58 4.26 7.11 1992 TOR 49.3 56 31 8 32 48 5.66 2 3 10.22 5.84 8.76 1993 TOR 212.7 219 85 25 68 138 3.60 13 11 9.27 2.88 5.84 1994 TOR 172.7 154 55 16 51 158 2.87 13 6 8.03 2.66 8.24 1995 TOR 197.7 236 100 18 79 148 4.55 10 12 10.75 3.60 6.74Not sure why he pitched so badly, but his control was noticeably worse and he gave up a ton of hits. The Jays defense is getting worse this year, so don't expect a miracle out of him. He's got a big contract, which I doubt he'll ever live up to.
EDWIN HURTADO 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 STC 90.0 115 82 22 50 53 8.20 2 8 11.50 5.00 5.30 1994 HAG 121.3 141 63 15 55 78 4.67 5 8 10.46 4.08 5.79 1995 KNX 51.3 57 32 10 27 31 5.61 2 4 9.99 4.73 5.44 1995 TOR 76.7 81 39 9 35 36 4.58 4 5 9.51 4.11 4.23
CHRIS KOTES 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 STC 76.3 94 43 9 39 57 5.07 3 5 11.08 4.60 6.72 1992 MYR 117.0 148 95 28 84 67 7.31 3 10 11.38 6.46 5.15 1993 DUN 38.7 44 22 4 13 35 5.12 2 2 10.24 3.03 8.15 1994 DUN 136.0 165 68 13 62 77 4.50 7 8 10.92 4.10 5.10 1995 KNX 99.3 116 63 9 49 61 5.71 4 7 10.51 4.44 5.53Just another pitching prospect with little hope.
PAUL MENHART 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 DUN 116.0 154 62 13 36 90 4.81 5 8 11.95 2.79 6.98 1992 KNX 166.7 194 87 23 45 85 4.70 8 11 10.48 2.43 4.59 1993 SYR 142.7 157 75 18 76 96 4.73 7 9 9.90 4.79 6.06 1995 SYR 48.0 62 37 7 28 27 6.94 1 4 11.62 5.25 5.06 1995 TOR 77.3 72 38 7 43 55 4.42 4 5 8.38 5.00 6.40
SCOTTY PACE 1972 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 ELM 60.7 88 42 9 34 32 6.23 2 5 13.05 5.04 4.75 1995 HAG 53.7 44 16 6 14 36 2.68 4 2 7.38 2.35 6.04 1995 KNX 94.3 125 62 11 53 59 5.92 3 7 11.93 5.06 5.63Give Ash his due. The acquisition of Pace gives the Jays a reasonable pitching prospect...a guy that might be able to be a rotation starter. This cost them Eddie Zosky, who was going nowhere in the organization since he was blocked by Alex Gonzalez (not to mention Zosky can't hit). Teams that can make these trades will usually lose nothing and can win big once in a while....the trade doesn't make the front page of the newspaper but can be important later.
JOSE PETT 1976 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1994 DUN 83.3 124 56 4 21 42 6.05 3 6 13.39 2.27 4.54 1995 KNX 134.7 138 83 24 53 74 5.55 5 10 9.22 3.54 4.95Signed at an extremely young age (16?) for a large amount from Brazil. Supposedly throws in the mid 90's and hasn't been overworked, which is certainly good. Considering his age, health and arm, he's got to be one of the Jays top prospects.
PAUL QUANTRILL 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 NBR 32.7 38 16 5 6 15 4.41 2 2 10.47 1.65 4.13 1991 PAW 147.0 190 83 20 20 73 5.08 6 10 11.63 1.22 4.47 1992 PAW 112.3 160 65 17 21 51 5.21 4 8 12.82 1.68 4.09 1992 BOS 48.3 56 17 1 15 29 3.17 3 2 10.43 2.79 5.40 1993 BOS 135.7 161 65 12 41 76 4.31 7 8 10.68 2.72 5.04 1994 SWB 55.0 59 24 6 5 33 3.93 3 3 9.65 .82 5.40 1994 BOS 22.7 24 8 2 4 16 3.18 2 1 9.53 1.59 6.35 1994 PHI 29.7 40 19 3 10 13 5.76 1 2 12.13 3.03 3.94 1995 PHI 178.0 224 95 21 45 103 4.80 8 12 11.33 2.28 5.21Ugh. Paul Quantrill. No good. Bad ERA. Can pitch lots of innings. Good control. But overall, pew. Quantrill is the exact definition of replacement pitcher. There are Jamie Moyers out there who can do what he does (probably better) for a cheaper price. yet Ash traded Howard Battle and Ricardo Jordan for him. Neither Battle or Jordan are great prospects, but they *might* be good, whereas Quantrill will always be mediocre. What is the point?
