Blue Jays reaping benefits of Draft bonanza

What do veteran pitchers Ted Lilly and Justin Speier and infielder/outfielder Frank Catalanotto have in common?

Their departures from the Toronto Blue Jays via free agency following the 2006 season gave the Jays seven of the top 88 picks in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft.

And the Jays used those picks wisely, grasshopper, replenishing a system with a wealth of intriguing young talent across the board. From a fast-tracked college southpaw to a raw but remarkably toolsy outfielder out of high school, and just about everything in between, it may be a little while before Toronto fans see the fruits of that Draft in the big leagues. But they should be worth waiting for.

While there are few, if any, Blue Jays rookies who should factor into the big league mix this year (at least not as long as the projected core stays healthy), it somehow went without much notice how much this sometimes overlooked system impacted in the Majors in '07.

While everyone was buzzing about American League East rivals like the New York Yankees (Joba, Kennedy, Joba, Joba and Joba) and Boston Red Sox (Buchholz and Ellsbury), the Jays featured four hurlers with fewer than two full seasons under their belts by the end of the year, including pleasant rookie surprise Jesse Litsch (3.81 in 20 starts in his Major League debut), newly converted relief ace Casey Janssen (2.35 ERA in 70 games in his second full season) and homegrown prospects Dustin McGowan (first full season) and Shaun Marcum (second full season).

Kevin Ahrens, 3B/SS
The first of the Jays' "Magnificent Seven," Ahrens was taken 16th overall out of high school in Houston and began the transition from shortstop to third base. The switch-hitter will start the '08 season at the age of 18 after hitting .230 with three homers and 21 RBIs in the Gulf Coast League.

Player development director Dick Scott has been very happy watching Ahrens' confidence rise as he's become acclimated to the pro game and noted that it seemed as if Ahrens developed an instant comfort zone at his new position.

ON THE VERGE
Here's a player on the brink of breaking into the Major Leagues:

• Curtis Thigpen, C -- Although he is likely to start the season at Triple-A Syracuse, the 2004 second-rounder out of Texas is closest to making it to the big leagues to stay. He already has pressure-in-the-spotlight experience, thanks to three College World Series trips with the Longhorns. Thigpen hit .285 at Syracuse in '07 and .238 in a 47-game tryout with the Jays, and he's a solid defensive catcher albeit without much power in his bat.

J.P. Arencibia, C
Taken five picks after Ahrens out of Tennessee, Arencibia is that attractive commodity -- a good defensive catcher with plus power potential to all fields. The Miami native hit .254 with three homers and 25 RBIs at short-season Auburn in his debut.

Right now, his bat is ahead of his defense, but the Jays believe the latter will come once he gets accustomed to catching consistently good pitchers every night.

• Monday, Feb. 25: Chicago Cubs
• Tuesday, Feb. 26: Milwaukee Brewers
• Wednesday, Feb. 27: Cincinnati Reds
• Thursday, Feb. 28: Astros and Pirates
• Friday, Feb. 29: St. Louis Cardinals
• Saturday, March 1: Baltimore Orioles
• Sunday, March 2: Tampa Bay Rays
• Monday, March 3: Boston Red Sox
• Tuesday, March 4: Toronto Blue Jays
• Wednesday, March 5: New York Yankees
• Thursday, March 6: Los Angeles Angels
• Friday, March 7: Seattle Mariners
• Saturday, March 8: Oakland Athletics
• Sunday, March 9: Texas Rangers
• Monday, March 10: New York Mets
• Tuesday, March 11: Atlanta Braves
• Wednesday, March 12: Philadelphia Phillies
• Thursday, March 13: Nationals and Marlins
• Friday, March 14: Cleveland Indians
• Saturday, March 15: Kansas City Royals
• Sunday, March 16: Minnesota Twins
• Monday, March 17: Detroit Tigers
• Tuesday, March 18: Chicago White Sox
• Wednesday, March 19: Colorado Rockies
• Thursday, March 20: Arizona Diamondbacks
• Friday, March 21: Los Angeles Dodgers
• Saturday, March 22: San Francisco Giants
• Sunday, March 23: San Diego Padres

Brett Cecil, LHP
The Maryland product, taken with the 38th overall pick in the supplemental first round, was on a pitch limit all season after an active Atlantic Coast Conference campaign but still posted the best pro debut of any of the Jays' picks and, in fact, one of the best debuts of any '07 Draftee.

