Around the Titans minor league system

I'm getting my chance!

APL Presents Player of the Week TrophySo far in his young career, Pedro Zaragoza has kept a low profile, but after his performance at the plate last week, he attracted the notice of the rest of the Appalachian League in a big way as he was named the Player of the Week today for his efforts.  The 19-year-old Dunedin Blue Jays designated hitter hit at a torrid .444 clip as he collected 12 hits in 27 at-bats, 1 home run, 6 RBIs and 7 runs scored.  On the season, Zaragoza is batting .305 with 10 home runs and 61 RBIs. He has played in 79 games.  The deal to acquire Rivas in Toronto sent several minor leaguers to Orlando and this has helped Pedro get consistent playing time against RHP and LHP in Single A ball.  Don't be surprised when he gets the call up to Double A by seasons end.

Very Disappointed!

Ramírez Out of Commission 11 Months
Martín Ramírez SP prospect was placed on the disabled list. The New Hampshire starting pitcher told reporters that he expects to be "out of commission" for 11 months because of a torn labrum. He hasn't played since 06/13/2015 and, he said, he's "itchin' to get back out there."  So far in 12 appearances this season, Ramírez has recorded 4 wins and sustained 4 losses. He has pitched 78.2 innings, yielded 66 hits, fanned 63 and has a 2.63 ERA.  Martin is another important part of the future Titans rotation.





I have a BSA power!

In Castillo we TRUST!
A blast from Castillo is a common radio announcer saying since this long ball hitter has hit 14 HR in just 151 PAs.  More than half his hits have been for extra bases.  Alec needs to work on his contact to improve his low batting average of .257 if he wants a sniff of the Titans roster in the BSA anytime soon.  Toronto signed this FA who recently played for Vista.  On the season, Castillo stats are: 

G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	SB
42	144	37	5	0	14	44	7	29	.257	.306	.583	0

Frankenstein down for the Count...

Oh My Back!

Toronto's Sanders Diagnosis Revealed
Team officials for the Toronto Titans have revealed that the recent injury to Jimmy Sanders will keep him out for 4-5 months. The 29-year-old starting pitcher suffered a torn back muscle on 06/24/2015. He has not played since.  This bad news comes in his 2nd start after returning from the DL.  GM Goldy said after the news was revealed, "We knew he was a risk when we made the contract offer"  "This is why we gave him a high IP incentive and the only reason we would have signed him to begin with not to mention it was only a 1 year deal", sighed Goldy.  The injury to Jimmy Sanders nicknamed Frankenstein means "Incredible Yi" is now back in the rotation after seeing bullpen duty in long relief.  Toronto fans know that Yi can get the job done in the regular season against the normal teams but, come post season time there is little confidence that Yi can excel versus the juggernaut teams.  Sanders now joins Mendoza in the DL leaving the rotation expected to be in the post season down by two.

No Free Pass anymore

I am poised to be an ACE!

Shawn Jackson has always struggled with his control.  No wonder his nickname is "Free Pass" Jackson!  This year he has it going in the right direction and in fact the past few years he has made steady improvements.  In a rotation that has been completely revamped with the exception of Salvador Perez;  this young Titan is making his mark in 2015.  Shawn has since requested a nickname change and his fans are eager to come up with one.

His stats so far this year:  10-3, 3.02 ERA, 1.13 WHIP is impressive and is only 2nd in the CL in total wins.  What is also impressive is Jackson's improvement with his walk rate.  Acquired in a deal from Saint Louis after spending a couple of seasons with rival Greenville;  Jackson has finally be able to get his off-speed pitches over for strikes.  Lets look at his past career stats and compare them to this year (See below).  At only 27 years old, Jackson might turn out to be an eventual ace of the staff.  BB/K rates the past 4 season:  2012:  0.77, 2013: 0.90, 2014: 0.70 and 2015: 0.55!  Goldy said in an interview with BSA Commissioner Gray, "We will continue to apply the PPs to him"!  Big question is?  Will Jackson be a shoe-in for the post season rotation...

Year/Team/League	Age	G	GS	W	L	SV	ERA	IP	HA	R	ER	HR	BB	K	CG	SHO	WHIP	BABIP	VORP	WAR	ERA+
2012 Greenville - BSA	24	28	28	13	7	0	3.87	169.2	145	79	73	13	92	119	0	0	1.40	.267	32.4	2.3	119
2013 Greenville - BSA	25	11	11	3	6	0	6.83	54.0	58	42	41	7	37	41	0	0	1.76	.325	-7.1	0.1	66
2014 Toronto - BSA	26	32	32	13	13	0	3.45	190.2	166	93	73	17	100	143	0	0	1.40	.264	39.9	1.1	128
2015 Toronto - BSA	27	16	16	10	3	0	3.02	104.1	75	39	35	9	43	78	0	0	1.13	.229	26.2	1.2	146
Total BSA		87	87	39	29	0	3.85	518.2	444	253	222	46	272	381	0	0	1.38	.265	91.4	4.7	122

Titans Golden again

Glad to be a Titan!