BILL RISLEY 1967 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CHT 100.3 103 64 8 67 63 5.74 4 7 9.24 6.01 5.65 1991 NAS 41.0 54 31 10 27 31 6.80 1 4 11.85 5.93 6.80 1992 IND 90.7 110 65 14 49 65 6.45 3 7 10.92 4.86 6.45 1993 OTT 60.3 58 28 8 38 66 4.18 3 4 8.65 5.67 9.85 1994 CLG 11.3 12 4 0 4 14 3.18 1 0 9.53 3.18 11.12 1994 SEA 51.7 29 13 6 17 65 2.26 5 1 5.05 2.96 11.32 1995 SEA 59.7 52 15 4 15 71 2.26 5 2 7.84 2.26 10.71As silly as the Quantrill trade was, the Risley trade was a great move by Ash. Risley, simply moving into the closer role, will increase his value in case the Jays want to trade him. Miguel Cairo is a young player who isn't outstanding yet, but has the potential to be pretty good. Risley is already a great reliever. The cost was two of their generic pitching prospects, Hurtado and Menhart. No harm done, and a very good reliever and a decent prospect brought back.
KEN ROBINSON 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 MYR 33.0 36 21 4 38 30 5.73 1 3 9.82 10.36 8.18 1993 HAG 63.3 90 52 14 36 42 7.39 2 5 12.79 5.12 5.97 1994 HAG 18.7 17 10 3 5 18 4.82 1 1 8.20 2.41 8.68 1994 DUN 9.3 7 3 2 5 14 2.89 1 0 6.75 4.82 13.50 1994 SYR 52.7 50 27 5 26 44 4.61 3 3 8.54 4.44 7.52 1995 SYR 48.3 38 18 8 13 55 3.35 3 2 7.08 2.42 10.24 1995 TOR 39.0 25 16 7 20 34 3.69 2 2 5.77 4.62 7.85Has a chance to play role on Toronto's 1996 team. He doesn't look too bad.
JIMMY ROGERS 1967 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 KNX 154.3 176 90 17 100 99 5.25 6 11 10.26 5.83 5.77 1993 KNX 92.7 114 53 14 36 64 5.15 4 6 11.07 3.50 6.22 1994 SYR 89.7 88 49 9 52 63 4.92 4 6 8.83 5.22 6.32 1995 SYR 69.3 68 25 5 35 72 3.25 5 3 8.83 4.54 9.35 1995 TOR 22.7 21 12 3 17 14 4.76 1 2 8.34 6.75 5.56Member of the "Desperation Group". He might be OK, but you could say that about a lot of guys.
PAUL SPOLJARIC 1971 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 STC 16.3 24 15 4 10 13 8.27 0 2 13.22 5.51 7.16 1992 MYR 149.0 150 109 28 69 108 6.58 5 12 9.06 4.17 6.52 1993 DUN 23.7 20 8 2 14 25 3.04 2 1 7.61 5.32 9.51 1993 KNX 40.0 33 13 4 24 41 2.92 3 1 7.43 5.40 9.23 1993 SYR 90.3 104 62 17 58 78 6.18 3 7 10.36 5.78 7.77 1994 KNX 95.0 95 53 19 57 67 5.02 4 7 9.00 5.40 6.35 1994 SYR 45.0 49 35 10 30 35 7.00 1 4 9.80 6.00 7.00 1995 SYR 83.0 69 47 17 60 99 5.10 3 6 7.48 6.51 10.73Spoljaric was supposed to play a crucial role for the 1994 Jays, moving into their rotation after a ho-hum spring training. He got knocked around early then got shipped back, where he hasn't really regained any of the luster he had lost. He's got decent stuff and is a Canadian player.
