Team Record: 48-33 (1st in Eastern Division)
Number of team Top 15 prospects: 5 -- d'Arnaud, Gose, Hechavarria, Stewart, Jenkins
With 5 of the Blue Jays top 15 prospects on the New Hampshire roster, it's not surprising that the Fisher Cats are in first place in their division and are well on their way to the playoffs. They roster is well rounded, with their .747 OPS ranking 4th in the Eastern League and their 3.67 ERA ranking 3rd.
Notable hitters:
C Travis d'Arnaud: .306/.380/.525 (.905 OPS), 19 2B, 10 HR, 28 RBI, 22/51 BB/K
d'Arnaud is establishing himself as the top catching prospect in the Blue Jays system, and the possible catcher of the future. While d'Arnaud has always had great well rounded tools, 2011 is the first year he has put it all together at the plate. In addition to a good approach at the plate, he is finally showing his power, with the potential for 20 HR seasons down the road feasible.
CF Anthony Gose: .258/.352/.408 (.752 OPS), 9 2B, 5 3B, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 38 SB, 36/78 BB/K
Gose has been highly scrutinized since being acquired for Brett Wallace, and 2011 has been an up and down season for him. Keeping in mind that he is 20 years old in Double-A, that should be expected. The high point for Gose was May, during which he showed all of his tools, posting an .889 OPS with 9 extra base hits, 20 walks, and 14 stole bases. April and June were much different however, with a combined OPS around .600, 9 extra base hits, and a 15/49 BB/K ratio.
SS Adeiny Hechavarria: .231/.268/.351 (.619 OPS), 17 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 16 SB, 16/50 BB/K
Hechavarria has struggled with the bat since being signed as a Cuban defector last year. While his defense is still outstanding, Hechavarria is going to need to show more with the bat than this if he's ever going to see the major leagues. Adeiny will need a big second half if he wants to avoid repeating the Double-A level in 2012.
1B Mike McDade: .312/.357/.534 (.891 OPS), 30 2B, 13 HR, 58 RBI, 19/68 BB/K
While the standards for being a "prospect" at first base are extremely high, McDade's 2011 should atleast be putting him in consideration for the label of legitimacy. While the home run totals are modest for a 22 year old first baseman, it should be noted that his 30 doubles lead the Eastern League, 5 ahead of his nearest competition.
Notable pitchers:
RHP Zach Stewart: 75.2 IP, 84 H, 34 ER, 5 HR, 23 BB, 53 K, 4.04 ERA, 1.41 WHIP
In his second year with New Hampshire, Zach Stewart has seen his fair share of struggles. While his numbers are not as strong as 2010, they did earn him a midseason promotion to Toronto, where he held his own across 3 starts. Stewart really needs to refine his changeup, as it is easily the weakest of his three pitches and will determine his future with the organization.
RHP Joel Carreno: 90.2 IP, 61 H, 32 ER, 9 HR, 46 BB, 111 K, 3.18 ERA, 1.18 WHIP
In his first year with New Hampshire, Carreno has gone through absolutely dominant stretches. As his .191 BAA and 111 strikeouts can attest, hitters have had a lot of difficulty squaring up Carreno. For example, during the month of May Carreno pitched 31.2 innings, and allowed only 8 hits and 4 earned runs while striking out 41.
RHP Henderson Alvarez: 53.1 IP, 47 H, 20 ER, 5 HR, 13 BB, 37 K, 3.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP
2011 has been a breakout of sorts for Henderson Alvarez. After making 2 quick starts in Dunedin as a warmup, he was promoted to Double-A where he has performed extremely well. Armed with a plus changeup and a devastating fastball that has touched 101 mph this year, Alvarez is poised for a great second half. While the strikeouts are a bit low for a guy with two outstanding pitches, they will come once his breaking ball improves enough to be thrown consistently. For now, Alvarez just generates weak ground balls by destroying his opposition's timing.
RHP Chad Jenkins: 35 IP, 32 H, 13 ER, 4 HR, 11 BB, 21 K, 3.34 ERA, 1.23 WHIP
The big 2009 1st rounder recently made the jump from Dunedin and has continued his success into New Hampshire. Armed with a heavy sinker, Jenkins' strikeout rate has been relatively low throughout his career, but he has kept a consistent groundball rate. His Independence Day start was the best of his season thus far, going 8 innings while allowing only 1 earned run.
RHP Alan Farina: 17.1 IP, 15 H, 3 ER, 2 HR, 7 BB, 16 K, 1.56 ERA, 1.27 WHIP
Farina is perhaps the Blue Jays top true relief prospect, having dominated the FSL and EL over the past two seasons. In 73 combined innings, he has allowed just 11 earned runs while striking out 90. Farina has a stature similar to that of Jason Frasor, which has led to some flyball issues.
Rest of the year outlook: The 2011 season should continue to be fruitful for New Hampshire. While Double-A can act as a spring board for pitching prospects to the majors (e.g. Drabek, Stewart, Litsch, etc), this group, save Stewart, is likely to remain in the minors for the rest of the season. Additionally, 2010 #1 draft pick Deck McGuire is likely to make the leap from Dunedin at some point this summer, further strengthening the pitching staff. The hitting should remain solid, as most of the big name hitters on New Hampshire's roster are young and will likely stay for the rest of the season. Justin Jackson, the former shortstop turned outfielder who was drafted in the supplemental round of 2007, was recently promoted from Dunedin and should provide offensive and defensive support all over the diamond.
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