ekansekans's blog: "df"

Its been a year of ups and downs for the Toronto Blue Jays and particularly for the bright prospects that populate their farm system. While some - like Anthony Gose, Adeiny Hechavarria and Moises Sierra - have enjoyed a taste of major league life prior to September call-ups, it has been a year to forget for a few others. Top prospect Travis dArnaud had his season derailed by a knee injury in late June, surprise major league starter Drew Hutchison performed nicely in 11 starts before an elbow injury ended his season, with Tommy John surgery likely keeping him out for a large part of 2013. Marcus Stroman - who seemed on the fast track to the majors after the Jays selected him in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft - is now serving a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. The dark cloud that followed the Jays for a lot of 2012 did not restrict itself to hovering over the Rogers Centre. However, there have also been a lot of success stories throughout the system this season. With the minor league regular seasons having come to a close, we can now take a complete look at how the Jays young talent performed before breaking away for playoff runs and further development over the winter. Heres a look at the best of the Jays system through the end of the 2012 minor league regular season. Justin Nicolino (LHP, 20) Selected by Toronto in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 10-4, 124.1 IP, 2.46 ERA, 119 K, 21 BB, 1.07 WHIP (Lansing, A) So much of the Jays future hopes rest with its elite trio of pitchers from the double-A Lansing Lugnuts. Nicolinos year was parabolic in terms of his on-field success. In the first half he was electric as the Jays slowly acclimatized him to A-ball. He didnt give up a run through the first month, but once the innings started piling up, the league caught up with him. He did have an excellent August, however, posting his highest monthly ground ball/fly ball ratio and a monthly low for opposing batting average. He was named to the Midwest League All-Star team. Jake Marisnick (OF, 21) Selected by Toronto in the third round of the 2009 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 55 GP, .233 BA, 2 HR, 15 RBI, .622 OPS, 14/18 SB (New Hampshire, AA) A quick glance at Marisnicks totals for 2012 only tells a fraction of the story on one of the Jays very best young talents. Having finished 2011 in Lansing (A), the 21-year-old acquitted himself well enough through 65 games in Dunedin (A+) to earn a New Hampshire call-up. He finished on a torrid pace, hitting .375 in his final nine games of the season. Seven of those games were of the multi-hit variety with a .966 OPS over his last 10 games. MLB.com ranks Marisnick behind only dArnaud on the Jays top prospects list. Aaron Sanchez (RHP, 20) Selected by Toronto in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 8-5, 90.1 IP, 2.49 ERA, 97 K, 55 BB, 1.273 WHIP (Lansing, A) Sanchez is possibly the Jays prospect that got the most positive ink this season. He did not register a loss until July and he kept opponents well below the Mendoza line throughout the first half. The summer was not especially kind to Sanchez, who went 2-5 with a 4.36 ERA in the second half. However, that didnt stop the power pitcher from being named Baseball Americas top Midwest League prospect in August. D.J. Davis (OF, 18) Selected by Toronto in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 60 GP, .250 BA, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 25 SB, .741 OPS (Combined Rookie Ball and A-) The speedy outfielder made a quick jump through the Jays system once under contract. Davis stole 18 bases and scored 30 runs in the Gulf Coast League before a torrid 12-game promotion in Bluefield (.340 average with six steals) earned him a trip to Vancouver. He struggled in five games in Low-A ball, but the fact that hes seen two promotions in two months should be encouraging to the Jays that their top 2012 pick is on the right track. Noah Syndergaard (RHP, 20) Selected by Toronto in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 7-3, 82.1 IP, 3.06 ERA, 100 K, 1.142 WHIP (Lansing, A) The towering Texan remains one of the Jays most impressive and imposing prospects. With a K-to-Walk ratio of almost 4:1 and producing twice as many ground ball outs as he does pop-ups, the 65" righty had a solid year with Lansing. Syndergaard was lights-out in August with a 0.84 ERA finishing the season with a one-hit, nine strikeout performance over five innings against South Bend. Best of the Rest: Travis dArnaud (C, 23) - Acquired from Philadelphia in exchange for Roy Halladay (12/16/09). 