RICK STEED 1971 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MYR 155.0 192 115 32 65 74 6.68 4 13 11.15 3.77 4.30 1992 DUN 93.3 131 76 13 53 45 7.33 2 8 12.63 5.11 4.34 1993 DUN 100.3 133 95 26 72 57 8.52 2 9 11.93 6.46 5.11 1994 DUN 40.0 41 18 2 34 47 4.05 2 2 9.23 7.65 10.57 1995 KNX 30.0 24 15 3 18 24 4.50 1 2 7.20 5.40 7.20 1995 SYR 52.7 52 27 3 26 31 4.61 3 3 8.89 4.44 5.30
MIKE TIMLIN 1966 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TOR 106.7 112 46 6 50 100 3.88 6 6 9.45 4.22 8.44 1992 DUN 8.7 13 5 0 3 6 5.19 0 1 13.50 3.12 6.23 1992 SYR 10.7 15 10 4 5 6 8.44 0 1 12.66 4.22 5.06 1992 TOR 42.7 51 23 1 20 43 4.85 2 3 10.76 4.22 9.07 1993 TOR 54.7 64 26 6 25 55 4.28 3 3 10.54 4.12 9.05 1994 TOR 39.0 40 18 4 18 40 4.15 2 2 9.23 4.15 9.23 1995 SYR 16.7 13 6 3 5 12 3.24 1 1 7.02 2.70 6.48 1995 TOR 41.7 38 10 1 15 40 2.16 4 1 8.21 3.24 8.64Look under the Blue Jays dictionary for "enigma" and you'll see Mike Timlin's face. After a solid rookie year in 1991 where he demonstrated power stuff, he got hurt and has struggled to regain the form. The great thing about Timlin is that he's still striking out people by the bushel and gives a glimmer of hope that he's turned the corner. After 1994 and 1995 you'd think he'd be primed to close out games for the Jays, but he seems to blow every opportunity when the game is on the line. This is just subjective of course, but it seems like every time Mike Timlin looks like he's gonna do it, he breaks your heart. Give the closer job to Risley and see if Timlin can set him up. He's tough on right handers (.175 OBA allowed last year).
DAVID WAINHOUSE 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 HAR 47.0 62 22 3 16 39 4.21 2 3 11.87 3.06 7.47 1991 IND 27.0 32 15 2 15 12 5.00 1 2 10.67 5.00 4.00 1992 IND 42.7 52 22 3 26 38 4.64 2 3 10.97 5.48 8.02 1993 CLG 15.0 9 7 3 8 6 4.20 1 1 5.40 4.80 3.60 1995 PME 22.7 44 23 5 8 14 9.13 0 3 17.47 3.18 5.56 1995 SYR 22.7 30 12 1 12 16 4.76 1 2 11.91 4.76 6.35
DUANE WARD 1964 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TOR 105.3 95 39 4 32 155 3.33 7 5 8.12 2.73 13.24 1992 TOR 99.3 87 28 6 38 125 2.54 8 3 7.88 3.44 11.33 1993 TOR 70.7 50 14 4 23 110 1.78 7 1 6.37 2.93 14.01One really annoying thing about last year's debacle was Gaston's insistence on losing games with Duane Ward when it was obvious to anyone with a clue that he just wasn't healthy. He didn't pitch much, just 2.2 innings over four games in the majors, but in that time he allowed 11 hits in 19 opponent at bats. Not to mention 5 walks. Not to mention he wasn't even pitching well in the minors before he was brought up. He pitched a grand total of 13 innings last year. Someone will likely give him a try, but it's doubrtful he'll ever be effective again. That's truly sad, because he really was a great pitcher.
JEFF WARE 1971 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 DUN 67.3 82 38 6 40 38 5.08 3 4 10.96 5.35 5.08 1994 KNX 34.7 53 32 8 19 26 8.31 1 3 13.76 4.93 6.75 1995 SYR 70.0 64 30 8 51 69 3.86 4 4 8.23 6.56 8.87Jeff Ware will likely get the 5th spot in the Jays rotation next year after showing power stuff at Syracuse and in the majors last year. While his stuff is solid, you have to wonder at his durability. But he's got a reasonable chance to be good, which is better than most of the generic Jays pitching prospects.