Armed with a nasty slider and a fastball in the low 90s, Cecil posted a 1.27 ERA in 14 regular-season games at Auburn, striking out 56 over 49 2/3 innings while walking only 11. He led the Doubledays to the New York-Penn League title as he allowed one run in two postseason starts.

Only 21, Cecil should be the quickest mover of any of the top picks, thanks to his repertoire and poise.
Audio: Cecil records his eighth K

Yohermyn Chavez, OF
Remember this name, if you can pronounce it. The 19-year-old may appear to have backpedaled, going from the Appalachian League (where he hit .276 at age 17) in 2006 to the Gulf Coast League (where he batted .301 with six homers). But remember, the Jays changed their short-season affiliation ladder, so it was more of a lateral move for the Venezuelan teen.

Chavez has all the tools and is an outstanding athlete about whom the Jays are understandably excited.

"He's a great kid, a tremendously hard worker with great size and great tools," Scott said. "If he'd grown up in the States, he probably would have been a football player."

Robinzon Diaz C
Diaz has hit .306 over seven pro seasons with the Jays but is only 24 and still moving onwards and upwards. He batted .316 at Double-A New Hampshire and .338 at Triple-A Syracuse in 93 games in 2007 and should be the starting catcher with the Chiefs in '08.

His defense has continually been improving as he has a good arm, a fine success rate at throwing out runners and has made strides in calling a game. He's a contact hitter who is a good enough athlete that he's been used in the middle infield when needed.

"He's handling pitchers much better than he did as a kid and he has enough arm to stay at catcher," Scott said. "He's a little unorthodox, but he has the ability to put the barrel on a lot of different pitches when he hits. I look to see him in the big leagues some time this year."
Audio: Diaz goes deep
Audio: Diaz touches 'em all

Justin Jackson, SS
One of the best infield prospects in the Draft, Jackson was taken with the 45th overall pick out of the same Asheville, N.C., high school that produced Cameron Maybin.

Jackson, who hit .187 with two homers and seven steals in limited Gulf Coast League action, is the son of former Astros infielder Chuck Jackson and it's obvious the excellent defensive prospect learned a lot from his dad.

"He has fun when he's out there, but he works his tail off," said Scott. "He's the whole package."

Ryan Patterson, OF
A 2005 fourth-round pick out of LSU, it looked a year ago as if Patterson's season would be cut in half when he was hit by a pitch and broke his arm. Remarkably, he was back by the end of April, though it took a little longer for him to get his timing back.

David Purcey, LHP
The Jays' top pick in 2004 out of Oklahoma, he was slowed during '07 by cysts in his throwing arm that, once removed at midsummer, made a big difference when he returned to the mound in the Arizona Fall League. He was one of the AFL's aces, posting a 1.23 ERA in six starts, striking out 25 while scattering 13 hits over 22 innings.

When healthy, he has great stuff highlighted by a lively fastball in the low- to mid-90s and plus curveball, and the Jays don't think his 5.37 ERA in 11 pre-surgery starts at New Hampshire is really indicative of what they'll see from him in the future.

"I think he's turned the corner and while I know that sounds like one of those optimistic things, he was as good as we've seen him in the Fall League, more consistent and throwing strikes," Scott said. "This is going to be a big year for him."
Audio: Purcey fans his 11th

Ricky Romero LHP
Romero was the Jays' No. 1 pick in 2005, taken with the sixth overall pick out of Cal State-Fullerton, but he seemed to reach something of an impasse in 2007 as he lost time to a sore shoulder and struggled a bit in the AFL.

Overall, in 18 games at New Hampshire, Romero posted a 3-6 record and 4.89 ERA and struggled with command of his fastball.

Still a top prospect with good stuff, including a curveball and changeup, this will be a crucial year for him as he looks to regain confidence in his ability and be more aggressive on the mound.
Audio: Romero rings 'em up

Travis Snider, OF
Snider is not just the Jays' top prospect, he is one of the brightest outfield prospects in the game. The club's top pick in 2006 out of high school in Washington, he has done nothing but excel in his first two pro campaigns, hitting .325 with 11 homers and 41 RBIs in the Appalachian League in his pro debut and following that up by batting .313 with 16 homers and 93 RBIs at Class A Lansing at age 19 in his first full season.

A true right fielder with a strong arm, he followed that up by hitting .316 in the AFL. He has power, bat speed and great instincts for the game.

