Top awaiting Brett Lawrie is “close” to joining The Blue Jays, though an hapless damage Tuesday might have thrown a team’s skeleton for him in disarray.
Mere hours after Blue Jays ubiquitous physical education instructor Alex Anthopoulos referred to Lawrie was upon a fork of a Major League callup, a blue-chip awaiting was strike upon a tip of a left palm by a representation in a Triple-A game.
Lawrie left a diversion rught divided as well as went to a internal sanatorium for X-rays. He gave an refurbish upon his Twitter profile, @blawrie13, writing: “At sanatorium , pls be painful .. #praying.”
Anthopoulos spoke to reporters during length about multiform players right divided with Triple-A Las Vegas upon Tuesday, together with Lawrie — who appeared to be upon a verge of fasten a large fasten bar as early as this week end in Baltimore.
“He’s close,” Anthopoulos pronounced prior to Lawrie’s injury. “I was anticipating he was starting to force a hand, as well as he’s starting to. He’s unequivocally most in a review right now. … At this point, it’s only a preference you need to make.”
In new weeks, The Blue Jays have sent multiform front-office members to Las Vegas to get a demeanour during their blue-chip prospect, together with sailing infield physical education instructor Mike Mordecai as well as partner ubiquitous physical education instructor Tony LaCava. Mordecai came behind with intense reviews of Lawrie’s softened work in a field.
“The strides he’s finished defensively have been amazing,” Anthopoulos pronounced of Lawrie, who is creation a passing from a single to another from second to third base. “He’s unequivocally come a prolonged way, as well as he’s looked good.”
The initial area The Blue Jays were watchful to see alleviation upon prior to job Lawrie up was his image discipline. In April, a 21-year-old drew only 4 walks whilst distinguished out twenty-three times, numbers which lifted warning bells for Anthopoulos as well as a rest of The Blue Jays brain trust.
But given being asked to urge his fortify in late April, a formula have been night as well as day. Lawrie has drawn fourteen walks in May whilst distinguished out only seventeen times.
“I get vehement when you review which he laid off sliders. you do not caring if he went 0-for-4 with 4 hard-hit balls. If he laid off sliders which were out of a zone, that’s some-more encouraging,” Anthopoulos said.
Lawrie is attack .354 in 52 games this season during Triple-A, with fifteen home runs as well as 49 RBIs. He leads a Pacific Coast League in hits (79), extra-base hits (38), doubles (15), runs (51) as well as sum bases (151).
Lawrie had strike safely in twelve of his final fourteen games entering Tuesday, batting .443 (27-for-61) with 6 jacks as well as eighteen RBIs over which span.
But notwithstanding his conspicuous as well as evident success during a image via his initial season in The Blue Jays system, Lawrie has been receptive to all of a elemental changes The Blue Jays have asked him to make.
“It’s unequivocally tough to discuss it a hitter who’s attack .400, ‘You have to have changes,’” Anthopoulos said. “But he’s removing to a indicate where he’s unequivocally finished all which we’ve asked.”
Anthopoulos has been well known to entrance tip prospects during a commencement of highway array to let them get in a habit of to hold up in a Majors divided from a pressures of personification during home.
Earlier this season, both initial baseman David Cooper as well as outfielder Eric Thames were brought up from Triple-A Las Vegas during highway trips. Additionally, tip pitching awaiting Kyle Drabek finished his Major League entrance for The Blue Jays in 2010 opposite a Orioles in Baltimore.
The Blue Jays will finish their three-game set with Cleveland upon Wednesday, prior to withdrawal for a seven-game highway outing upon Friday starting in Baltimore.
Meanwhile, both Travis Snider as well as Brett Cecil go upon to swell in Las Vegas as they work upon a issues with their games which saw them sent to Triple-A progressing this season.
Snider has been operative upon a fundamentals of his swing, which The Blue Jays felt was building a little bad tendencies.
“He’s starting to have those changes, as well as starting to soak up them in to his swing. But he’s not there yet,” Anthopoulos said. “We’re perplexing to get his pitch down. And you consider which once he gets which cemented, a rest will come.”
In his thirty games given fasten Las Vegas, Snider is attack .299 (38-for-127) with 9 doubles as well as twenty-three RBIs. Known for carrying a great understanding of tender energy to all fields, Snider has strike only a single home run during his Triple-A stint.
But conjunction Anthopoulos nor Blue Jays physical education instructor John Farrell pronounced they were endangered with a miss of power. In fact, they aren’t seeking during his numbers during all.
“We’re not focusing upon a results,” Farrell said. “We’re seeking during a elemental adjustments which have been being looked during to get ahead as well as maintain.”
Snider has been asked to concentration upon operative upon his pitch in a Minors, as well as not to be concerned about his numbers. And whilst a swell reports have been mixed, he has proposed to furnish some-more hard-hit balls in new games.
“We’re monitoring a tough hits opposite a little of a improved [pitchers] to be found in a PCL, which is starting to be some-more identical to what he’ll face here,” Farrell said. “It’s a make a difference of receiving where you have been currently as well as removing behind to a upon all sides with your pitch which allows you to strike Major League pitching.”
Finally, Cecil continues to work upon anticipating a quickness as well as carry out which finished him so in effect final year for The Blue Jays, though were absent via this year’s Spring Training as well as in to a unchanging season.
“Cecil has finished strides. Obviously, a opening has been good. He continues to work upon things,” Anthopoulos said. “There’s times where a round will still be up in a zone, as well as he needs to get behind to which downhill fool around as well as being down in a zone.”
Cecil has finished 7 starts for Las Vegas, starting 6-1 with a 5.89 ERA. He’s authorised 54 hits as well as 33 runs (29 earned) over his 44 1/3 innings pitched, distinguished out 35 as well as on foot 14.
He was sent down after only 4 starts for The Blue Jays in 2011. He went 1-2 in those outings, permitting twenty-four hits as well as sixteen warranted runs in twenty-one innings. His quickness was essentially in a mid-to-high 80s, which was down from a 91-93 mph operation he was attack consistently in 2010.
“He’s removing there,” Anthopoulos said. “All of a scouts which have been there have pronounced which for an inning or dual it’s a man which you saw final year. Then a alternative innings he reverted back.