JIM WARING 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 AUB 55.0 92 50 16 3 34 8.18 1 5 15.05 .49 5.56 1992 ASH 18.3 15 5 0 4 13 2.45 1 1 7.36 1.96 6.38 1992 BUR 112.7 127 58 24 16 65 4.63 6 7 10.14 1.28 5.19 1993 OSC 15.7 17 6 0 7 13 3.45 1 1 9.77 4.02 7.47 1994 OSC 71.3 86 33 10 12 30 4.16 4 4 10.85 1.51 3.79 1994 JAC 94.7 123 56 19 21 49 5.32 4 7 11.69 2.00 4.66 1995 JAC 47.0 86 54 10 16 26 10.34 1 4 16.47 3.06 4.98 1995 TUC 21.3 26 17 3 8 5 7.17 0 2 10.97 3.38 2.11 1995 TOR 26.0 27 14 2 20 20 4.85 1 2 9.35 6.92 6.92
BEN WEBER 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 STC 84.7 137 54 9 18 36 5.74 3 6 14.56 1.91 3.83 1992 MYR 85.7 122 45 4 33 44 4.73 4 6 12.82 3.47 4.62 1993 DUN 74.7 103 45 11 28 39 5.42 3 5 12.42 3.38 4.70 1994 DUN 24.3 31 11 2 5 16 4.07 1 2 11.47 1.85 5.92 1994 KNX 89.3 113 51 14 20 47 5.14 4 6 11.38 2.01 4.74 1995 KNX 24.0 28 12 4 6 13 4.50 1 2 10.50 2.25 4.88 1995 SYR 86.3 114 56 13 30 35 5.84 3 7 11.88 3.13 3.65No reason to think he'll ever have any significance to the major league club. Unless he's brought in to intentionally bean Frank Thomas or something.
WALLY WHITEHURST 1964 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 NYM 133.0 140 57 15 26 92 3.86 8 7 9.47 1.76 6.23 1992 NYM 96.7 99 40 6 35 77 3.72 6 5 9.22 3.26 7.17 1993 WIC 20.3 12 5 3 6 11 2.21 2 0 5.31 2.66 4.87 1993 SDP 104.3 108 41 12 33 60 3.54 7 5 9.32 2.85 5.18 1994 SDP 63.7 82 34 6 27 44 4.81 3 4 11.59 3.82 6.22 1995 PAW 26.0 38 20 4 6 12 6.92 1 2 13.15 2.08 4.15 1995 PHX 15.3 19 10 0 8 7 5.87 1 1 11.15 4.70 4.11 1995 SYR 26.3 34 15 5 7 19 5.13 1 2 11.62 2.39 6.49The old Met! His background record since 1993 doesn't look too good, but he can't hurt a team like this. Maybe he can teach some of these Jays how to throw strikes, because that's something that Galen Cisco seemed to refuse. "You'll never be good in the majors if you throw strikes", seemed to be the battlecry last year.
WOODY WILLIAMS 1967 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 KNX 39.0 54 23 4 14 30 5.31 1 3 12.46 3.23 6.92 1991 SYR 51.3 55 25 3 25 35 4.38 3 3 9.64 4.38 6.14 1992 SYR 114.3 122 45 6 43 72 3.54 7 6 9.60 3.38 5.67 1993 SYR 15.7 16 6 2 6 14 3.45 1 1 9.19 3.45 8.04 1993 TOR 36.3 41 15 1 21 27 3.72 2 2 10.16 5.20 6.69 1994 TOR 58.3 43 18 4 30 60 2.78 4 2 6.63 4.63 9.26 1995 TOR 52.7 44 18 6 25 45 3.08 4 2 7.52 4.27 7.69Likely won't get a job as a starting pitcher, but assuming he's healthy, he'll pitch pretty well. Certainly not overpowering but effective.
MIKE YORK 1965 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BUF 40.7 43 20 1 23 21 4.43 2 3 9.52 5.09 4.65 1991 CSP 23.3 41 19 2 16 12 7.33 1 2 15.81 6.17 4.63 1991 CLE 34.3 42 21 2 18 21 5.50 1 3 11.01 4.72 5.50 1992 BUF 30.3 37 16 2 22 21 4.75 1 2 10.98 6.53 6.23 1992 LVG 82.0 92 45 8 53 53 4.94 4 5 10.10 5.82 5.82 1995 SYR 42.7 54 44 16 29 34 9.28 1 4 11.39 6.12 7.17"We need a pitcher, not a belly...itcher!!"