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TODAY: Monday, May 15
Blue Jays minor-league report



System overview
When the Skydome opened in 1989, the Blue Jays suddenly became a big-revenue club. Though attendance has dipped and the stadium is no longer a novelty attraction, revenue for the Blue Jays has remained about the same. The trouble is, what was a large revenue stream in the context of 1990 or 1991 is just middle-of-the-road today. That's enough to compete, if resources are allocated intelligently, but it does mean the Jays have less slack to make mistakes than teams like the Yankees.

The farm system is in good condition. Toronto takes a "raw tools" approach when looking for prospects, but they've actually been able to turn athletes into players more often than they used to. They have a lot of middle infield depth, a good mixture of power and speed, and a Latin American program on the upswing once again. With Roy Halladay and Billy Koch arriving in the majors last year, high-level pitching is thin, which is the major weakness in the system right now.

1999 Minor League W-L Percentage: .534, (ranked 5th)

1999 amateur draft
The Blue Jays went all-out for young players in the 1999 draft. Eight of their first 10 selections came from the high school ranks.

Alexis Rios, an outfielder from Puerto Rico, was the first player picked. He has raw power and speed, but will take awhile to figure out how to play the game. Second-rounder Michael Snyder, a third baseman from high school in Chino Hills, California, also projects good power. Third-rounder Matt Ford, a polished lefty from high school in Florida, was very impressive in rookie ball.

Fourth-round pick Brian Cardwell is a 6-10 right-hander bought away from a basketball scholarship to the University of Tulsa. He has great potential, but will take time to develop. That can be said for almost everyone picked in the early rounds.

Two college players to keep an eye on are 11th-rounder Charles Kegley from Okaloosa-Walton Junior College in Florida, and 18th-rounder Peyton Lewis from Creighton University in Omaha. Both throw quite hard and could move quickly.

Overall, the success or failure of this draft will depend on the success of the high-schoolers picked early.

Top prospects
1) Vernon Wells, OF: I love this guy. Wells was rushed to the majors last year and could use some Triple-A time, but he has everything you look for: power, batting average, strike zone judgment, speed, good personality. A true Seven Skill player.

2) Felipe Lopez, SS: Needs work making contact, having fanned 157 times. Runs well, has power, and will develop into an excellent fielder.

3) Brent Abernathy, 2B: Doesn't have Lopez's athleticism, but is a polished and intelligent player. Hit 42 doubles, stole 34 bases, hit .291 in Double-A with good strike zone judgment.

4) Cesar Izturis, SS: Hit .308 with 32 steals in the Florida State League. Good glove too. Part of organization's middle infield glut.

5) Mike Young, 2B: Hit .313 with 30 steals and 61 walks in Florida State League. A year behind Abernathy but older.

Others of note
Joe Lawrence, 3B: Injuries kept his production down in 1999. When healthy, he has excellent strike zone judgment and developing power.

Kevin Witt, 1B: Upper-deck power, but blocked at first base and DH.

John Sneed, RHP: Went 14-3 at two levels, giving him a 36-6 record for his career. Throws hard and throws strikes, but needs better breaking stuff.

Andy Thompson, OF: Hit 31 homers in Double-A and Triple-A. Power is real, but may not have a place to play in Toronto.

Other names to know: Clayton Andrews, LHP; Casey Blake, 3B; Pascual Coco, RHP; Matt DeWitt, RHP; Bob File, RHP; Jay Gibbons, 1B; Tim Giles, 1B; Gary Glover, RHP; Josh Phelps, C; Guillermo Quiroz, C; Nerio Rodriguez, RHP; Tyler Thompson, OF; DeWayne Wise, OF.

John Sickels is the author of the 2000 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook. You can email your questions to him at JASickels@AOL.com.
 


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