Blue Jays assign three players to Minor League Spring Training
BUFFALO, NY - The Toronto Blue Jays have assigned three players to Minor League Spring Training, including RHP Casey Lawrence and RHP Adrian Hernandez. Both pitchers were key to the Buffalo Bisons success in 2022. Lawrence became the anchor of the Bisons rotation, starting the year with three straight victories
BUFFALO, NY - The Toronto Blue Jays have assigned three players to Minor League Spring Training, including RHP Casey Lawrence and RHP Adrian Hernandez. Both pitchers were key to the Buffalo Bisons success in 2022.
Lawrence became the anchor of the Bisons rotation, starting the year with three straight victories and continued that success throughout the 2022 campaign. The veteran righty finished the season in the top 10 in several pitching categories, including the top earned run average in the International League (2.79) as well as the best walks and hits per inning pitched (0.89). He was the only pitcher to have both an ERA below 3.00 and a sub 1.00 WHIP in the league.
The McSherrytown, PA native was named the IL’s Pitcher of the Week following a seven-inning, complete game shutout against the Rochester Red Wings on June 4. Lawrence had his contract selected by the Blue Jays on May 4 and would appear in six games for Toronto across several Big League stints. He was also named the Bisons Warren Spahn Most Valuable Pitcher last season.
This season will mark Lawrence’s seventh with the Herd if he makes an appearance. He first made his Triple-A debut for Buffalo in 2013 and re-joined the Blue Jays organization at the start of the 2021 season. The 35-year-old has recorded 31 wins in 94 total Triple-A outing between the Bisons and Tacoma Rainiers.
Hernandez began the 2022 campaign with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and quickly rose up several top prospect rankings before joining Buffalo on April . The righty reliever did not allow a run in any of his first seven relief appearances totaling seven innings pitched.
The 23-year-old currently ranks as the 23rd best prospect in the Blue Jays organization, according to MLB Pipeline. He racked up his first career Triple-A victory on May 21 last season against the Syracuse Mets. In the month of May, he allowed three total runs and finished with a 0.82 ERA in eight appearances.
The righty missed several weeks, including all of July, due to injury, but finished the season making 31 relief appearances and finished with a 3-0 record for the Herd. Hernandez went a combined 5-0 with a 4.22 ERA in 38 Minor League appearances last season.