The Toronto Titans have a flare for the dramatics and that is no myth.  The Titans worked overtime in making a blockbuster trade with cross league friend JTP and Orlando.  The trade sent the following Titans packing to Orlando for "Golden" Rivas one of the most feared hitters and base runners in the game:  CF Bryce Hopkins, MR Jorge Ibarra, MR Max Jones, MR Juan Reyes, MR Tetsunori Okamoto, SS Michael Cooke, MR Randolph Plante, MR Michael Taylor, MR Bill Boland, MR Kenneth Duncan and very talented prospects Salvador Gonzalez DH, Santiago Marquez OF, Vincente Morales 2B and phenom SP Reagan Wear.  Yes that is correct 14 players for 1.  GM Goldy said afterwards, "Whenever you get a chance to land a top 5 player in the league and you are also competing to win a championship you don't look back and there is no ceiling to what you will pay"!  In typical Goldy fashion he let others draw their cards first and then rang up JTP a fellow Canuck to talk and finalize the deal.  The deal would have went through earlier, however;  there were some economics involved that had to be re-worked in order to get the budgets to work on both sides.  Goldy said, "JTP is a class act and we both were looking for a win-win here"!  German is hitting .333 bavg in 22 games with 4 home runs, 10 doubles, 18 RBI and 14 runs scored.  He also is 6 for 7 in stolen bases an area the Titans are looking to take advantage of down the stretch..  Rivas will be handling the CF duties moving forward taking the spot from Bryce Hopkins.  Toronto adds another piece to an already scary batting lineup in a tough pitchers park.  "We feel we have no big holes from 1 to 9 in the lineup vs. either LHP or RHP moving forward with this trade" replied Goldy in a live radio interview.  Asked if this was the last big deal of the season - Goldy replied, "No we have a few more moves yet to make!.  Any team looking to make a win-win trade down the stretch that can help the Titans win this year and the other team win down the road is encouraged to contact us.  We won't stop tweaking until we have the 1st CL title in our hands....

The CROW demoted to AA after slow start...

I'm just not ready for AAA

The "CROW" had 6 GS for Triple A Lansing and just couldn't get going.  The Titans management thus demoted Reagan Wear to AA New Hampshire.  Wear had a 5.40 ERA in six starts for Lansing compiling a 2-4 record.  In his first appearance in AA ball, Wear went 7.6 IP gives up 0 ER and has 10 Ks while only giving up 4 hits for the no-decision.  At 20 years old and a deep SP rotation for Toronto at the BSA level there is no need to rush Wear until he is ready to advance to the next level.  GM Goldy was asked if he would ever consider moving the youngster considering the Titans are poised to return to the BSA Championship Series and the comment was, "No not really".  Reagan's last 10 game starts are as follows:
 

Game Log, Last 10 Games
Date	Vs.	Result	Start	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	Dec
05/16/2015	@ MON	Loss, 1-2	X	7.2	4	0	0	0	10
05/08/2015	LVG	Loss, 1-4	X	6.1	7	4	4	3	6	Loss
05/02/2015	@ SJS	Loss, 2-6	X	6.0	5	5	5	4	5	Loss
04/25/2015	@ ABQ	Win, 7-1	X	8.0	5	1	1	4	6	Win
04/19/2015	@ MHB	Loss, 0-3	X	8.0	4	3	3	1	5	Loss
04/12/2015	MEX	Win, 5-1	X	7.0	3	1	1	8	4	Win
04/06/2015	WWA	Loss, 1-9	X	1.1	5	8	8	3	1	Loss

Cuan the hottest hitter remains *HOT*

Things are going my WAY!

Chien-Shih Cuan OF for the Toronto Titans is putting together one of the best hitting seasons of all-time in the BSA.  The awards earned so far are incredible (see below) and his YTD stats are mind-boggling (see below).  The Toronto faithful wonder if he can sustain this pace to finish the year with a .400 batting average?  Earning $3.5M this year places Chien-Shih easily as one of the most productive players for the dollar in the BSA.  More than 1/3rd of his hits have been for extra bases too and this surprising slugging has added some fear to opposing teams at the top of the Toronto batting lineup.  One concern for management is the fact that he has committed as many errors in the OF (5) than he had all of last year for the Titans playing both LF and RF.

