Cody Cockrum
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Posts by Cody Cockrum
Appalachian Awards
18 months ago
Three Bluefield Blue Jays were named to the Appalachian League All-Star Team on Thursday August 25th. The trio honored is outfielders Kevin Pillar and Chris Hawkins and DH Art Charles.
Pillar has a .350 average with 7 HRs, 16 doubles, and three triples in Bluefield
Kevin Pillar, 22, is in his first year of professional baseball after spending three years at NCAA D2 Cal State Dominguez Hills. He was the 979th overall pick in the 2011 draft and started his career in Bluefield. Through 56 games, Pillar is hitting .350/.376/.545 with 7 HRs, 16 doubles, and three triples. The West Hills, CA native has also stolen 8 bases in 12 attempts and has been particularly hot during the past 10 games, putting up a .806 SLG and 1.356 OPS.
This year in Bluefield, Hawkins has 5 HRs, 15 doubles, 6 triples and 14 stolen bases.
Outfielder Chris Hawkins has taken a slightly different path to his first All-Star nomination. Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2010 First Year Player Draft out of North Gwinnett High School in Georgia, the athletic left hander get his first taste of pro ball in the GCL last season. However, his 2011 campaign has backed up the glowing scouting report of his athleticism and top level bat.
In 230 at-bats, the 19 year-old has shown a power and speed combination that can make scouts and fans drool. He has 5 HRs, 15 doubles, and 6 triples and has shown his good speed with 14 SBs in 18 tries. Just like his outfield mate Pillar, Hawkins has been scorching the past 10 games supporting a 1.141 OPS and 6 BBs with only 5 Ks. Hawkins has only begun to tap his potential during his Appy League All-Star campaign and could easily follow fellow OF prospect Jake Marisnick with a break out campaign in Lansing in 2012.
Charles has 11 homeruns this season - 5th most in the Appy League.
The large human being that is Art Charles brought the power for the first place Blue Jays, currently with 11 HRs, 5th most in the Appy League. Along with his home run power, Charles has hit 17 doubles and 3 triples. The 6’6 Charles was drafted in 2010 out of Bakersfield (CA) Junior College and started his career with Hawkins in the GCL. There, Charles flashed his power potential with 4 HRs in 123 at-bats, or 1 HR every 31 at-bats. He has picked up the pace with 1 HR/21 ABs in Bluefield and looks to continue adding to his All-Star totals as the season winds down.
Leading the Bluefield Blue Jays to a playoff berth in their first year as an affiliate is Appalachian League Manager of the Year Dennis Holmberg. Holmberg spent the last nine seasons at the helm at short-season Auburn, leading them to the league championship in 2007. This is Holmberg’s 33rd season in the Jays system and has no shortage of playoff experience as 2011 will be his 10th playoff appearance as a manager.
Bluefield’s regular season comes to an end at Danville on August 30th and the playoff dates have not been set.
Can they Make it? Gustavo Pierre and Myles Jaye
29 months ago
There is a mix of talent at the Appalachian League level, and a lot of it is not very good. However, you do find the occasional first rounder out of high school (Aaron Sanchez) or the International bonus baby, such as Gustavo Pierre, but you can also find some hidden gems such as 2010 17th round pick Myles Jaye from Starrs Mill High School in Fayetteville, Ga. I was fortunate enough to see all three on my trip to upper east Tennessee and here are my thoughts on Pierre and Jaye (you can see my report on Sanchez a few stories down).
Gustavo Pierre
Much hyped, Pierre signed for $700,000 in July of 2008 and it’s been slow moving ever since for this 6’2 Dominican Republic native.
What’s good: He has a great, athletic frame with plenty of room to add muscle and strength. He has some pop with 7 HRs this year to go along with pretty good bat speed that he used to hit the ball hard in his first two ABs. He didn’t get a chance to show off his speed, but other reports say he has at least plus speed, which is good news for when he has to move to the OF (see below). He is 19, leaving plenty of time to develop and there is no rush to push him up levels.
What’s bad: He is already a DH, masquerading as a SS. He has 43 errors at short this alone in 68 games and has been written in at DH for 31 games. This mean he is going to have to hit, hit a lot, and hit for power. He may end up in a corner OF spot, but his value is going to be in his bat. He did miss a couple of curveballs that night as his swing got long and he has a bad habit of letting go of the bat with his top hand in the middle of the swing. This makes it impossible for him to use his top hand through the hitting zone, which is crucial. He has slightly improved his walk total, but he has a bad approach at the plate, causing him to strike out a lot and this is his biggest flaw right now, too many swings and misses.
Can he make it: Pierre has the frame and power potential to hit 25+ HRs a year, but it’s going to take a lot of work on his approach and patience in the Jays’ system before they see a return on their investment. Time is on the Jays and Pierre’s side, so there is no need to rush him. Look for him to be in Lansing in 2012, the team he started with in 2011.
Myles Jaye
Once again, the Jays spent for talent they want, giving this 17th rounder $250,000, a number usually spent on 3rd round picks. Early on, it looks like they made a wise choice here.
What’s good: Another young one, also only 19, he is a classic Blue Jays HS pitching prospect, tall, lanky and tons for room projection. He has smooth mechanics and delivers an 88-94 MPH fastball with ease. His low 80s slider looked real sharp at times, with hard biting downward action that saw a few swing and misses. He also looked quite athletic when covering first base, always a positive sign. He looked comfortable on the mound and knew what he was doing in the field.