2012 stats: 67 GP, .333 BA, 16 HR, 52 RBI, .975 OPS (Las Vegas, AAA) Daniel Norris (LHP, 19) - Selected by Toronto in the second round of the 2011 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 2-4, 42.2 IP, 8.44 ERA, 43 K, 18 BB, 1.781 WHIP (Rookie Ball, A- combined) Marcus Stroman (RHP, 21) - Selected by Toronto in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 3-0, 19.1 IP, 3.26 ERA, 23 K, 9 BB, 1.293 WHIP (Combined AA, A-) Kevin Pillar (OF, 23) - Selected by Toronto in the 32nd round of the 2011 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 128 GP, .374 BA, 6 HR, 91 RBI, .813 OPS, 51/60 SB (Combined A, A+) - Pillar was named MVP of the Midwest League for his season with Lansing. Roberto Osuna (RHP, 17) - Signed as an International free agent from Mexico (08/03/11). 2012 stats: 1-0, 19.2 IP, 3.20 ERA, 25 K, 9 BB, 1.169 WHIP (Vancouver, A-) Mike McDade (1B, 23) - Selected by Toronto in the sixth round of the 2007 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 118 GP, .285 BA, 17 HR, 67 RBI, .806 OPS (Combined AA, AAA) Adonys Cardona (RHP, 18) - Signed as an International free agent from Venezuela (07/07/10). 2012 stats: 8 GP, 15.2 IP, 6.32 ERA, 20 K, 12 BB, 1.437 WHIP (Gulf Coast League) Chase DeJong (LHP, 18) - Selected by Toronto in the second round of the 2012 MLB Draft. 2012 stats: 1-0, 12 IP, 1.50 ERA, 15 K, 1 BB, 0.667 WHIP (Gulf Coast, Rookie) Authentic Robert Griffin III Jersey . Miguel Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta homered, Doug Fister pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, and Detroit beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 on Friday night for its sixth straight victory. Redskins Griffin III Jersey . In a statement issued by the Saints on Wednesday, Vitt said he has never pledged money for any type of performance incentives, let alone the cash-for-hits bounty program that the NFL says the Saints ran from 2009-11 under former defensive co-ordinator Gregg Williams. http://www.dancewithmeusa.com/new.html . Marie-Philip Poulin, with two in the first period, Meaghan Mikkelson, Vicki Bendus, Jennifer Wakefield, Caroline Ouellette, Jayna Hefford and Haley Irwin each scored for the Canadians. Susanna Tapani had the lone goal for the Finns.SACRAMENTO, Calif. - After three straight road losses to open the season, the Sacramento Kings are back home, where a sign in their locker room reminds them not to panic: "Relax, its only November." November might turn out to be a pleasant month after all for the young Kings, who demonstrated no panic Wednesday night in winning their second straight tight game. DeMarcus Cousins had 21 points and 11 rebounds to help Sacramento hold off the winless Detroit Pistons for a 105-103 victory. A year ago, in a shortened NBA season, the Kings opened 4-10 and never got themselves headed in a positive direction. That cost coach Paul Westphal his job early in the season and the Kings finished 22-44 overall after Keith Smart took over. Smart has posted positive reminders throughout the locker room, and the "relax" sign resonates with second-year point guard Isaiah Thomas. "When we started 0-3 it was a reminder for us to relax," said Thomas, who was one of seven Kings in double figures with 15 points. "Its relax if youre playing, relax if youre not. It refers to everything were doing as a team." The Kings did enough right in the fourth quarter to hold off the Pistons, who are in the midst of a six-game road trip and were desperate for a win. Despite being outscored 32-26 in the fourth, the Kings made some big plays and big shots when they were needed. Smart went with a small three-guard set for part of the fourth quarter and it worked out well. Former BYU star Jimmer Fredette was especially effective, scoring seven of his 12 points in the fourth. He went 4 of 4 on free throws, with the last two giving the Kings a four-point lead. "Jimmer stays ready all the time, so we try to find the right situation for him," Smart said. "He came in and made