G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	SB
40	170	69	13	2	9	35	26	20	.406	.487	.665	0

04/20	Wins the BSA CL Player of the Week Award.
05/01	Wins the BSA CL Batter of the Month Award.
05/04	Wins the BSA CL Player of the Week Award.

Oh Canada Oh No No! Hollywood Style...

I'm in the ZONE!

Titans Bolden No-Hits Cougars:
Monday, May 11th, 2015:
The crowd sensed something special today at CNE Stadium.  They seemed to get a little louder with passing of each out and each inning. It was obvious on the scoreboard that the pitcher had a no-hitter.  "It was like the playoffs or the BSA Championship," Ricky Bolden told the press after the game."  It ended up a very special day for Bolden of the Toronto Titans.  He held the Kansas City Cougars hitless and beat them 14-0, totaling 11 strikeouts with 2 walks and faced only 29 batters.  "Today was my day and I got lucky. I've had a couple of other shots that I've lost in the seventh inning and today I got through that and made it."  Lucky? Maybe so. But it usually takes more than luck to hold a team hitless.  This season Bolden has compiled the following stats: 

G	GS	Rec	SV	ERA	IP	HA	HR	BB	K	WHIP
5	5	4-1	0	1.74	41.1	29	4	4	27	0.80

Titans learn from last year as April comes to a close...

The Toronto Titans will end April on a strong note compared to last year.  The Titans 18-5 in 1st place in the CL Central Division, 5 games ahead of Kansas City.  The Titans finish the month of April with a 3 game home stand against CL juggernaut Greenville before travelling to Indianapolis for 2 games.

GM Goldberg said, "I am glad my team is playing great baseball at the start of the year and I hope we will carry it forward to the post season!"  Unlike past Goldberg teams this one has a strong balanced focus at the plate and on the mound.  Team Statistics versus the CL through April prove this point (See below).  Whenever you are 1st in HR and 2nd in runs scored and get on base (4th) you have a chance to win the game with your bat no matter where and/or what the situation is.  We are used to having great pitching and again this year our SP lead the way (1st - ERA and 1st Runs Allowed & 1st OPP Bavg.) .  The loss of Mendoza really hurts but this is gut check time for this team that rode Mendoza like the horse he is through the playoffs last year.    We have made several big trades, FA acquisitions and have extended some players to BSA big time contracts and our time must be now to win it all in the BSA.

Team Batting Rankings
BAvg.	.276 - 2nd in CL
OBPct.	.348 - 4th in CL
SLUG Pct.	.477 - 1st in CL
OPS	.825 - 2nd in CL
Runs Scored	138 - 2nd in CL
Hits	227 - 2nd in CL
EBH	95 - 1st in CL
Home Runs	32 - 1st in CL
Bases-On-Balls	87 - tied for 7th in CL
Strikeouts	164 - 12th in CL
Stolen Bases	12 - tied for 5th in CL

Team Pitching Rankings
ERA	2.95 - 1st in CL
Starters' ERA	3.04 - 1st in CL
Bullpen ERA	2.70 - 3rd in CL
Runs allowed	76 - 1st in CL
Hits allowed	178 - 2nd in CL
Opponents AVG	.226 - 1st in CL
BABIP	.272 - 3rd in CL
HR allowed	15 - 2nd in CL
Bases-On-Balls	55 - 1st in CL
Strikeouts	174 - tied for 1st

Titans ACE out for the year...

I heard a POP!

Guillermo Mendoza Gets Diagnosis, Out 8 Months
Tuesday, April 21st, 2015:

Guillermo Mendoza SP will have to wait a while longer to return to the BSA.  The Toronto starting pitcher was informed this afternoon that he will miss another 8 months with a fractured elbow.  The injury has kept him off the field since 04/17/2015.  Though Mendoza had hoped to return soon, he has no choice but to be patient. "Gotta stay focused," he said. "Gotta stay positive." 

Team trainer Earl Lowery was in disgust once he heard the official word from the doctors.  The XRay showed one bone but in two pieces and there is a huge question mark if he will even return to the BSA ever again.

It is my time again!

The BSA nay sayers will have to enjoy watching "Incredible Yi" again on the mound.  This two pitcher horse had a remarkable regular season last year only to see his end in a big disappointment with a sub-par playoff performance that cost the Titans a chance of becoming the first even CL team to win the BSA championship.  "I am going to get the ball every 5 days and when I do I am going to shine" says, Yi.  He will take over the open slot in the rotation left behind by Mendoza.

