First, the big news. Miguel Batista has been signed to pitch for the Herd. Batista is a long time Major League veteran and has even pitched previously for the Blue Jays. He should serve as yet another quality arm for the Bisons pitching staff.
Also, Jose Reyes was injured in a sick looking accident on Friday night in Kansas City and has been replaced on the big league roster by Bisons IF Munenori Kawasaki, a tiny little Japanese player that molds himself after Ichiro. Kawasaki was 2-5 with 2 BB in 2 games for the Herd. He has experience with the Mariners in 2012 posting a .459 OPS in 61 games.
The thing that is intriguing about the 2013 Buffalo Bisons is their roster construction. It seems that the lack of upper level prospects in the Jays system has resulted in a who's that of Minor League veterans and former Major Leaguers looking to win a championship for the city of Buffalo.
The only notable players on the roster with upside are Anthony Gose, Moises Sierra, and my personal favourite Ryan Goins. You could lump Josh Thole into that group as well if you felt compelled.
Gose is off to a solid start, trying to quiet some noise that his 2012 season was solely a product of Cashman Stadium and the PCL. He's got a .370 OBP with a couple extra base hits. He's 0-1 in steals so far as well. Gose is the best positional prospect in the Jays system and with good performance could push Colby Rasmus out of town.
Sierra is also off to fast start. He's not showing much power yet with just 1 extra base hit, but he's got an .895 OPS. Sierra has a cannon for an arm and I suspect he'd be the first OF recalled if someone is needed.
Ryan Goins (along with his draft buddy Ryan Schimpf) has always been one of my favourite prospects to follow. He's never had much press and never put up a noteworthy season. He just goes out and plays solid baseball. Now, I've never seen him play and he may be an absolute butcher defensibly, but Goins seems like the type that could come up and play a utility role and become a fan favourite in Toronto much in the way Howie Clark was years ago.
Thole came over in the R.A. Dickey deal and is essentially replacing Travis d'Arnaud on the AAA roster. He's off to a hot start with a .962 OPS. Thole is a singles/doubles type hitter with little power but a patient approach. He has experience catching the knuckler of Dickey and should see time in the Majors if Arencibia or Blanco are injured.
A couple other notable 1st week numbers come from Andy LaRoche, brother of Nationals 1B Adam. Andy was a one-time "can't miss prospect" and is now Jose Bautista of AAA with 3 HR and a 1.139 OPS.
Luis Jimenez looks the furthest thing from a professional athlete, but he's usually good for 15-20 HR. He's also fun to root for because he is a fatty. I'm allowed to call him that because I am too a tubby bitch. He's got 2 HR to start the season and I look forward to seeing him live when I travel to Buffalo to watch this team.
The rest of the roster is filled with players with extensive Minor League experience like Mike McCoy, Buffalo native Jim Negrych, Lance Zawadski (currently on DL), Eugenio Velez, Mauro Gomez, Canadians Mike Nickeas & Adam Loewen, and Ryan Langerhans.
The pitching performances are too early to even pretend they mean something, so I will leave those for another day.
Hopefully the weather clears up tomorrow so I can get my 1st view of the new Buffalo Bisons.
Until next time.
Also, Jose Reyes was injured in a sick looking accident on Friday night in Kansas City and has been replaced on the big league roster by Bisons IF Munenori Kawasaki, a tiny little Japanese player that molds himself after Ichiro. Kawasaki was 2-5 with 2 BB in 2 games for the Herd. He has experience with the Mariners in 2012 posting a .459 OPS in 61 games.
The thing that is intriguing about the 2013 Buffalo Bisons is their roster construction. It seems that the lack of upper level prospects in the Jays system has resulted in a who's that of Minor League veterans and former Major Leaguers looking to win a championship for the city of Buffalo.
The only notable players on the roster with upside are Anthony Gose, Moises Sierra, and my personal favourite Ryan Goins. You could lump Josh Thole into that group as well if you felt compelled.
Gose is off to a solid start, trying to quiet some noise that his 2012 season was solely a product of Cashman Stadium and the PCL. He's got a .370 OBP with a couple extra base hits. He's 0-1 in steals so far as well. Gose is the best positional prospect in the Jays system and with good performance could push Colby Rasmus out of town.
Sierra is also off to fast start. He's not showing much power yet with just 1 extra base hit, but he's got an .895 OPS. Sierra has a cannon for an arm and I suspect he'd be the first OF recalled if someone is needed.
Ryan Goins (along with his draft buddy Ryan Schimpf) has always been one of my favourite prospects to follow. He's never had much press and never put up a noteworthy season. He just goes out and plays solid baseball. Now, I've never seen him play and he may be an absolute butcher defensibly, but Goins seems like the type that could come up and play a utility role and become a fan favourite in Toronto much in the way Howie Clark was years ago.
Thole came over in the R.A. Dickey deal and is essentially replacing Travis d'Arnaud on the AAA roster. He's off to a hot start with a .962 OPS. Thole is a singles/doubles type hitter with little power but a patient approach. He has experience catching the knuckler of Dickey and should see time in the Majors if Arencibia or Blanco are injured.
A couple other notable 1st week numbers come from Andy LaRoche, brother of Nationals 1B Adam. Andy was a one-time "can't miss prospect" and is now Jose Bautista of AAA with 3 HR and a 1.139 OPS.
Luis Jimenez looks the furthest thing from a professional athlete, but he's usually good for 15-20 HR. He's also fun to root for because he is a fatty. I'm allowed to call him that because I am too a tubby bitch. He's got 2 HR to start the season and I look forward to seeing him live when I travel to Buffalo to watch this team.
The rest of the roster is filled with players with extensive Minor League experience like Mike McCoy, Buffalo native Jim Negrych, Lance Zawadski (currently on DL), Eugenio Velez, Mauro Gomez, Canadians Mike Nickeas & Adam Loewen, and Ryan Langerhans.
The pitching performances are too early to even pretend they mean something, so I will leave those for another day.
Hopefully the weather clears up tomorrow so I can get my 1st view of the new Buffalo Bisons.
Until next time.
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