some big plays for us tonight." Overlooked somewhat in the fourth quarter was the effectiveness of Cousins, who was playing despite a sore shoulder after a hard flagrant foul in the second by Jason Maxiell. In a battle all game with Pistons centre Greg Monroe, Cousins had eight points and four rebounds in the final period. Cousins was much more pleased with the victory than his second straight double-double. "Its a new year, a new team — were not concerned about last year," he said. "It feels good to have some momentum. Were trying to change things around in Sacramento." The Kings took the lead for good early in the second quarter. Strong bench play and the inside game of Cousins proved pivotal in the fourth when the lead was cut to one basket several times. Monroe had his first triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists for the Pistons, who fell to 0-5. Brandon Knight made five 3-pointers and scored 21 points. Will Bynum had 14 points, and Kyle Singler added 12. "Ive been playing against him (Monroe) for a long time," Cousins said. "Our games are very similar. Were not athletic or flashy, but we get the job done. Hes an awesome player and doesnt get the credit he deserves." Knight took a pass from Monroe and made a 3-pointter, pulling Detroit to 102-100 with 23.dddddddddddd3 seconds left. It was the 10th assist for Monroe, who became the first NBA player this season to record a triple-double. Jimmer Fredette made two free throws and Cousins hit another to give Sacramento a 105-100 cushion with 10 seconds to go. Rodney Stuckey hit a 3-pointer as time expired. "They just came up with more plays than we did," said Singler, who had seven points in the fourth. "We just werent able to convert and get stops. They hit a couple of big shots and they were able to win." Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas both had 15 points for the Kings (2-3), who had lost five straight to Detroit. Jason Thompson scored 13 points and Fredette had 12. After Knights 3-pointer and a free throw by Singler cut the Kings lead to a basket, Marcus Thornton responded with a 3-pointer to put Sacramento ahead 100-95 with 1:134 left. Leading by three, the Kings scored six straight to build a 90-81 advantage. Cousins had the first three points and Fredette followed with a long 3-pointer. "I feel a lot more comfortable this year than I did as a rookie, and I think it shows," Fredette said. "I got to really enjoy the moment tonight." Kings rookie forward Thomas Robinson hit Jonas Jerebko with a vicious elbow, knocking him to the floor early in the fourth quarter. Robinson was promptly ejected from the game. "It was just in the heat of the game," Jerebko said. "Im all right and its all good. I have nothing against him. I have no problem at all." Following a quiet first half, Evans got going in the third quarter, thanks to several twisting drives to the basket in traffic. He had 11 points in the period and the Kings took a 79-71 lead into the fourth. The early struggles continued for Stuckey, who last season averaged 35.5 points in two games against the Kings. Stuckey opened the season shooting 1 of 23 in the first three games. He had five points against Sacramento, going 2 for 6 in 34 minutes. Pistons coach Lawrence Frank wasnt concerned afterward about his teams offence. Detroit shot 49 per cent, made eight 3-pointers and broke 100 points for the first time this season. "Until we have a defensive mindset, its going to be very hard for us to win," Frank said. "We have to commit. Every guy that steps on the floor has to defend. Its a simple formula, but hard to do." Thomas scored 12 points and Cousins had 10 to help the Kings take a 55-46 lead into halftime. Led by the strong play of its bench, Sacramento outscored the Pistons 29-19 in the second quarter. Monroe had 10 first-half points for Detroit. NOTES: Thomas made two 3s and scored 12 first-quarter points for the Kings, who trailed 27-26. ... The Kings have assigned second-year forward Tyler Honeycutt to the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League. He played in only 15 games a season ago and, after missing the preseason with an injury, has yet to see any action through the teams first five games. ... Maxiell had 10 points and six rebounds. ... The hustling Robinson had seven rebounds in 12 minutes. ' ' '