BIG reason the Titans are cruising in 1st place in the CL Central Division....

This is our year!

Red-Hot Cuan CL Player of the Week BIG reason the Titans are cruising in 1st place in the CL Central Division Monday, April 20th, 2015:   At the age of 29, Chien-shih Cuan - LF might have some potential he hasn't realized yet -- if his success at the plate last week is any indication. The Toronto right fielder put up some exceptional numbers the past seven days with a .526 batting average.  For his efforts Cuan collected the Continental League Player of the Week Award. He racked up 10 hits in 19 at-bats, 4 home runs and 9 RBIs last week in 5 games. GM Goldberg said after the news of the award, "No surprise here in our club house;  Cuan is a hard worker and from the day I arrived in this organization every club we have talked too always asks if he is available!"  He has been sitting down vs. LHP, however; if he continues to stay HOT he will get his ABs vs. the Southpaws. So far this year his stats are:  G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K AVG OBP SLG SB 19 77 33 7 2 7 21 14 11 .429 .527 .844 0

Toronto looking to regroup after devasting loss in the finals.

The Toronto Titans are looking to rebound after a cinderella season concluded by losing Game 7 to the Hendersonville Hitmen.  Toronto faced alot of tough off-season decisions and learned from their mistakes last off-season in order to play the patience game in their favor.

Lets take a look at the off-season:

Salvadore Perez SP:  Toronto identified him as one of their key pieces of their rotation this season.  Toronto was able to keep him through arbitration and also was successful in extending him one season at $12M.  This 16 winner is predicting a 20 game win season in 2014!

Guillermo Mendoza SP:  Toronto then switched their attention to their staff ace.  Toronto management convinced Mendoza to sign a 4 year extension worth $36M or $9M per year!  In order to even dream about winning a BSA title you better have a #1 SP that can compete vs. the BSA's best on the mound.

Chien-shih Cuan OF:  Toronto then successfully signed Chien-shih to a 3 year - $14.2M contract extension.  Cuan is solid defender and great contact hitter.  When you play in a large park like we do in Toronto it is nice to have some OF that can get after the ball with their amazing range.  When trade talk winds are in the area, Cuan is usually the one player the other owners want to discuss.  We are happy to have him here for the next 3 years.

Ricky "Hollywood" Bolden SP:  Toronto then pulled off a great win-win trade with LA who was looking to bank roll some payroll for other moves.  Toronto traded 29-year-old minor league starting pitcher Nick Reed, 26-year-old minor league left fielder Santiago Farías and 19-year-old minor league reliever Juan Velázquez to the Los Angeles Bruins, getting 30-year-old starting pitcher Ricky Bolden in return.  Ricky provides a solid 3rd ace to the rotation along with Mendoza and Perez.

Jaime Torres - C:  Toronto then continued its great off-season by acquiring the premier hitter in Free Agency.  Jaime Torres signed a 1 year $13M dollar contract to play for the NL champions.  Jaime will play some Catcher and will also see sometime at DH for the Titans.  The rumours were swirling when other teams said they had offered a better contract to him but, he signed with the Titans instead.  "We are happy to have an elite bat added to our lineup!" said GM Goldberg.

Jose Murillo - MR:  The Titans then went back to the well of one of the most respective pitching systems in all of the BSA - Los Angeles to sign FA Jose Murillo.  Last year in the BSA he was one of the most dominant relievers in the game.  "A 1.82 ERA and 0.97 WHIP will get your attention everytime!" said, GM Goldberg.  We know the hard work the GM Mike Brouillette puts into his pitching system in LA and we loved Murillo's mechanics on the mound and we feel he can help Toronto bring the 1st ever BSA title to a NL team.  The contract was a 1 yr deal worth $4M dollars.

Jose Brito - SP:  Toronto fans were devasted at Jose Brito's performance in the BSA finals this year vs. Hendersonville.  Brito had the ball in Game 4 with Toronto up 2-1 to put the hammer lock on the series and came up lame with an injury and then in Game 7 with Toronto battling back to tie it 3-3 with a win the night before in chaotic Hendersonville crowd;  Brito could not hold on to a 2-0 through 2 innings lead.  Despite the set-backup GM Goldberg said, "He is just a perfect fit for our park that it was hard not to reach out to him at the end of Spring Training to see if we finally could put some realistic $figures on the table".  Brito signed a 1 year $4M dollar a year contract.

