The Blue Jays' 11th round selection from the 2007 draft rediscovered his power that seemingly eluded him in his final two seasons at Tulsa. Playing solely at High-A Dunedin, Emaus batted .302 with 12 HR 71 RBI 12 SB and 87 runs scored and 34 doubles. He continued his hitting ways in the Hawaiian Winter League, hitting .333 with 2 HR 12 RBI and a sterling 17 BB/7 K ratio in 26 games. Emaus has a swing that matches his body frame--compact and powerful. He has an excellent eye at the plate, earning a 60 BB/56 K ratio last season, while effectively driving the ball from foul line to foul line. He has fringe average speed, but he uses it well on the basepaths. Defensively, Emaus has substandard range as a middle infielder and will likely need to shift to a corner infield spot in the future. He has played some third base, but the results have been less than adequate at this point as he racked up 4 errors in 47 chances last season.
2009 Projection: Emaus has turned heads in Blue Jays camp this spring, hitting .333 with 4 HR. He will likely start the '09 season at AA New Hampshire with a solid shot at earning a promotion to AAA Syracuse at some point during the season. There is some good offensive upside to this overachiever's game and he has been giving every indication that he can sustain this production at any level. Keep an eye on the defensive numbers from Emaus and his power numbers as well. He has below average power for a corner infielder at this point, but there is hope that he can be a high-average, 20 HR hitter at the major league level in the not too distant future. The Jays are pretty well set with Aaron Hill manning the 2B helm for the next few seasons, but the oft-injured Scott Rolen becomes a free agent after the 2010 season. That should provide ample time for Emaus to evolve into a quality MLB third baseman.
The Blue Jays challenged their former 1st round draft pick by sending him to full season Low-A Lansing for the entire '08 season. As expected, there were some growing pains for the 19 year old shortstop as he hit just .238 with 7 HR 47 RBI 17 SB and 74 runs scored. At this stage of his career, Jackson's defensive projectivity is greater than his offensive abilities. With a good first step and strong arm, Justin should be come an above average fielding shortstop in time. His offensive game has some holes, but it has upside as well. Last season, Jackson showed some power potential smacking 26 doubles to go with his 6 triples and 7 HR. His long, wiry frame has good strength and potential for future growth. Jackson has bittersweet plate discipline as his 60 BB last season were well above average for someone his age, but so were the 154 K's. Additionally, Justin has slightly above average speed that he utilizes well on the basepaths. There are several pluses and minuses in this young shortstop's game that will need some time to sort out. The Blue Jays should extend to him a great deal of patience in hopes that it will pay off in the form of a future stalwart of the six-hole.
2009 Projection: Jackson should head to High-A Dunedin to start the season, but don't be surprised if the Blue Jays ship him back to Lansing if he struggles in the early going. The strikeouts are the biggest thing holding Jackson back from being a more buzzworthy prospect. If he can cut his totals down to less than one per game, he is a viable threat to score 85-100 runs. Watch the power numbers as well. Jackson had a good number of XBH as a teen, which is a prime indicator of power yet to come. With his size and strength, it is not unreasonable to believe that J-Jack could be a 12-15 HR guy at the major league level.
The Blue Jays' former supplemental 1st rounder put on 15 lbs. of muscle before the 2008 season in preparation for his shift to 3B. Regardless, the power did not manifest itself as Ahrens hit .259 with 5 HR 42 RBI and 25 doubles at Low-A Lansing. With quick hands and an even swing from both sides of the plate, Ahrens is projected to develop 15-20 HR power as he matures and his plus arm and good shortstop instincts makes him an above average fielder at the hot corner. Those that watched him as a prep player likened him to future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones but, unlike the Braves 3B, Ahrens struggled mightily to hone his plate discipline as he managed a paltry 45 BB/135 K ratio. The Toronto Blue Jays used the 2007 draft to re-stock their farm system with talented, high upside prep talents like Justin Jackson, John Tolisano, Eric Eiland, and Ahrens. While 2008 offered mixed results, the 2009 season should give a better indication on just how much can be expected from Ahrens and the others.
2009 Projection: The Jays are an organization that is thin on talented 3B prospects, which means that Ahrens should, despite his mediocre '08 season, advance to High-A Dunedin for the '09 season. Ahrens should hit for more power there and if he can turn 20 of his K's into walks, his average should bump up to the .280-.300 range. This next season will be critical for Ahrens' future projectibility. The talent is there for him to be an above average every day player, but his second full season will need to render better results than his first one.
