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.

In "Yi" we trust...

Jung-Keun "Incredible" Yi is a big story in the BSA right now.  If you have been on a boat cruise, travelling for work or just lost your charger for your computer with the battery on empty then you are excused.  For everyone else JK "Incredible" Yi has been magical, mythical and simply incredible.  Yi has been one of the best SPs the past several weeks in the BSA.

Yi has not lost a game since May 15th and has not lost a GS since May 7th.  Yi has pitched 3 CG, shutouts in his past 5 GS.  In those starts he has had a 1, 4 and 6 hitter with a total of 10 Ks and only 1 BB.

Yi throws only two pitches;  a 97-99 mph fastball which raises and a nasty curve 87-89 mph which runs 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock on the batters.  Arthur Whitlock pitching coach for the Titans just shakes his head when asked about the recent dominance of Yi, "what can I say, he takes the ball and feels confident he should go the distance each time he is on the mound for us".  Whitlock went on to say, "Our players have developed a strong trust that with Yi on the mound we only need a run to win".  Toronto local media "TSN and CTV" asked Whitlock if he felt Yi could sustain this level of performance?  He replied, "There is no reason not to think so..."

The BSA has taken notice and all eyes will be on him as he completes June to see if he can continue the drama.  Yi's next start is at home vs. Reno on 6/23.

Toronto playing "Head game" with the BSA...

Toronto welcomed home their first big impact acquisition of the 2014 season;  John "Headgame" Crowe.

"Happy to be on a playoff contender"

Toronto acquired last years Triple Crown Winner by sending to Kansas City prospects SP Mike Saunders, SP Josh Baker, SP Manuel Gonzalez, C Bill McGrath, CF Jorge Gutierrez and veteran 1B Jules LaFlamme.  GM Goldberg said, "we had to make a move to improve our offense and namely our power numbers in the middle of the lineup".  The deal was good for both teams as Kansas City will be able to continue their rebuilding process with several young and high potential prospects.

John Crowe career statistics are:  324 HRs, 1001 RBI, 331 doubles, 1514 hits, 418 BB, 857 runs while batting .310 with an obpct of .375 and a slugging pct. of .584.  Crowe is 35 years old and in his contract year at $11.33M.  He is asking for a contract extension, however;  Toronto has yet to confirm whether or not negotiations have begun.

Shortly after the news of his signing, whatever slim tickets were available in the 40,000 seat CNE stadium were all but sold out.  Management increased their ticket prices from $20.00 to $21.75.  Owner Bob Roberts said, "We are currently operating with the #1 player payroll in the BSA".  "We expect the fans will continue to turn out despite the recent price increase", stated Roberts.

"Head game" maybe playing his own team right now as he is off to a very slow start in gold and black for the Titans; 6 for 33, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 3 Runs, .182 Bavg, .229 obpct., 273 slugpct.

It will be very interesting to see if this blockbuster move pays off for the Toronto Titans in 2014 in the BSA.  Currently Toronto is in 1st place in the CL, Central Division with a 2 game lead over defending champion Regina.