Jimmy Sanders - SP:  Then a hail mary offer was made as Toronto signed the injured Jimmy Sanders to what management feels was a no-risk win only contract at $2.76M for the year.  If Sanders returns to form, our starting rotation we feel will be one of the best if not the best in the BSA this season.  The doctor's said Sanders on 10/02/2014 was diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and would miss 8-9 months.  However; under the care of the Toronto doctors the injury has been reduced and the strong feeling his that Sanders would be joining the Titans by the trading deadline.

John Crowe - 1B:  The Titans were strongly persuing "Headgame" from day 1.  After sending a bunch of solid talent to KC last year to acquire him there was no chance that Toronto would not bring this future BSA HOF back for at least one more year.  GM Goldberg said, "Head game is a power hitter that opposing pitchers in the BSA still fear".  The move does mean that Raul Gonzalez would likely not be back with the Titans this year.  Raul Gonzalez one of the most consistent 2nd tier players was a rbi machine year after year.  "We wish him all the best and hope he lands with another BSA team!" said a Toronto fan.

There were other smaller moves made that included add and subtracting to our deep pen in addition to moving Jose Romero C to the LA organization because of our depth at catcher.

We are excited about the 2015 season in the BSA and the moves above send a message to the other teams in the BSA that the Titans are here to play some ball that counts in the fall.

Quiet Trade Deadline Day for Toronto....

López, Smith Swap Teams
Tuesday, July 15th, 2014: In a hastily-called press conference, Pocatello announced today a trade with Toronto that will send 36-year-old center fielder Domingo López and 18-year-old minor league starting pitcher Dave Huot to the Titans in exchange for 26-year-old minor league center fielder Neil Kay, 32-year-old left fielder Rich Smith, 29-year-old minor league second baseman Kyle Buckner, 20-year-old minor league starting pitcher César Martínez, 23-year-old minor league right fielder Scott Kempton, 20-year-old minor league shortstop Emílio Carrillo and 25-year-old minor league right fielder Jorge Salcido. All players are expected to be in their respective new cities in time for today's games.  This season López has hit 2 home runs and posted a .284 batting average.  On the year Smith has hit .269 with 3 home runs, 16 RBIs and scored 15 runs.

GM Goldberg said, "sometimes the best deals you make are the ones you don't make..."  There was a lot of excitement around the BSA as many teams made their moves to either beef up for a playoff run or cash in to build for next year and beyond.  Toronto meanwhile was real quiet.  Toronto's phone was ringing off the hook for the best SP in minor league baseball Reagan Wear;  however;  Toronto said thanks but no thanks.  There was one rumor confirmed by top executives that Maui and Toronto were in talks about Wear.  "The discussion didn't go far indicates", GM Goldberg  Unlike most of the teams in the BSA, Toronto made their key moves in the off-season, in free agency and before the deadline when the market price was considerably calmer.  We always try to make our moves before the deadline as time can sometimes be your worst enemy.

One of our biggest moves we feel that will launch our franchise this year and for the next 2 years came with ally Alan Jengehino GM of Pocatello.  Alan and I see eye to eye when it comes to value today vs. value tomorrow in evaluating trades.  I feel this is why we have been able to make 2 considerable moves pretty easily.  Both of us are willing to give to get and we communicate well.  In the above mentioned blockbuster trade, POC received several excellent prospects including Cesar Martinez one of the top arms on the mound in the minors.  TOR meanwhile received salary relief this year and next by unloading Smith and Buckner to the tune of $17.5M.  I feel strongly that both teams got a win-win here.  POC had the budget room and was building a solid team for the years to come and benefited by getting some top specs.  The extra budget room for TOR will allow them to sign players such as Crowe and Brito.

Top Performances in the Toronto Organization

#####Toronto Star Reports######

Lets take a look at the best performances within the Toronto Organization since the start of July:

CL's Top Player, Cuan of Toronto
Monday, August 4th, 2014: At the age of 28, Chien-shih Cuan might have some potential he hasn't realized yet -- if his success at the plate last week is any indication. The Toronto right fielder put up some exceptional numbers the past seven days with a .467 batting average. For his efforts Cuan collected the Continental League Player of the Week Award.  He racked up 14 hits in 30 at-bats, 3 home runs and 12 RBIs last week in 7 games.  So far this season Cuan has 12 home runs and a .297 batting average.

