TORONTO – Day one of the 2020 draft could hardly have gone better for the Toronto Blue Jays, who landed a player widely considered a top-two talent despite picking fifth overall.
In Austin Martin, they selected someone whose contact skills, plate discipline and emerging power make him one of the best pure hitting prospects in the game. On defence, he’s versatile enough to play centre field, second base or shortstop – the position at which the Blue Jays officially drafted him.
But of course selecting Martin only gets the Blue Jays so far. Next up, they must sign a player who may have been expecting a larger payday. If Martin had been selected second overall, the recommended bonus would have been $7.79 million. Three spots later, the suggested bonus is $6.18 million. But each additional dollar the Blue Jays allocate to the Scott Boras client comes out of their total draft pool of $9,716,500.
Clearly, there’s some accounting work ahead for the Blue Jays, yet the front office was aware of all this when it was their turn to pick. And still, they wanted Martin.
“We were extremely happy that Austin was there,” GM Ross Atkins said. “We were prepared for that. We had worked through that scenario (and) have had dialogue with his representation as well. We felt very good about making the selection.”
In other words, the Blue Jays are well aware of the negotiation that awaits. But after signing Hyun-jin Ryu, their once-frosty relationship with Boras has thawed, and Atkins sounds like someone who’s legitimately excited to add Martin to the organization.
In the meantime, the Blue Jays selected four more college players Thursday evening. Here’s an initial look at the rest of the Blue Jays’ 2020 draft class.
MLB comp: Dan O’Dowd of MLB Network compared Van Eyk to Ian Kennedy, who started 289 games in the major-leagues before moving to a relief role with the Royals last year.
With a 1.31 ERA in four starts before the NCAA suspended its season, Van Eyk was generating some first-round buzz. Instead, a prospect who pitched to a 3.21 ERA over the course of three seasons at Florida State was available on day two. Van Eyk generated strikeouts in bunches during his college career and was consistently hard to hit, but he did walk 83 in 176.2 career innings at FSU.
Along with a fastball in the 90-95 m.p.h. range, he throws a curveball and a change-up that, according to Baseball America, has “sinking action that fools hitters on both sides.” That mix will presumably allow Van Eyk to continue starting when he begins his pro career – whenever that is.
He was also highly regarded as a high school pitcher (at George M. Steinbrenner High School, of all places) though some questions surfaced at the time due to a forearm issue. The Mets took a late-round flier on him in 2017 only to see him head to Florida State instead.
Trent Palmer, RHP, Jacksonville
Round: 3 Age: 21 Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 230 lbs
Recommended bonus: $805,600
Baseball America rank: 165 MLB Pipeline rank: 114
In three seasons at Jacksonville, Palmer started just nine total games, but that might undersell his potential out of the rotation. Before the pandemic led to the suspension of NCAA action, Palmer had a 1.30 ERA in four starts with 41 strikeouts compared to just five walks. He achieved those results with a fastball in the 92-96 m.p.h. range and two off-speed pitches Baseball America describes as above-average: his slider and change-up.
With a full season like that, he would certainly have gone higher than the third round, but under the circumstances there were enough questions about Palmer to make him available here. Among them: can he improve his command, and will he be a starter long-term? Even last summer, when Palmer impressed in the Cape Cod League with a 1.45 ERA, he was pitching in relief. Plus, at 6-foot-1, 230 lbs, he doesn’t have a traditional pitcher’s frame.
“He doesn’t look imposing, but he’s very strong, athletic and intelligent,” Jacksonville coach Chris Hayes recently told Gene Frenette of the Florida Times-Union. “I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people. Trent doesn’t look like a big-leaguer. He just acts like one.”
Palmer has a repeatable delivery, according to Baseball America, and the Blue Jays tend to develop pitchers as starters until they prove they can’t start. With that in mind, Palmer’s likely to debut in the rotation once he signs and remain there unless he falters.
Nick Frasso, RHP, Loyola Marymount
Round: 4 Age: 21 Height: 6-foot-5 Weight: 190 lbs
Recommended bonus: $549,000
Baseball America rank: 107 MLB Pipeline rank: 98
There’s no denying the athleticism and potential here. Frasso has been clocked up to 97 m.p.h., according to Baseball America, and the former high school basketball star can still dunk with apparent ease.
The questions for the Blue Jays revolve around health and role. Before the shutdown, Frasso suffered an injury to his forearm/elbow area that impacted his draft stock. And despite his upside, he has limited experience starting with just 15 college starts compared to 22 relief appearances.
Still, that fastball is intriguing and Frasso also boasts a high-spin rate slider, according to Baseball America. His third pitch, a change-up, is still developing, but there’s obvious upside if Frasso can overcome this spring’s injury issues and refine those secondary offerings a little more.
Zach Britton, OF, Louisville
Round: 5 Age: 21 Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 6-foot-1 Weight: 200 lbs
Recommended bonus: $410,100
Baseball America rank: 192 MLB Pipeline rank: N.A.
Until now, the most memorable Zach Britton-related moment in Blue Jays history occurred when Orioles manager Buck Showalter declined to use his dominant closer in the 2016 AL Wild Card Game that the Blue Jays eventually won.
Perhaps this selection will give Blue Jays fans another reason for fond Britton-related memories. This left-handed hitter slashed .280/.395/.455 over the course of three seasons at Louisville, including a .322 average before action stopped this spring. He has doubles power thanks to what Baseball America describes as “a pretty lefthanded swing with good bat speed and some impressive exit velocity numbers.”
At this stage he doesn’t have tons of power or projected defensive ability, but that offensive track record certainly is intriguing.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
