Today’s Camp Activities :
Bullpen sessions on the mounds between Ashburn and Schmidt fields for Griff McGarry, Christian McGowan, Estibenzon Jimenez, Jonathan Petit, Brandon Beckel, Jaydenn Estanista, Wilmer Blanco, Alexis De La Cruz, Samuel Aldegheri, Wen-Hui Pan and Paxton Thompson.
McGarry was down in the zone with most every delivery to catcher Eduardo Tait, his pitches were well located and with a bit more intent this morning, once again showed a very clean and compact (short) delivery with less of an arm swing than before. I think he threw very well, good progress being made. Christian McGowan had a sharp and crisp fastball in his session, was popping the mitt. Christian has a smooth delivery but the ball comes out of his hand with a lot of action, especially the sinker.
Jaydenn Estanista threw the ball really well today in my opinion, his release point seemingly creates a natural cut on his fastball, at least that’s what I saw today. It’s quick and has late action - he was consistent with that pitch in particular and was in the zone or in an enticing swing path where hitters would be likely to swing but not catch up with the pitch because of velocity and movement. I’ve always liked his capabilities and if he gets synched up like today he can have a big impact this season.
Alexis De La Cruz delivers the baseball seemingly from right behind his ear - it’s got movement and he was spotting the heater in his session on the arm side corner of the plate with intent and purpose, I’ve been impressed both times we’ve seen him throw, is a Taijuan Walker look-alike in regards to physique.
Batting practice was on Roberts field - I enjoy how Hitting Development Director Luke Murton makes the sessions fun with banter and introducing challenges and competition to the hitters - the players respond quite well and seem very loose and into the spirit of it while learning. He will also pull players aside when there’s instruction to be made, it’s evident that there’s a great deal of respect for him in the interactions.
There was a strong wind blowing towards right field today, enough so that most anything impacted on an upward plain to that field had a very good chance of exiting the yard, many baseballs did so. What impressed though is the ability of right handed hitters to take it that way - conversely ya had to hit it a ton to get it over the left field fences. I didn’t watch every group but of those I saw I thought that Bryson Ware, Aidan Miller and Devin Saltiban had strong sessions from the right side while Eduardo Tait, Nikau Pouka-Grego, William Bergolla, Marcus Lee Sang, Jordan Viars, Hendry Mendez and Leandro Pineda sent some long blasts over the right field wall from the left side of the dish. Mendez has a solid approach in the few times I’ve seen him, he can pepper it the other way also. I’m a big Pineda fan, he’s got raw talent that I’m just waiting to see explode, last season had a good stretch to end the year at Jersey Shore - I think there’s more of that to come - just sayin 🤓.
Major League Action :
RHP McKinley Moore was spotted on the field today as a recent arrival. Five pitchers threw side sessions on the mounds by the Bowa half field - Jose Alvarado, Tyler Phillips, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering and Nick Nelson. Also spotted the great Larry Bowa himself in camp today - tremendous respect for him and his knowledge of the game.
Player Spotlight :
RHP Jaydenn Estanista - 22 years old - signed as an international free agent 11/8/19 - Willemstad, Curacao
2023 Stats : Totaled twenty-five and a third innings between the FCL and Threshers in fourteen games with thirty strikeouts and twenty-eight walks - 55 % strike ratio and averaged 20.84 pitches per innings pitched. A season to chalk up to a learning experience, a re-focus going forward with a search for consistency. Jaydenn broke spring camp with the Threshers but was placed on the sixty day IL in June and albeit activated in August just never got his footing this past summer.
2023 Notes : Relatively new to baseball as compared to others when he first arrived Jaydenn appeared in ten games (six starts) in the 2021 Dominican Summer League and recorded a 3.23 ERA in thirty and two third innings with thirty-three strikeouts and nineteen walks. He showed a stealth like fastball that year in Fall Instructs which quickly got our attention. When scouts gather en masse behind the backstop of home plate at the complex with radar guns in tow you know that a pitcher of intrigue is throwing. That’s what happened on regular occurrence in the 2022 Florida Complex League when he pitched. In twelve appearances the fast ball climbed to a regular range of 93 to 96 mph and touched 97 mph. It wasn’t just the velocity that played but the movement - it jumped out of his hand. Secondaries were a work in progress but the heater was real. The 2023 season was a struggle with injuries, focus and performance. The skill set remains - a four seamer running in the 93 to 95 mph range with higher capabilities, a slider, cutter and curve with the vision still to harness the heater and develop the secondaries. Jaydenn has always been a pleasant young man to chat with when we’ve chatted. We are pulling for him and anticipate good results going forward.
Jaydenn’s reflections : “I will have a bigger focus for 2024, I will go all in.”
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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