 Zaragoza 5-5 Against 84s
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014: Toronto second baseman Máximo Zaragoza put on quite a show at Michigan & Trumbull with a big 5-hit day in the 11-4 win over the Greenville 84s.  In the postgame interview, he said with a smile, "Not a bad day at the plate 5-5 wish I could do this more often. It would do wonders for my batting average... and my salary, too."  Máximo singled in the 2nd, hit a two-run home run off Max Miller in the 4th, singled in the 6th, singled in the 7th and singled in the 9th.  This year Zaragoza is hitting .288 with 92 hits, 1 HR, 40 RBIs and scored 46 runs.

 Lansing's Santillanenz PCL Top Pitcher
Friday, August 1st, 2014: Rafael Santillanenz took a much-deserved turn in the spotlight earlier today as he accepted the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Month award for July.  The 27-year-old Lugnuts starter is a relative newcomer to the league, but nonetheless racked up an impressive 4-1 won-lost record in 5 starts. This month he fanned 30 batters in 42 innings and compiled a 1.71 ERA.  On the year Santillanenz has compiled a 12-5 mark with a 2.17 ERA.

 Southern League Announces #1 Player
Monday, August 4th, 2014: So far in his young career, Santiago Márquez has kept a low profile, but after his performance at the plate last week, he attracted the notice of the rest of the Southern League in a big way as he was named the Player of the Week today for his efforts.  The 17-year-old New Hampshire Fisher Cats designated hitter hit at a torrid .435 clip as he collected 10 hits in 23 at-bats, 3 home runs, 4 RBIs and 6 runs scored.  Currently Márquez is hitting .351 and has collected 3 home runs, 5 RBIs and scored 8 times, while playing in 14 games.

Toronto Owner Bob Roberts gives back....

GM Jason Goldberg today announced that team has donated $500K per player that qualified for the BSA allstar team.  The money was donated to the construction of a new hospital for cancer research.  The hospital will be located in the Metro Toronto area.  GM Goldberg said that team owner Bob Roberts was excited to give back to a community that has stood behind their 1st year franchise in Toronto in the BSA.  Bob Roberts was overseas and could not be present unfortunately for the Press Conference on TSN.  On hand were the Titan allstars holding a giant cheque (If you live in the USA - check) for $3M CAD.


The #1 fans in the BSA would like to congratulate the following Titans for making the allstar team:

3B Ben Moss

SS Jordi Overbeek

OF Luis Gonzalez

DH John Crowe

SP Jose Brito

MR Fred Martin

Feeling good in TO

The Toronto Titans continue their strong play after a miserable opening month in April.  The Titans lead divisional rival Regina by 4.5 games as BSA play entered August.  Toronto must take advantage of a soft August schedule before the dog days of September arrives.  Lets look at the record of the Titans each month so far this year:

April 12-16; .429 PCT
May  18-9; .667 PCT
June 19-7; .731 PCT
July 18-6; .750 PCT
August 3-0; 1.000 PCT

Toronto has managed to improve each month and is 70-38 overall.  One of the reasons for their continuous improvement is due to the consistency of their pitching staff which ranks #1 in the BSA in runs against per game and their climb to #1 overall in the CL in batting average at .289.  Toronto also leads in 8 out of the 10 pitching categories in the CL.

Lets take a look at the teams biggest contributors this year;

Kyuso Fujito C, has returned to form;  hitting .302 w/ 13 HRs and 54 RBI after a slow start.

Maximo Zaragoza 2B, has 50 doubles so far this year and is hitting .306 with 49 RBI after a slow start

Ben Moss 3B, has remained hot from the very beginning of the season;  hitting .335 w/ 14 HRs and 53 RBI.

Luis Gonzalez OF, the rookie of the year candidate in the CL has been hot from day 1 of the season; hitting .347 w/ 20 HRs and 60 RBI for the 1st place Titans.  He has no doubt been the teams' MVP so far this season.

Salvador Perez SP has been consistent all year;  9-7, 2.93 ERA and 1.18WHIP

Shawn Jackson SP has been consistent all year; 9-8, 2.78 ERA and 1.28WHIP

Jose Brito SP has been the teams best pitcher all year, 12-5, 2.69 ERA and 1.00WHIP

JK "Incredible" Yi SP has been one of the biggest surprises in the BSA this year, 12-4, 1 SV, 3.48 ERA and 1.04WHIP

Guillermo Mendoza SP, the teams ace has been steady but not spectacular at 10-4, 3.18 ERA, 1.04WHIP.  Mendoza has suffered three nagging injuries this year that has prevented him from getting any rhythm going.  GM Goldberg has stated that he will continue to use Mendoza carefully in order not to risk any further issues for a potential playoff push to the BSA championship.  Right now Mendoza is on 5 day rest and will miss his next scheduled start vs. former team IND in order to be well rested for the opening match-up at home vs. Pittsburgh

