2020 Blue Jays General Season Thread

[Bender]

I'll have to read the articles later but I wonder why the other clubs didn't go for him? Looks like one team went way off the board.

[Nik]

I'll have to read the articles later but I wonder why the other clubs didn't go for him? Looks like one team went way off the board.

Like I said, the reason people think Baltimore went off the board is to sign their pick under slot so they could try and also sign a higher value prospect with their next pick. Then Miami and KC went for pitching which could be system depth issues.

[L K]

When does he project to be on the big club roster?

Probably not until 2023 at the earliest.  Prospects are going to sit and idle for the rest of the year this year and won't get fall league opportunities.

[bustaheims]

I'll have to read the articles later but I wonder why the other clubs didn't go for him? Looks like one team went way off the board.

Baltimore didn't really go way off the board. The player they picked at #2 was largely expected to go somewhere between 7-10. They reached a little, but the guy they picked was seen by many as the top LH bat in the draft.

[herman]

https://theathletic.com/1865778/2020/06/10/blue-jays-land-top-college-bat-austin-martin-at-no-5-in-unpredictable-mlb-draft/

Law had Martin as his No. 1 prospect; meanwhile, Baseball America and MLB Pipeline had him at No. 2. Baseball America considered the Jacksonville, Fla., native a favourite to be drafted first. “Martin has some of the best pure hitting ability in the class, with eye-popping bat speed, excellent contact ability and impressive plate discipline as well,” Baseball America wrote. MLB Pipeline called Martin the “best pure hitter” in the draft, someone who makes consistent hard contact from the right side. His power might end up being average, MLB Pipeline noted, and Law wrote he can “hit for average with developing power.”

[...]

In 140 games over three seasons at Vanderbilt, including a junior year truncated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Martin hit .368/.474/.532 with only 82 strikeouts.

“He’s a well-above-average hitter,” Farrell said. “This is a guy that manages the strike zone really well. Extremely high contact rates. Somebody we think has the ability to grow into more power down the road, but just really good bat-to-ball skills and ability to manage the strike zone.”

On defence, Martin has played all over the field. MLB Pipeline noted he has the quick feet, soft hands and arm to handle nearly any position. During his freshman season at Vanderbilt, his 58 starts were at six positions. The following season, he primarily played second and third base. This spring, he transitioned to centre field, which Law indicated might have been due to an issue with his throwing that could have been linked to an injury.

I really like that the Jays have shifted towards positional flexibility and contact hitting (and speed on the basepaths) in the post-Anthopoulous era.

https://theathletic.com/1863718/2020/06/10/the-fire-and-fun-of-austin-martin-i-hate-losing-even-more-than-i-like-winning

Early in Martin’s sophomore year, he was late to a few classes, which [Vanderbilt head coach] Corbin deems unacceptable. So, Martin had to sit out a three-game series.

“For 18 years, when I’ve sent someone back for games, they just don’t show up,” Corbin said. “So, I sent him home, back to the dorms, and the kid unlike any other person before, he came back to the stadium and watched us play.”

But Martin didn’t sneak into the outfield bleachers where he couldn’t be seen. With a hoodie sweatshirt pulled over his head, Martin spent three games next to Corbin’s wife, Maggie, who sits right behind home plate.

“That was really for Coach Corbin, because I know he doesn’t think that I notice, but during the games, I notice he peeks up there a lot,” Martin said. “So, I definitely had to place myself right next to her. But the whole reason I was there was to watch my guys play.”

[Nik]

I'll have to read the articles later but I wonder why the other clubs didn't go for him? Looks like one team went way off the board.

Baltimore didn't really go way off the board. The player they picked at #2 was largely expected to go somewhere between 7-10. They reached a little, but the guy they picked was seen by many as the top LH bat in the draft.

Another thing to think about when looking at why a guy might drop a bit in a draft is that if there is a consensus top 2, the teams picking 3 and 4 might focus their attention on other guys, scout them heavily and fall in love with them so that if something unexpected does happen, they're still inclined to go with the decision they'd already made.

Seth Jones dropping to #4 was an example of that, I thought. Tampa really whiffed hard there.

[Andy]

I'll have to read the articles later but I wonder why the other clubs didn't go for him? Looks like one team went way off the board.

Baltimore didn't really go way off the board. The player they picked at #2 was largely expected to go somewhere between 7-10. They reached a little, but the guy they picked was seen by many as the top LH bat in the draft.

LH bat, huge power....but also a slow, lumbering corner OF. I don't know, it seems a little risky to me, especially since they didn't even go over slot on their next pick (30). We'll see how their rest of the draft plays out and I'm certainly no scout but I really don't know how you can pass at Martin at 2, particularly if you're looking for hitting.

[Nik]

Jays took a pretty well regarded pitcher CJ Van Eyk with their 2nd round pick. Law had him ranked 23rd.

[Andy]

Looks like Jays had a pretty successful draft. Some intriguing arms in the 2-4th rounds. Here's a brief write-up from CBS sports:

Blue Jays
Grade: A
Vanderbilt's Austin Martin was the No. 1 prospect in the draft class and the Blue Jays landed him with the No. 5 selection. They have to be over the moon. Toronto could have used its remaining picks on potted plants and Martin alone would've made this an A draft, but they also landed a fringe first round arm in second rounder C.J. Van Eyk, a riser with the spin rates analytically inclined teams love. Fourth rounder Nick Frasso could've been a second rounder had he not gotten hurt prior to the shutdown. Van Eyk and Frasso are two excellent complementary picks to Martin.

[Highlander]

Looks like Jays had a pretty successful draft. Some intriguing arms in the 2-4th rounds. Here's a brief write-up from CBS sports:

Blue Jays
Grade: A
Vanderbilt's Austin Martin was the No. 1 prospect in the draft class and the Blue Jays landed him with the No. 5 selection. They have to be over the moon. Toronto could have used its remaining picks on potted plants and Martin alone would've made this an A draft, but they also landed a fringe first round arm in second rounder C.J. Van Eyk, a riser with the spin rates analytically inclined teams love. Fourth rounder Nick Frasso could've been a second rounder had he not gotten hurt prior to the shutdown. Van Eyk and Frasso are two excellent complementary picks to Martin.

What an excellent draft for the Jays. Well done. Andy, where did you pick up "but also a slow, lumbering corner OF"?  I have read nothing complaining of his speed?   Can you pass on reference to that?

In some ways I find myself more excited about the start of baseball than I am of hockey. Jays are going to compete in a year, maybe even wildcard this year.

[Andy]

All the scouting reports on Kjerstad have him listed as an adequate glove, corner OF with below average-average speed. I just interpreted that as lumbering. Unless you think I was referring to Martin?

[Highlander]

All the scouting reports on Kjerstad have him listed as an adequate glove, corner OF with below average-average speed. I just interpreted that as lumbering. Unless you think I was referring to Martin?

Yes, thought you meant Martin,  got it, thanks.

[Nik]

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[Frank E]

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I don't understand what this means...I'm obviously not versed in MLB CBA.

[Andy]

Makes more sense for the O's, especially if they think they have something special in Kjerstad. I still thought they'd have enough $ left to reel in at least another good over-slot player though.

Frank- There is a total dollar allotment that teams are allowed to, cumulatively, spend during one draft, and that is based on where their picking position is. So a young player with, say, Boras as an agent or who has a particularly high potential/ceiling might ask for more money than their draft position typically garners.