Spring StatCast standouts: These Blue Jays posted eye-opening measurables

Baseball

Published 28.03.2023

Spring StatCast standouts: These Blue Jays posted eye-opening measurables

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Everyone is aware of higher than to attract any conclusions from spring coaching outcomes. But spring coaching measurables? Those are fascinating.

So, let’s use among the knowledge collected by Hawk-Eye know-how at minor-league ballparks round Florida this spring to see who flashed the loudest instruments at Blue Jays camp.

Some fast caveats. These samples are small. A few Toronto’s Grapefruit League video games weren’t tracked. And excessive StatCast readings don’t all the time translate to excessive on-base or slugging percentages.

But the knowledge is informative. If you set a ball in play at a really excessive exit velocity, you’ve demonstrated your capacity to hit baseballs very exhausting. If you register a really quick dash velocity, you may undeniably transfer that rapidly. These measurables will inform you which gamers can do issues that others can’t.

So, with that in thoughts, listed below are some Blue Jays’ spring StatCast standouts.

Fastball Velocity

The Blue Jays had no scarcity of exhausting throwers in camp this spring, from established big-leaguers (Jordan Romano, Yimi Garcia), to ascendent prospects (Yosver Zulueta, Hagen Danner) to reclamation initiatives (Junior Fernandez, Julian Fernandez). But Nate Pearson threw tougher than all of them:

And Pearson didn’t solely stand out at Blue Jays camp — his common fastball velocity ranked top-10 MLB vast this spring.

Throwing with excessive effort briefly stints, Pearson reached 100 mph or sooner 11 occasions. Here’s his hardest pitch of spring, which registered 101 on the prime of the zone:

Of course, Pearson’s lengthy had the flexibility to mild up radar weapons. What Blue Jays coaches challenged him to do that spring was assault the zone with intent and put hitters away rapidly. Pearson threw 67 per cent of his pitches for strikes, strolling 5 throughout 8.1 innings and placing out 13.

The 26-year-old will start the yr at triple-A seamless to give attention to his new aid position. But the rate performs. And as quickly as there’s a gap within the Blue Jays bullpen, you may wager Pearson will get his alternative. If he’s wholesome and performing, that would come as quickly as early to mid-April.

“’Don’t lose your momentum that you’ve gained in camp,’” Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider stated, when requested what he advised Pearson whereas on his method to Buffalo. “I thought he had an outstanding camp. It was a tough decision. I think anyone would want his stuff in the bullpen. It’s an extremely valuable piece to have as depth at triple-A.”

Exit Velocity

It’s necessary to hit the ball exhausting. It goes farther, it offers defenders much less time to react, it results in higher outcomes over time. That’s why golf equipment such because the Blue Jays use common air exit velocity, which filters out floor balls, of their evaluations of a participant’s energy potential.

And with that, listed below are your 2023 Blue Jays spring coaching leaders:

Same caveats apply. These are extraordinarily small samples of as few as 5 and as many as 16 balls in play. Evaluators will need a minimum of 50 earlier than they start to attract any preliminary conclusions. And tons of earlier than they really feel like they’ve a very consultant pattern.

What this does illustrate is how a few of Toronto’s place participant prospects made essentially the most of their alternatives in big-league camp. Chief amongst them was Rainer Nunez, who we’ll contact on in a minute. And it’s no shock to see Orelvis Martinez excessive on the leaderboard after setting a New Hampshire Fisher Cats document with 30 homers in 2022 as a 20-year-old at double-A.

But don’t sleep on Zach Britton. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter slugged .444 and reached base at a .381 clip over 312 plate appearances throughout high- and double-A in 2022. He tore up the Arizona Fall League in October, the place he posted a 1.057 OPS and walked as typically as he struck out. And he’s regarded amongst Blue Jays builders as one of many group’s most hypercompetitive athletes within the batter’s field. If Britton can carry over that success into 2023, he may very well be knocking on the big-league door late within the season.

Back to Nunez. He has as a lot uncooked energy as anybody in Toronto’s system and displayed it incessantly in camp, demonstrating the massive exit velocities that fuelled his A-ball breakout in 2022 and helped him lead the Dominican winter league in homers whereas profitable its rookie of the yr award.