Jose Gomez has been on fire after a disaster start;  2-3, 28SV, 2.09 ERA and 0.86WHIP

Jorge Ibarra has been one of the best MRs in the league, 3-0, 2SV, 0.30 ERA and 0.83 WHIP giving up only 1 run (a solo blast) in 30 IP

Jacob Jones MR has been solid and steady all year; 1-1, 1SV, 1.38 ERA and 0.86WHIP

Fred Martin MR has been solid and steady all year; 4-1, 3 SV, 1.75 ERA and 1.13WHIP

Mid-year acquisitions of John Crowe 1B/DH (trade w/ KC) and Martin Griffin CL (returning FA to TOR) have slowly got in sync with the team and the expectations are that both team members will be key players for the stretch run and the playoff push to a BSA championship.

Toronto Organization Report: "Down on the Farm EIEIO"

Each level of the Toronto Titans Organization is in 1st place in the BSA as of June 25th, 2014.

The ML Toronto Titans hold on to a slim 1/2 game lead over the defending champion Regina River Sharks in the CL Central Division, the Triple A Lansing Lugnuts have a 9 game lead over the District 9 Prawns in the PCL Central Division, the Double A New Hampshire Fisher Cats have a 12 game lead over the Memphis Blues in the SNL West Division and the Single A Dunedin Blue Jays have a 5 game lead over the Pensacola Pilots in the APL Atlantic Division.

Pacific Coast League Accomplishments:

The 4 time Central Division Champions in the PCL "Lansing Lugnuts" are poised to make another run deep into the playoffs this year.  PCL Champions in 2012 and 2010 have set the standard high again in 2014 to compete for another league championship.

Rafael Santillanenz SP for the Lansing Lugnuts achieved the 2nd highest "strikeouts" total in PCL history when he fired 15Ks past Houston in a CG 4 hitter, 8-1 victory on May 1st, 2014.  In his 13 GS so far this year, Rafael has dazzled the PCL with a 7-4 record, 2.34 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 103.2 IP, 83 HA, 7 HR, 14 BB, 95K.

Santiago Frias OF for the Lansing Lugunts achieved POW honors the week of June 9th, 2014 in the PCL.  Frias started the season on the big club but, got off to a slow start and was a sent down to Lansing early on to get more play time to fine tune his batting skills.  Santiago has an explosive bat and is also known for his great defense.  In 46 G so far this year, Frias stats are:  .294 AVG, .359 OBP, .456 SLG, 9 SB, 7 DO, 2 TR, 6 HR, 23 RBI and 17 BB's

Augusto "Clockwork" Sanchez DH for the Lansing Lugunts earned POW honors the week of June 23rd, 2014 in the PCL.  Sanchez was signed in the off-season to a minor league deal after being released by Toronto's rival the Greenville 84's.  One thing we knew for sure was that Sanchez could "hit", says GM Goldberg.  At 35 years old, Sanchez wrote a personal letter to the Titans organization asking for a try-out.  The day after the tryout, a minor league contract was signed.  Augusto has been very much like "clockwork";  in his last 10 G he has had 5 multi-hit games including a 3 hit performance on 6/21/2014 and 6/01/2014 and a 4 hit performance on 6/19/2014.  For the season Augusto is hitting:  .411 AVG, .513 OBP, .758 SLG, 0 SB, 9 DO, 0 TR, 8 HR, 18 RBI, 17 BB in 25 Games and 95 ABs.

Southern League Accomplishments:

The "New Hampshire Fisher Cats", the 2013 and 2012 back to back West Divisional champions in the SNL including back to back championships in 2013 and 2012 are on their way to another playoff run in 2014.  The Fisher Cats are focused on 3-peating.

Kevin Davis, C of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats won the POW honors in the SNL for the week of May 5th, 2014.  Kevin came out of no where this year to start to produce with his bat.  Nobody works harder on and off the field than Davis.  For the season, he is hitting:  64 G, 235 AB, 22 DO, 1 TR, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 24 BB, .323 AVG, .383 OBP, .464 SLG and 0 SB.

Gary Cox, SP of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats won the POW honors in the SNL for the Week of June 1st, 2014.  This 30 year old journeyman was acquired in a blockbuster deal with Cleveland in the off-season.  Cox was on fire on the mound, featuring 4 solid pitchers (FB, SL, CB and CH) he has thrown 10+Ks in four of his past 10 GS.  The nasty stuff with good movement has baffled hitters in the SNL.  For the season his stats are:  15 GS, 7-3, 1.91 ERA, 89.2 IP, 42 HA, 6 HR, 34 BB, 127 K with an incredible 0.85 WHIP


Appalachian League Accomplishments:

The 4 time Division Champions the "Dunedin Blue Jays";  winners of the APL championship in 2012 and 2011 are making noise again in the APL Atlantic Division.

