Thursday, June 7, 2007

Afternoon Delights

It’s A.J. versus the Rays at 12:37, the Draft at 2:00. How are we supposed to concentrate on work today?

Scratch another pitcher off our list: Jordan De Jong, who was included in our Armchair GM pitching column back in April, looked great in his first inning of work for the Blue Jays, striking out the side in the ?th last night. De Jong’s numbers in the minors have been great so far this year (1.69 ERA, 2 saves, 43 Ks vs. 13 BBs in 37.1 innings between New Hampshire and Syracuse), and seeing him for the first time, we were impressed with the zip and the movement on his pitches.

De Jong’s a bit old (28) to be considered a prospect, but his deliberate progression through the ranks since being drafted as an 18th rounder in 2002 is instructive when considering the goofiness and hyperbole (both positive and negative) that will be attached over the next few years to the Jays early round picks from today.

1 comment:

Joanna said...

The best part about De Jong is the Kelly Gruber hair.