A Look at the First Wave of September Call Ups

Richard Ureña Clutchlings Photo

   The Blue Jays called up 5 players in preparation for Major Legue Rosters expanding to 40 players today.
   OFs Michael Saunders, Teoscar Hernandez, C Luke Maille, SS Richard Ureña, and P Carlos Ramirez will join the team in Baltimore.

   Former Jay Saunders has come full circle since being released earlier in the season by the Phillies, and gives the team some much needed OF depth for September.  Maille solidifies the team behind the plate in the wake of the struggles of Raffy Lopez.

    Hernandez, Ureña, and Ramirez are all worth a longer look.

    Hernandez came to the Jays from the Astros in the Francisco Liriano deal, and was the Astros 5th-ranked prospect at the time of the deal.  After a slow start in Buffalo, the five-tool Hernandez finished with a flurry, cracking 5 Home Runs in his last 10 AAA games.  With the Blue Jays OF likely to sport a much different look next year, the Blue Jays are kicking the tires on the 24-year old Dominican.

   We have followed Ureña since 2014, when he started the year at Bluefield, and finished it with playoff bound Vancouver.  Signed in the same IFA class as SS Frankie Barreto, the Jays decided that Ureña was the better long-term prospect at the position when they dealt Barreto to Oakland in the Josh Donaldson deal.  Noted more as a glove first player, Ureña had a breakout year at the plate at Lansing and Dunedin in 2015, cracking 15 Home Runs.  This year, at New Hampshire, his numbers at the plate (.247/.286/.359) were a bit more pedestrian, but a slow start was at least partly to blame.  In the field, Ureña may be remembered by some fans more for his struggles with the big club in spring training this year, but he is a solid defender with a plus arm.  He has shown a tendency in the past to flub the routine plays, but he has the fast twitch reflexes to cover a lot of ground at short.  Troy Tulowitzki has made all the right noises about wanting to stay at SS, but Ureña will be his eventual successor.  With the Blue Jays strongly considering a different make up for the middle of their infield next year, having a look at Ureña this fall makes sense.  Added to the 40 man roster last fall, it seems like the Dominican has been around forever, but he's only 21, and is still probably a year or two away. He may not profile as a top of the order bat, but he should provide steady up the middle defence eventually.

  RHP Ramirez is one of 2017's feel-good stories.  Signed as an OF in 2009, Ramirez put up a line of .225/.292/.347 through his first five minor league seasons, and was on the verge of being released in the spring of 2014.  The Blue Jays converted him to Pitching, and sent him back to short season ball to essentially start all over again.  By 2016, he had become part of a lights out bullpen in Dunedin.  Sent to AA, he spent all of May and June on the DL, but became dominant in the back end of New Hampshire's pen upon his return.  Promoted to Buffalo in mid-August, Ramirez didn't allow a run in 7 outings, 6 of them 2+ inning stints.  In 39 innings between the two levels, Ramirez fanned 45.  At 6'5", Ramirez is an imposing presence on the mound, and gets good extension on his mid-90s fastball, which is paired up with a wipeout slider.  Minor league hitters have been overmatched against him this season. With the beleagured Blue Jays bullpen in need of reinforcements, Ramirez more than fits the bill.


   There will likely be a second wave of minor league call-ups once their season ends on Labour Day. Vancouver and Dunedin are headed to the post-season, but their rosters will not be impacted.  It's reasonable to expect that OF Anthony Alford returns.  LF Dwight Smith Jr might also return. RHP Chris Rowley was promoted last month, and might return to provide some bullpen help.  LHP  Ryan Borucki, who had a scintillating AAA last night might be a candidate, but he's also blown past his career high in Innings Pitched, and the team may opt either for a shut down, or a late-September call up. IF Lourdes Gurriel Jr, a prized free agent signing last off season, is heading to the Arizona Fall League in October to make up for some missed development time.

  Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro has said that when it comes to building a winner, there are no shortcuts.  He also said earlier this week that he doesn't think the system has enough upper level depth - there are no "waves" of prospects on the immediate horizon just yet.  So, while a re-tooling of the team would to appear to be in the works unless they can pull off a miracle this month, it's apparent that an influx of prospects won't be part of the rebuild at least for a few seasons.