Nunez obtained solely 32 plate appearances this spring and nonetheless produced 5 of the 20 hardest-hit tracked balls at Blue Jays camp — together with the toughest one among all, this 114-mph walk-off:

.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}

Nunez will start the season at high-A Vancouver, however he may very well be as much as double-A New Hampshire mid-season if he retains raking the way in which he has. The 22-year-old could be very aggressive, and the Blue Jays will wish to see some refinement in his plate method and swing selections as he continues creating. But energy like Nunez’s is uncommon — solely 42 big-leaguers hit a ball 114-mph or tougher in 2022 — and will permit him to proceed making noise within the minor this yr.

Arm Strength

There are Blue Jays builders who will inform you Addison Barger has the largest infield arm within the group. Yes, together with major-leaguers. Yes, an arm as huge as Matt Chapman’s.

Here’s why:

That dart from shortstop was measured at 89.9 mph by StatCast — the toughest throw by a Blue Jays infielder this spring. And it wasn’t the one time Barger confirmed it off. He completed camp with three of 5 hardest throws by a Blue Jay this spring:

Barger finally averaged 88.2 mph on his aggressive infield throws this spring. To put that in perspective, right here’s a listing of the highest MLB shortstops by common arm energy final season:

8 2022 MLB shortstops average arm strength

Barger’s spring pattern is a small one, after all. But the actual fact he can attain again for 90 as he did within the clip above is telling. That was a top-20 infield throw throughout tracked MLB video games this spring and would have been the fourth-hardest by a Blue Jays infielder through the 2022 common season.

So, what’s the precise reply as to who has the largest infield arm within the Blue Jays group? Well, that’s truly Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He let free a pair of 91-mph seeds on relays final season.

But as Barger has proven this spring, he greater than belongs within the dialogue. It’s the 23-year-old’s loud bat that’s gotten him to the cusp of a probable MLB debut this season. But seems he has an absolute hose, as nicely.

Sprint Speed

You gained’t see Cam Eden’s title excessive up on too many Blue Jays prime prospect lists. A 2019 sixth-round out of Marcus Semien’s previous stomping grounds on the University of California, Berkeley, Eden’s primarily identified for his outfield defence and velocity. And he put loads of the latter on movie at Blue Jays camp this spring, ending tied with Wynton Bernard for the lead amongst all gamers in common dash velocity on the basepaths:

Blue Jays common dash velocity (ft per second)

Eden’s title additionally popped up on the typical air exit velocity leaderboard, demonstrating the juice the Blue Jays are attempting to unlock in his bat. But he’ll return to double-A in 2023 and attempt to enhance on the .215/.292/.376 line — and evident 35.3 per cent strikeout fee — he posted on the degree over 80 video games on the finish of 2022. It’s unlikely Eden makes a major-league affect in 2023.

Bernard, then again, is somebody you may see in a Blue Jays uniform this season. The 32-year-old made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies final yr earlier than signing a minor-league cope with the Blue Jays over the winter. He’ll start the season with triple-A Buffalo and, together with Nathan Lukes, is amongst Toronto’s first layer of outfield depth, ought to an MLB want come up.

Bernard put up eye-opening numbers — .333/.387/.590 with 21 homers — over 108 video games within the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League final season. And whereas it’ll be fascinating to see how that manufacturing interprets to the International League’s colder climates and fewer beneficial atmospheric environments in April, the elite velocity that allowed him to swipe 30 baggage final season gained’t be affected.

Playing for a staff with a said want to be extra aggressive on the basepaths, Bernard demonstrated this spring he has lots to supply. And contemplating how necessary velocity is to outfield defence, it’s stands to cause he may make a big effect on that aspect of the ball, as nicely. The Blue Jays carried Bradley Zimmer for a lot of the 2022 season as a baserunning and defensive specialist. Don’t be stunned if there’s a interval in 2023 when Bernard’s up with the big-league membership in an identical capability.

Of course, Toronto already has loads of these instruments in Kevin Kiermaier. The soon-to-be 33-year-old’s defensive observe document is unimpeachable. And his arm’s nonetheless big, as evidenced by the pair of outfield throws he made this spring that StatCast tracked at over 95 mph. But what needs to be most encouraging to the Blue Jays is the way in which he moved on the basepaths and in centre area coming off hip surgical procedure that minimize brief his 2022 season.

Kiermaier’s 29.5 ft/sec dash velocity this spring is correct according to what he averaged in 2019 — the final full season when he wasn’t enjoying by means of harm. That would have ranked amongst MLB’s 96th percentile final season. And Kiermaier bought up over 30 ft/sec every so often, proving he nonetheless possesses the form of top-end velocity that may change video games.

“He’s been like that from basically the start of camp,” Schneider stated. “We love what we’re seeing.”