Lets take a quick look at the future potential stars that are doing well in 2014.

Ramiro Jimenez SP, 16 GS, 8-3, 2.09 ERA, 0.94 WHIP

Yasushi Ohashi SP, 15 GS, 10-3, 1.64 ERA, 0.97 WHIP

Ramon Pena CL, 34 G, 4-0, 8 SV, 0.79 ERA, 0.47 WHIP

Ken Robinson OF, 68 G, 224 AB, 65 H, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 32 R, 46 BB, .290 AVG, .404 OBP, .424 SLG

Santiago Marquez DH, 51 G, 197 AB, 60 H, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 32 R, 28 BB, .305 AVG, .390 OBP, .482 SLG

Salvador Gonzalez OF, 62 G, 245 AB, 71 H, 2 HR, 29 RBI, 24 R, 28 BB, .290 AVG, .367 OBP, .400 SLG






Is it possible to win all 4 league championships in 1 year?  Highly unlikely, however;  the fans in the Toronto Organization have a lot of great OOTP BSA baseball to be looking forward to this year and years to come.

Toronto taking a "Cab Fare" to 1st place in the CL Central...

Toronto since a horrible 12-16 start in April have gone 31-12 in May and through June 19th.  The Titans sit in 1st place in the CL Central division 2 games up on Regina and have the best winning pct in the CL at .606 after being as much as 6 games below .500 in April.

What is the reason for this turn-around?  Simple, pitching, pitching and pitching.

Toronto has pulled to .500 in 1 run games at 15-15 and to 1 game over .500 in Extra Inning games at 3-2.  A complete pitching staff effort has been the reason for this turn-around.

The Titans staff is #1 in the CL in the following categories:

• ERA (Also #1 in the BSA)
• Starters ERA
• Bullpen ERA
• Runs Allowed
• Hits Allowed
• Opponents AVG
• BABIP
• HR Allowed
• BB
• Runs per Game 3.1 (Also #1 in the BSA)
• WHIP 1.09 (Also #1 in the BSA)

The only category we are not #1 in is Strikeouts.  The Titans rest in #2 in the CL behind Jersey Shore (39 Ks behind).

Toronto enters the end of June on a 8-2 hot streak.  We finish our series at home vs. REGINA on June 20th, then stay at home for 3 games vs. RENO, followed by another home series vs. ST. LOUIS before ending the month in Madison for 3 games June 28, 29 and 30th.  The fans feel strongly we can finish the month strong.

The pitching staff has been on FIRE!!
Jose Gomez 18 Saves, 0.68 ERA the last 27 games
Jacob Jones 1 Save, 1.27 ERA the last 23 games
Guillermo Mendoza, 2-0, 1.30 ERA the last 5 games
Salvador Perez, 2-1, 1.82 ERA, the last 3 games
Fred Martin, 3 Saves, 0.00 ERA, the last 24 games
Jung-keun Yi, 3-0, 0.36 ERA, the last 3 games
Joey Smith, 1-0, 0.84 ERA, the last 27 games
&
Martin Griffin, 0-0, 2.08 ERA, the last 8 games

Toronto is where I wanted to be all along!

Martin "CABFARE" Griffin is starting to heat up for the Titans.  Pitching coach Whitlock has had him on a strict 10-15 pitch count for the few outings and will begin to stretch him out as the season enters into July.  Martin in a recent appearance on Sports talk 590 AM radio claimed, "Toronto is the only place I really wanted to be!"  "I feel bad that last years playoffs did not finish the way we expected in Oklahoma City, however;  the great opportunity to continue our journey in Toronto - Canada was exactly what my family and I were looking forward too", said, Griffin.  Asked to further explain, Griffin mentioned the benefit of top notch universities and health care for his 12 kids and family was another factor his wife and him were seriously only considering the Toronto offer.  Griffin finally agreed to a 1 year, $6.65M dollar contract to put on the gold and black of the Titans this year.  If Griffin somehow manages to pitch 85 innings this year he will receive another $250K in bonus incentive.

The addition of CL Martin Griffin has made a great impact on Jose Gomez who struggled at the beginning of the year blowing 3 key saves early on only to be lights out since then.  Gomez coming in from the Left and Griffin coming in from the right will give GM Goldberg plenty of options as the playoff race heats up in the CL.