Longtime Blue Jays prospect Anthony Alford will be out of options next spring, increasing his urgency to make an impression with the club, Laura Armstrong of the Toronto Star writes. That said, opportunities in a crowded Toronto outfield aren’t necessarily easy to come by. Manager Charlie Montoyo said this week that he plans to “try to play him just like anybody else,” Armstrong notes, but the sheer volume of outfielders will inherently limit Alford’s time on the field.
The Jays also have Teoscar Hernandez, Derek Fisher, Billy McKinney and Jonathan Davis vying for playing time in addition to Randal Grichuk, who signed a five-year contract earlier this year. Furthermore, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. could soon return the injured list. Alford has seen time in parts of three seasons but still has just 24 games in the Majors to his credit — during which he has not been productive. The former two-sport star also slashed a rather lackluster .259/.343/.411 in Triple-A this season. Injuries and his time in football have played a role in limiting Alford’s development, who indeed needs to make a favorable impression at the MLB level sooner rather than later.
More from the AL East…
- The Orioles, too, are trying to evaluate their long-term outfield mix by getting as looks at Austin Hays, DJ Stewart and Mason Williams this month, as explored by MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko. The club views Hays as a potential opening day center field candidate next season, Kubatko notes. Hays made his MLB debut as a 21-year-old in 2017 but played only about a half season’s worth of games in 2018 and 2019, thanks in part to a fractured ankle that required surgery. Prior to his debut, Hays was one of the fastest-rising prospects in all of baseball, and it seems the organization hasn’t soured on him even after a regime change in the front office. Kubatko adds that the Orioles would like to keep Williams, a former top prospect with the Yankees, in the organization this offseason, so it seems he’ll have a chance to stick on the 40-man roster. Stewart, meanwhile, posted big numbers in Triple-A but was also limited by ankle and concussion issues. Beyond that, GM Mike Elias spoke to Kubatko about the difficulty of evaluating players based on Triple-A results at a time when changes to the baseball have clearly skewed the offensive environment.
- Jhoulys Chacin has thrown well with the Red Sox since signing a minor league deal there, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, who wonders if the righty could be making a case for a job next season. The Red Sox’ lack of pitching depth proved to be a significant flaw in 2019, and Chacin would represent a low-cost option who has fit in well with his new teammates. Abraham recounts the story of how Chacin came to be with the Sox, outlining a pressure-filled bullpen session that served as an audition for the veteran righty. “They wanted to see me pitch and said maybe they would give me an opportunity,” Chacin recalls. “I had 30 pitches to show them what I could do.” Since passing that test and landing a roster spot, Chacin has tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings with two hits, three walks and seven strikeouts.
If Mason Williams’ walk-up song isn’t Classical Gas, we should just fold the league.
Excellent. Beautiful. Well-thought out comment. I especially love the part where you referenced the dystopian nature of society. It gives me reminiscent ideas from Orwell’s 1984. I hope to see more of your future works. You have the upside of becoming the Shakespeare of your time.
And to be fair to you, your biting sarcasm is reminiscent of Norm MacDonald in his prime. Have you considered going the Louis C.K. route? Although his name has been tarnished, he is easily one of the most influential comedians of our day. And on top of that, you’re clearly interested in jerking yourself off anyway.
The Anthony Alford fan club that came out to play immediately after the Pillar trade quickly disbanded. Where are you?
Alford hasn’t done enough to make a case yet he hasn’t done enough to warrant being buried behind the likes of Fisher or McKinney. I have no problem with the Jays keeping Alford on the big club next year. The rebuild will continue in 2020 and they may as well give him a chance.
OK the captain of the Anthony Alford fan club is me. I still see him as a late bloomer. I think he can be very very good. I agree that he should be given a chance at the major-league level.
The Blue Jays have a glut of mediocre outfielders. The only one they need to keep is Gurriel jr, otherwise let’s make room for other ball players including Alford.
I can’t see Atkins with the club next year after the fisher trade and fisher will be gone too.
The only question in my mind is how long will it take Alford to get where He needs to be in the big leagues? There are other great late bloomers Like Bautista or Donaldson. Sometimes it takes a while.
due to him playing NCAA football till what age 22 , an only going pro full time 3 years ago , there’s more promise to him being a late bloomer.
Still unsure , but hey, that outfield looks like alot of stuff , atleast there’s Gurriel , just find a good fielding CF that can do something , and hope to go one of McKinney/ Alford/ Fisher/ Davis/ Grichuk / Alford/ Wall work atleast there’s alot of stuff to throw at the wall.
I like how they talked about the Orioles after us though, one of the 3/4 teams that makes being a jays fan seem not that bad.
If I was a fan of the Tigers or Orioles or Mariners rn I’d be livid
Respectfully, between 2006 -2014 the Tigers made the playoffs 5 times with 4 division titles and made the world series twice in that span. I’d much rather be a tigers fan.
Dombrowski was the boss, that’s why. Elite GM. Going to HOF.
from that time period sure I would too. but right now , they have not many fun guys to watch an their horrible
Except for the usual Atkins hatin’, I have to agree with #PsychicSuperScout Jimmerteen. Alford should get a chance in 2020. Give him at least three full months, maybe four. If he can’t win the job, even as a #9 hitter, go overpay for a true centrefielder, even if that’s just a series of one-year FAs.
I would say the same for Tellez and 1B. But if he fails, Vladdy goes to 1B for 2021 — and beyond!
All the middling players — Teoscar, Drury, etc. — can move to the bench. Power bats, decent defence, can’t get on base — that’s a typical bench player. They just need a glove-first middle infielder to sit with them.
Terry that’s #prophetsuperscout to you.
Hey Terry you seem to dislike anyone questioning the braintrust. Can you explain to us what makes Atkins a great GM? We’ll wait. A while.
The problem with Alford is he’s out of options, In three years with the Jays he’s only played 24 games with the big club he’s had 40 at bats and is hitting .135. with only one rbi and he was spotty like this down in AAA ball. He might very well be a late bloomer but late bloomers die on the vine. Jays may not have a great outfield yet but the players out there far exceed anything Alford has shown and like Dayton Pompey at some point to cut your loses and move on.
Great
Chacin in Fenway? lol im praying for ya boston.
He has done well
Ankle injuries suck.
Didn’t think Alford had a high ceiling to begin with but that ankle didn’t help him.
I agree. Whenever I hear top prospects being described as “toolsy”, I get a little nervous. I hope he can show something somewhere but I haven’t been high on him for a while now.
agreed. seems like a lot of these guys that are all raw-skills are as successful as international lottery tickets, who are…well, the same thing
Anthony Alford won’t get a chance and will be given away simply because he is the former regime draft pick,,,,,Fisher will get more of a look,,sadly
Honestly, that isn’t very shocking. Both guys have been rated the same as top prospects who have fallen off, and both are similar ages. Like you said, it might come down to who brought in what guy, which is fairly common across all front offices. It is at least worth considering though that Fisher has had a lot more success in the minors than Alford. It’s not exactly like he’s been pushing for playing time or promotions lately.
The major problem for both Alford and Fisher is the hit tool also. Ugly K rates for the pair of them. Both also have below average arms paired w top end speed. Oddly similar despite except for the part you mention, that Fisher has more recent minor league success.
I’d give them both a look over guys like McKinney and Drury even if it’s unlikely that they hit on them. I think the upside of Alford and Fisher is certainly higher. But they’re going to have to be able to make much more consistent contact to utilize the plus plus speed the two of them have. Two guys w strong ceilings but obviously pretty low floors.