What’s bad: As with a lot of young pitchers, controlling his pitches is his biggest weakness. He left his fastball up on several occasions, causing it to be hit hard. He didn’t always throw his slider for strikes or located it well enough to get the hitter to chase. He walks a few too many, but with time and learning how to pitch, that can be fixed.
Can he make it: He grades out right now as at least a future MLB long reliever, with the chance to be a back end rotation guy. I really like this pick by the Jays and they made the right decision to go well over the usual late round bonus. As with Pierre and most Appy guys, he can move slowly, but if he can refine his control and get his fastball down in the zone, he could move through levels quickly in a bullpen role.
Scouting Report: Aaron Sanchez
69 months ago
I took an hour and half drive up to Johnson City, TN tonight to catch Aaron Sanchez and the Bluefield Blue Jays take on the JC Cardinals. I was pleasantly surprised to see a scout I know from my job with the Tennesse Smokies. He was kind enough to talk scouting with me and give me his perspective on Sanchez.
Aaron Sanchez
Aaron Sanchez, RHP
Height: 6’4
Weight: 190
Age: 19
8/6/11 vs. Johnson City Cardinals (Appalachian League)
Fastball
His fastball sat 90-93 all game and touched 94 in the first inning. Right now, it has a 40 grade with a potential grade of 60. The biggest concern with his fastball is location. He had problems with command in the 1st and 4th innings as he threw it high in the zone several times, resulting in some hard hit balls and a wind-aided homerun. However, in the 2nd and 3rd inning, he started getting ahead of hitters with his fastball and hitting his spots on the corner. He forced a couple of awkward swings with well-placed fastballs on the outside corner. When he is hitting spots, this is a plus pitch.
Curveball
He has a sharp breaking overhand 12-6 curve that sits 77-79MPH, currently a 50 pitch with the possibility to be a 60+ if he can throw it more consistently. He struck one Cardinal out with a nasty backdoor curve that caused both me and my scout friend to turn and look at each other is awe. It can be a true strikeout pitch if he can throw it consistently at a high level and in good locations.
2-Seam/Cutter
He also threw what appeared to be a 2-seam fastball with some nice cut action towards the LH batter’s box. It was 84-88MH and it was his second most often used pitch behind his fastball.
Mechanics
He has the ideal pitcher’s frame, tall and lanky with plenty of room to fill out and add 3-4 MPH to his already impressive FB. He has a smooth, loose delivery that doesn’t put much stress on his arm; however he does have one flaw. He crosses his left leg over his right during his wind up and right before his left foot lands; it does this “twitch” like movement that causes a high release resulting in pitches up and out of the zone.
Conclusion
Overall, Sanchez has the chance to be a true #2 guy in the Blue Jays rotation with two future plus pitches. It will take time for him to develop better command and clean up his delivery, but he is only 19 and is already impressing scouts. Look for him to really take off once he learns to pitch and matures. (He didn’t have the best attitude when walking off the field after the 4th inning).
I also have notes on Gustavo Pierre, Chris Hawkins, and Myles Jay which I will be posting later, so continue to check Jays Prospects for updates!
Lawrie and Order: The Debut
39 months ago
by Cody Cockrum
in News and Notes
Very rarely does one game sum up a player’s strengths, weaknesses, and abilities, but highly touted prospect Brett Lawrie’s MLB debut did just that tonight.
The Blue Jays top prospect was able to show off his above average athleticism and arm right away in the first inning on a Nick Markakis ground ball down the line. Lawrie, playing well off the line, got to the ball quickly and made a strong throw to first, albeit off target. However, you cannot teach athleticism or arm strength and Lawrie has plenty of it.
Lawrie put his best tool, his bat, to use in his first Major League at-bat. After working himself into a favorable 2-0 count by laying off two close cutters, he fouled off a couple more tough offerings from Tommy Hunter before smacking a line drive back up the middle for his first career hit and RBI in a Blue Jays uniform.
A lot has been said about Lawrie’s aggressive approach at the plate and the Jays front office specifically asked him to work on his approach and he showcased that improvement in his first at-bat by taking close pitches, working the count, and having a solid two-strike approach by shortening up and looking to hit the ball up the middle. Although his next two at-bats were not as successful as the first, he still showed a strong presence, mature approach, and the ability to get down the line quickly. He showed off his bat speed again in his final plate appearance by getting on top of a high fastball and crushing a single to left field.
Lawrie found the hot corner to be a tougher challenge than his natural hitting ability. It may be nerves, but he appears to be very jumpy at third, causing two balls hit off his glove, with scored an error. Granted, these were hard hit balls, but those are plays that Major League third basemen have to make. He also made a low throw to Hill when trying to turn a double play, causing the batter to reach first safely. To me, Lawrie looks like a future corner outfielder, with his athleticism and strong arm. His actions just did not appear to play well at third.
However, I was most impressed with Lawrie’s confidence. I loved his demeanor at the plate, he looked and acted he belonged there. He has a necessary arrogance that successful players possess. Every time the camera was on him, he looked like he belonged in a Major League uniform. I believe this will be Lawrie’s biggest asset as his young career progresses. He won’t be fazed by the failures that come with playing baseball at the highest level, whether at the plate or in the field.
He has all the tools to be a star for the Jays for the next 15 years. Once he is moved to the outfield, I believe he will be able to relax even more about his defense and concentrate more on hitting, the Ryan Braun effect. Hopefully he is managed correctly by playing every day and it will be interesting to see if he is moved around in the line-up, possibly replacing Thames in the number two spot.
Lawrie says he isn’t a savior now, but he has the right attitude and skills when it’s time to be one.