The Bluefield Blue Jays (low-A) finished the season in first place in the Appalachian League East (APP) with a 40-18 record. They finished with a 19-15 record at home and a 21-13 record.

While Johnson City (the affiliate team the St. Louis Cardinals) defeated Bluefield in the championship series, Bluefield has a lot to be positive about.

BATTING

The team finished fifth in the league in terms of team batting stats, holding an overall .262 average and hitting as a team 54 homeruns, 26 triples (first overall), and 135 doubles. They also lead the league in walks taken with 246 (however, did strike out 576 times). This is a drastic improvement from 2010, where they placed last overall with a .227 average and hit only 24 homeruns. Several players can be attributed for the improvement, including:

1) Kevin Pillar: Chosen in the 32nd round of this year MLB Draft, Pillar has shown great promise. Leading the team (and the entire league) with a batting average of .347, the young 22-year old from California hit 17 doubles, three triples, seven homeruns and drove in 37 RBI. He was named to the Appalachian All Star team in August along with teammates Art Charles and Chris Hawkins. His persistence and determination earned him a promotion to the Vancouver Canadians when Bluefield’s season ended. Expect the young outfielder to make other promotions with the Blue Jays organization next season.

Chris Hawkins posted a .318 average with 15 doubles, nine triples, five homeruns and 52 RBI with Bluefield this season

2) Christopher Hawkins: Before the season began, Hawkins made #23 on JaysProspects top 25. Evidently, for good reason. Hawkins led the team in triples with six (third in the league), and runs scored with 49 (also third in the league). Combine that with the fact that he also hit .318 with  15 doubles, five homeruns, 52 RBI, and only made two errors in the outfield, it is apparent why the Jays’ organization thinks so highly of the young prospect from Sugar Hill, Georgia. Hawkins was also in Toronto last week to receive the R. Howard Webster Award, after exemplifying excellence in leadership, work ethic, and overall statistics this season. (Click here to read his interview with JaysProspects)

3) Art Charles: Charles was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 33rd round of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft, the Kansas City Royals in the 39th round of the 2009 MLB June Amateur Draft and the Toronto Blue Jays in the 20th round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft. That said, the Blue Jays are mighty glad they signed with them. The young Californian showed patience and power at the plate, leading the team in walks with 39 (third in the league), RBIs (61) (first in the league) and in homeruns with 11. He also hit .240 with 18 doubles, three triples, and 61 RBI. In the future, Charles needs to work on his strikeout total (89) and his errors in the field (at first base) with eight.

4) Gustavo Pierre: The young shortstop from the Dominican Republic was another bright star in Bluefield’s lineup. In 250 at-bats, Pierre batted .252 with twelve doubles, three triples, six homeruns, and 23 RBI. He was also second on the team with steals, stealing nine bases but getting caught five times.

5) Daniel Arcilla: The 21-year-old Venezuelan batted .243 with 43 runs scored, 10 doubles, five triples and 10 homeruns. He was also fourth on the team with RBI, scoring 37. While his average and slugging percentage (.481) is a little lower compared to his counterpart at shortstop, Gustavo Pierre (mentioned above), that said, his fielding is much more accurate, having only committed three errors on the season.

Honorable Mention: Andy Fermin: The second baseman from Florida, played in 59 games with the Bluefield Blue Jays. During this time, Fermin hit .261 with 15 doubles, five homeruns, and 33 RBI. Thanks in part to powerful batters behind him and good speed on the base paths, Fermin also scored 59 runs. He had an excellent walk to strikeout ratio, walking 35 times and only striking out 37 times. He did, however, lead the team in errors.

PITCHING

Last year the Bluefield Blue Jays team pitching finished the season in 9th place overall with an era of 4.44 allowing 290 earned runs, 39 homeruns, 225 walks and 468 strikeouts. This year, however, they improved greatly, finishing the year in 5th place with an ERA of 4.10 as a team and allowing only 288 earned runs in over 606 innings pitched. They also had a much better WHIP, striking out 585 batters but only walking 233. The drastic improvement from year-to-year can be attributed to these star players:

1) Ajay Meyer: Meyer had a great season with the Bluefield Blue Jays, leading his team in wins  and innings, and also having the third best ERA in the league with 3.02 in 13 games. The young 24-year old from Ohio finished the season, allowing only 22 earned runs and three homeruns in over 65 innings pitched. He also had a very impressive WHIP, allowing only 13 walks, while striking out 55.

2) Mitchell Taylor: With a 4-2 record, Taylor dominated the strike zone, leading his team in strikeouts with 61, good for seventh overall in the league. While only starting in eight of the 13 games he played in, Taylor still recorded the second most innings overall and was 12th in the league with a 4.23 ERA. While he hit four batters and walked 18, the 19-year-old Texan had an impressive 1.22 WHIP after striking out 49 batters in 55.1 innings pitched.

Ian Kadish recorded a 2-3 record with a 2.67 ERA with nine saves

3) Aaron Sanchez: Without a doubt, Sanchez certainly impressed this season. Recording a 3-2 record with a 5.48 ERA, first round (34th overall) draft pick of the 2010 MLB Draft  started in six of his 11 games in which he appeared, allowing 26 earned runs in over 42.2 innings pitched. His impressive performance with Bluefield earned him the promotion to the Vancouver Canadians, where he finished the season going 0-1 with a 4.63 ERA.

4) Ian Kadish: Playing in the most games for Bluefield (23), good for second overall in the league, Kadish recorded a 2-3 record with a 2.67 ERA. He also recorded seven saves which was good for 4th overall in the league. The Ohio native pitched over 30 innings, allowing only nine earned runs and did not allow a single homerun. He also had an impressive walk-to-strikeout ratio, walking nine but striking out 35. Expect for the Marshall University grad to earn a promotion next season. (Click here to read his interview with JaysProspects)

5)  Tyler Ybarra: Third on the team in strikeouts, Tyler Ybarra cruised to a 2-0 record and an outstanding 2.15 ERA in 13 games with the Bluefield Blue Jays, a drastic improvement from the 2-4, 6.64 ERA he recorded last year in the Gulf Coast League. This season, the Blue Jays’ 43rd round of the 2008 amateur entry draft, allowed only 11 earned runs in 46 innings pitched and recorded an impressive WHIP of 1.09. After receiving a promotion this year, expect the 22-year-old to move up next year as well.

Honorable Mention: Myles Jaye: With a last name of Jaye, Myles Jaye deserves to become a Toronto Blue ‘Jaye’ in the future. His numbers prove that he has potential as well. This season with Bluefield, the right-handed from Georgia posted a 3-3 record and a 3.00 ERA. In 46 innings pitched, the young 19-year-old prospect allowed only 18 earned runs. That said, he did, however, allow seven homeruns.

Honorable Mention: Arik (Andrew) Sikula: After being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 36th round of this year’s MLB player draft, Arik Sikula joined the Bluefield Blue Jays and helped the team become eastern division champions. The newly-acquired right-handed relief pitcher, played in 18 games with Bluefield posing a 1-1 record in 30.1 innings pitched. While he allowed two homeruns, he did however, only allow 10 earned runs, giving him an impressive 2.97 ERA on the season. (Click here to read his interview with JaysProspects)

That sums up the season of the Bluefield Blue Jays. JaysProspects looks forward to seeing some new faces on next year’s team!

Click here for the GCL Blue Jays season recap. Stay tuned for the season recap of the Vancouver Canadians!