2021 Year In Review: Triple-A Veterans

Jays From the Couch Will Review Seasons Of Many, Hopefully, Most, Of The Toronto Blue Jays Prospects. Not Just The Top Prospects.

I have never seen a minor league deal not worth signing. The value provided by players with major league experience and multiple years at the highest minor league level is unmeasurable in any stat.

Position Players

Tyler White

In 105 games, White finished with a .292BA and .900OPS. He took his sweet time finding his power stroke, not hitting his first HR  until his 35th game on June 27th. He mashed in July with 7HR, 20RBI, and a .292BA. His over the fence power dried up in August (2HR) but he still managed to be a very productive batt in the middle of the Herd lineup with 10 doubles, 20RBI, and a .352BA. Tyler finished with 26 doubles, 13HR, and 65RBI while playing 1st base.

Gregory Polanco

The fall from grace isn’t always a slow fall. The Blue Jays plucked Polanco off the free-agent market after he was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made an immediate impact on the Bison’s lineup. In just 24 games, Gregory collected 7 doubles, 9 HR, 24RBI, and 5SB. He finished with a triple slash of .374/.436/.747.

Christian Colon

Colon played 2B (11GP), 3B (30GP), SS (16GP), and LF (33GP) for the Bisons. He started the season off great with a May that saw him post a .377BA and 1.115OPS while collecting 3 doubles and 5 HR in 17GP. June was good as Christian collected 4 doubles and 3HR while batting .278. Unfortunately, Colon was not great in the final 3 months of the season and finished with a .258BA, 16 doubles, and 15HR in 100GP.

Breyvic Valera

An argument could’ve been made that Valera was the Bisons MVP. But extended calls to Toronto, IL time in September, and subpar August dashed his chances. Still, Breyvic was a valuable piece of the winning season in Buffalo. Like Colon, Breyvic played multiple positions, seeing time at 2B (4GP), 3B (9GP), SS (6GP), LF (16GP),  and RF (4GP). In 41 games, Valera posted a .313/.406/.460 triple slash while collecting 11 doubles, a triple, 3HR, and 28RBI. He also walked 24 times to 19 strikeouts.

Richard Urena

Only 25yrs-old, Urena appears to have a long Triple-A career ahead of him. He appeared in 92 games, playing 2B (31GP), 3B, (13GP), SS (25GP), CF (1GP), and RF (6GP). Urena was a steady contributor, often going unnoticed for long stretches. He managed to finish with 25 doubles, one triple, 9HR, 49RBI, and a .272BA. Urena’s aggressive approach at the plate saw him walk just 16 times while striking out 81 times.

Dilson Herrera

Dilson Herrera struggled to find consistent playing time with Kevin Smith, Otto Lopez, the three veteran infielders already covered in this article. Aside from a stretch of games in June which saw him homer in 4 out of the 5 games he played and a 2HR game in July, Dilson failed to work his way into the lineup. He managed to play 53 games before being released on August 15th. Herrera collected 5 doubles, a triple, 10HR, and a .213BA.

Juan Graterol

The 32-yr-old catcher gave the Bisons exactly what they needed from the veteran catcher. With Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen both on the shelf, Graterol allowed the Blue Jays to call both Reese McGuire and Riley Adams up to Toronto. Juan made 50 starts, batting .293 with 5 doubles and 2HR.

Pitchers

A.J. Cole

The 6-foot-5 righty spent most of the season on the IL. He looked good in 6 appearances in May before landing on the IL in June. He returned in September, throwing 6 clean innings over 6 appearances, finishing the season with one no-hit inning in October. All in, A.J. made 10 scoreless appearances for Buffalo, picking up a win and two holds. Cole also struck out 12 batters in 10IP without walking a batter for a 0.80WHIP.

Jacob Barnes

Acquired from the New York Mets to provide some bullpen depth at the major league level, Barnes did a better job providing bullpen depth at the Triple-A level. Barnes made 14 appearances, throwing 14.1 innings while picking up a win. He finished with a 0.63ERA and 0.77WHIP after joining the Buffalo Bisons in August.

John Axford

Old man Axford left the Sportsnet control booth to make 10 appearances. He picked up a win and posted a 0.77ERA over 11.2IP. AxMan walked 3 batters, striking out 15 between the GCL and Buffalo.

Rafael Dolis

After being DFA’d by Toronto, Dolis reported to Triple-A. Dolis solidified Buffalo’s bullpen down the stretch, posting a 1.59ERA in 11 appearances. He finished with an ugly 1.59WHIP thanks to some control issues that saw him walk 7 batters and allow 11 hits over 11.1IP.

Tommy Milone

The 34-yr-old LHP provided the Blue Jays and the Bisons will nice innings, that is until his release in Mid-August. Tommy made 8 appearances, 4 starts, for Buffalo. He finished with a 2.63ERA and 1.02WHIP over 13.2IP.

Jacob Waguespack

Not sure if you’ll agree that Wags is a Triple-A vet but I’m including him. Jacob filled the spot starter/longman for the Herd in 2021. And he did it well. JW made 24 appearances which included 10 starts. Jacob won 7 games with 2 losses while posting an outstanding 2.86ERA. He allowed 63 hits and walked 21 over 69.1IP for a 1.21WHIP. Waguespack also struck out 74 batters as he becomes a minor league free agent.

Casey Lawrence

The 34-yr-old righty provided valuable innings between Triple-A and Double-A. He made 14 starts and 25 appearances between the two levels, throwing 86 total innings. As a member of the Bisons, Lawrence walked 13 batters while striking out 62. Casey finished with a respectable 1.20WHIP and 4.85ERA while picking 7 wins and 2 losses.