Toronto Blue Jays 2013 MLB Draft Report Rd. 11-20

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Continuing the coverage of the Jays selections in the 2013 draft with the 11th round pick, Jacob Brentz.

 

Round 11: LHP Jacob Brentz (18) – This young, 6’2″ lefty was a 2-way player in high school but with the ability to throw a 95 mph fastball already, his future is on the mound. Adam Wells at Bleacher Report thinks that the Jays should be able to sign him and start his development in the pros. He needs a lot of work, being very raw with control issues and the lack of a well developed breaking ball. Brentz was the 80th ranked draft prospect in Baseball America, so it’s unclear what caused him to fall to the Blue Jays with the 325th overall selection.

 

Round 12: LHP Tim Mayza (21) – This junior from Millersville University in Pennsylvania started all three years and posted a 1.15 ERA in over 98 innings in 2013 with 91 strikeouts and 27 walks. He’s got a solid, low-90s fastball but needs a lot work on his other pitches. In 2012, after his sophomore year, he was the first player from an NCAA Division II university to play in the Cape Cod league, seeing significantly higher competition than he did in his college league. Mayza is less polished than some of the other college arms the Jays have taken thus far and will probably begin the season in Vancouver. UPDATE: Mayza is reported to have signed for $100,000.

 

Round 13: SS Tim Locastro (20) – A junior from Ithaca College in upstate NY, Locastro profiles as an organizational infielder. He stole 40 bases this season (setting a school record) and scored 71 runs, but aside from some All-American honours for Division III NCAA schools, it’s hard to find much on this young shortstop.  UPDATE: Locastro is reported to have signed.

 

130215090245_dantzler-big-2Round 14: 1B L.B. Dantzler (22) – This is a pick I really like, looking over Dantzler’s season and profile. Playing for a Division I school in the SEC, he hit 15 home runs this season at South Carolina while becoming the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year with a 3.64 GPA. He’s also the first draftee the Jays have selected who has some power in his bat. We’ll see what he can do with a wooden bat. His future is cloudy, considering the more advanced first basemen that the Blue Jays have in their system. As a college senior who has taken a lot of walks, he could be a very solid addition to the Jays’ system.

 

Round 15: OF Jonathan Davis (21) – A junior from Central Arkansas, Davis is a short, powerfully built outfielder (5’8″, 190 lbs) who shows some speed and patience at the plate. He hit .268/.419/.396 with 11 2Bs, 5 3Bs and 3 HRs in his junior year with 35 stolen bases in 40 attempts. A top defensive center fielder, his coach at UCA says that does all the little things to help a team win, including play through nagging injuries.  UPDATE: Davis is reported to have signed.

 

Round 16: C Danny Jansen (18) – The first high school position player selected by the Blue Jays, Jansen is a 6’2″, 215 lb catcher from Wisconsin. He’s committed to Jacksonville in Florida and it is unknown if the Blue Jays will be able to buy him out of that commitment. Scouting reports say that he has a strong arm and quick release behind the plate and looks to have power potential as a hitter. UPDATE: Jansen is reported to have signed.

 

Round 17: LHP Eric Lauer (18) – Another big high school arm, the Jays selected lefty Lauer at the 505th pick overall, despite his being ranked 125th by Baseball America. He’s throwing in the upper 80s now (occasionally touching 90) and that number seems to be up from his scouting reports a year ago. He appears to have good command of two secondary offerings, a curveball and a changeup, which bodes well for this high school pitcher. Committed to Kent State, Lauer may not be able to be enticed to sign for 17th round bonus money. There is a report that he really wanted to go to Kent State to work with pitching coach Mike Birkbeck who may be leaving Kent State to go to Georgia. If that happens, Lauer may be inclined to go pro.

 

Round 18: RHP Sean Ratcliffe (18) – Pickering native Ratcliffe is the first Canadian selected by the Blue Jays. There’s not much information besides the fact that he played with the Ontario Blue Jays and he has also been a catcher for much of career.  UPDATE: Ratcliffe is reported to have signed for $75,000.

 

Round 19: SS Christian Vazquez (23) – A junior at Lubbock Christian University, he has played at New Mexico Jr. College and will most likely sign with the Blue Jays. Vazquez hit .402/.444/.568 this season and looks like a good hitting infielder but against weak competition so far. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to professional baseball.

 

Round 20: OF Chaz Frank (22) – Coming out of the University of North Carolina, Frank completes his senior year as a solid if unspectacular player. He hit .308/.390/.420 starting 59 games for the Tarheels. He led the club with 22 stolen bases (in 26 attempts) and walked 30 times to 18 strikeouts. Seen as a leader on a team that featured Cody Stubbs and Colin Moran, Frank can be a solid character guy for the Blue Jays organization.