Eric Eiland, OF
The last of the Jays' seven top 100 picks at No. 88, he is the rawest but may have the most athletic upside. A high school football star in Texas, he has speed and a strong bat, though his arm is suspect. He hit .216 with 14 RBIs and 16 steals in the Gulf Coast League and begins the 2008 season at age 19.

Brian Jeroloman, C
The best defensive catcher in the organization, the 2006 sixth-rounder out of Florida was a pleasant surprise in his first full season at Dunedin.

Although many thought he would not hit well enough to offset his defensive prowess, he made up for any lightness of bat by consistently finding a way to get on base. He hit .259 but led the league with 85 walks to boost his on-base percentage to .421, which ranked second in the Florida State League.

"One of the things we'd heard was that his glove was way ahead of his bat, but this guy always found a way to get on base and has good command of the strike zone as a young hitter," Scott said. "After (Robinzon) Diaz, he's the next guy coming through and his upside is getting better and better."
Audio: Jeroloman's RBI base hit

Brandon Magee, RHP
A 6-foot-5 right-hander out of Bradley University taken in the fourth round in 2006, Magee's 2007 was a tale of two seasons. Skipped from Auburn to Dunedin, he struggled at first before settling in and finishing with a 3.91 ERA in 28 games.

"I think he was surprised by how much faster the game was at that level, so he lost some of his command and was thinking too much," Scott said of Magee, who has a good sinker/slider combination. "He calmed down in the second half and I expect him to have a good year this year."

Luis Perez, LHP
Perez comes off three short-season campaigns, only the last of which came stateside as he posted a 3.70 ERA in 16 starts at Auburn, striking out 71 over 75 1/3 innings. In the Dominican Summer League in 2006, he had a 1.38 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 107 over 85 innings while limiting foes to a .158 average.

"Talk about under the radar, no one has heard of this kid, but he has a really good arm," Scott said. "His fastball is about 90-92, he has a very good slider, a very good changeup and a good idea about pitching."
Audio: Perez strikes out the side

Along with Ahrens, Cecil, Arencibia, Jackson and Eiland, the club took two very appealing prospects in that top 88 in RHP Trystan Magnuson (1S No. 56 overall) and 2B John Tolisano (2, No. 85 overall). Magnuson, who hails from Canada, was a reliever at Louisville and will make his pro debut this spring. Tolisano, who was homeschooled in Florida, played his high school ball for a local team there and led the Gulf Coast League with 10 homers in his pro debut. ... RHP Alan Farina (5) posted a 4.91 ERA over 11 innings at Auburn after coming out of Clemson as a closer. He has a live arm and a fastball in the mid-90s. "The ball just rockets out of his arm," Scott said. ... 2B Darin Mastroianni (16) hit .287 at Auburn and ranked fourth in the system with 20 steals. ... LHP Brian Letko (19) led the organization with a 1.50 ERA in the Gulf Coast League, walking six and striking out 47 over 48 innings.
Audio: Mastroianni puts the Doubledays ahead
Audio: Farina slams the door

Organizational Player of the Year: Travis Snider
Sure, it's a safe pick, but how can you not go with this guy? As long as he's young enough not to be called up at midseason (maybe another year or two), he's our pick. But to back it up with a more out-of-the-box selection, for fun, we'll go with star-in-training outfielder Yohermyn Chavez.

Organizational Pitcher of the Year: Brett Cecil
The savvy southpaw from Maryland (Go Terps!) somehow seemed to fly under the radar last year in the shadow of other first-round picks, despite putting up monster numbers and dominating in the New York-Penn League playoffs. This year, look for him to continue his success with a lot more acclaim.

Comeback Player of the Year: David Purcey
Purcey was shut down midway through last season to have several cysts removed from his left arm. And while on the surface, it might not have appeared they were affecting his performance, it turned out otherwise. Look for him to show the stuff that made him a first-round pick -- and make it to the big leagues as well.

Top Candidate for AL Rookie of the Year: RHP Randy Wells
Huh? We're going with the Rule 5 reliever plucked from the Cubs organization because if things go as planned, he should be the only rookie on the club this year. If the Jays have to turn to one of their upper-level prospects -- such as Thigpen or Purcey -- too early, it probably will be because of injuries at the big-league level.

"Scouts always ask who a player reminds you of, and if you say 'He has Mark McGwire power' or 'He's a young Tom Seaver,' it's always an unfair comparison, no matter how good someone turns out to be. But I love this kid. He just has 'it.'"

-- Dick Scott, director of player development, on 2007 first-round Draft pick Justin Jackson.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.