The Jays' 2007 supplimental 1st round pick breezed through a three stop whirlwind tour of Toronto's farm system going 8-5 with a 2.88 ERA and 129 K's in 118 IP. Cecil features a 90-92 MPH fastball with heavy downward action that induces ground ball outs to the tune of 2.28 per flyball out. Complimenting his sinker is a filthy slider that sits between 84-87 MPH and has all the makings of an elite strikeout pitch. His change and curve are both substantially less effective though he effectively uses to set up other two pitches. Despite a small hiccup at AAA Syracuse, Cecil commands the strike zone very well, working both sides of the plate and setting up hitters. A closer in college, Cecil is also has an aggressive demeanor on the mound. Brett tall, barrel chested frame is ideal for stacking up innings, but he has yet to toss more than 120 IP in a season and his control struggles during his late season stint with Syracuse may be indicative of a need to further develop his stamina before earning a rotation spot with Toronto.
2009 Projection: The departure of A.J. Burnett and uncertain rehab schedule of Dustin McGowan opens the door wide open for Cecil to earn a rotation spot out of spring training. The Jays may decide to give Brett some more seasoning at AAA before calling him up, but he will be up at some point in '09. In a short amount of time, Cecil should pair nicely with ace Roy Halladay atop Toronto's rotation for years to come.
Key Brett Cecil Baseball Cards:
2007 Donruss Elite Extra Throwback Threads Jsy #/500
The Blue Jays 2008 1st rounder had a very successful debut season excelling at three levels to the tune of a .333 BA with 5 HR 51 RBI and 29 doubles in just 69 games. His fluid, quick swing generates good loft and surprising gap power that could translate to 20-25 HR per season. Additionally, Cooper has impeccable plate discipline which should help him draw about 60-75 walks each season. While Cooper is adept with the bat, he is merely average with the glove and below average on the basepaths. The Blue Jays haven't had a first baseman this good since the days of John Olerud. Given his offensive upside, Cooper could carve out a similar career path.
2009 Projection: After excelling at three different Single-A stops, the Jays should feel comfortable about sending Cooper to AA New Hampshire for the beginning of the '09 season. Keep track of Cooper's power numbers this season as he should start to translate some of the doubles into HR's soon. Current Toronto 1B Lyle Overbay is signed through the 2010 season which should give more than enough time for the Jays' future first sacker time to develop.
Patterson's upside has cooled significantly since his solid 2006 season where he hit 25 HR and had 86 RBI. Much of this can be attributed to a horrific injury that shattered his forearm when Patterson was struck by a pitch early in the 2007 season. Though he seems to have fully recovered from this injury, his power numbers have yet to return to their pre-'07 levels. Patterson has a compact, powerful swing that drives balls well to all fields. Defensively he profiles to be an average corner outfielder with below average speed. For someone of his power potential, Patterson does not walk very much and his unorthodox swing can be prone to prolonged slumps. Patterson's future is likely as a platoon player who can provide some HR pop off of the bench. Given his age of 26 in 2009, this is the best upside that Patterson provides. Expect Patterson to get a look with the big club at some point in '09.
Key Ryan Patterson Baseball Cards:
2006 Bowman Chrome Prospects Ryan Patterson
2006 Bowman Sterling Ryan Patterson
2008 Donruss Threads Ryan Patterson Gold Auto #/775
Arencibia is another fast track Blue Jays slugger who had an immensely successful '08 campaign with a .298 27 HR 105 RBI line that included 36 doubles between High-A Dunedin and AA New Hampshire. Arencibia is a powerfully built, aggressive hitter who has big time home run power to all fields. He is also a very good defender with a strong arm and solid mobility behind the dish. The big caveat in Arencibia's game is his Read the full story
Travis Snider was as well traveled as any prospect this season, playing at four different stops during the 2008 season. The icing on the cake was his impressive September showing with the Toronto Blue Jays in which he hit .301 with 2 HR and 13 RBI in 24 games.
Snider's 5-11 245 lb. body is a power producing machine that has drives balls out of any part of the ballpark with ease. His bat speed and strength are eye popping and his competitive makeup is spectacular. As a defender, Snider is deceptively athletic and his strong arm will play well in RF. Like many young power hitters, Snider strikes out in bunches (154 times this season) though his plate discipline is improving as he sees more professional pitching. Snider's bulk may be a concern as he ages. He is physically maxed out and his athleticism may wane as he ages. Snider will need to keep refining his approach at the plate to avoid becoming a one-dimensional slugger like Matt Stairs or Rob Deer.
2009 Projection: Snider should find himself in Toronto's starting lineup on opening day as the team's LF. Many would project Snider to be one of the leading pre-season candidates for A.L. Rookie of the Year, which could provide added pressure on him to perform early. If Snider can steer clear of an early season slump he could put up some award winning numbers. Snider has a legitimate shot at putting up Evan Longoria type numbers, which could cause his already popular 2007 Bowman Sterling autographs to experience substantial growth.
H/W: 5-11 210 lb. B/T: R/R DOB: 3/28/86
