Blue Jays 2004 Draft: A Look Back

It’s been almost a year since the Jays last dipped their toe into the amateur draft pool. With the 2005 draft about two weeks away, the 2004 draftees have been busy cementing a foothold in the organization for the last year, bracing for the impact of a new wave of promising prospects. The upper half of the Jays’ 2004 draft has produced some promising returns, at least early on.

David Purcey, First Round
Left-handed starter David Purcey, the first player taken by the Jays in 2004, is a big, strong pitcher who throws harder than most other southpaws. He features an 88-94 mph fastball, a curveball and a change-up.
Signed as a college senior, Purcey is a year older than most other college picks but is still considered raw.
His biggest problem in 2005, while pitching for Dunedin of the Florida State League, has been his control. In 40.3 innings in 2005, he has issued passes to 25 batters.
If Purcey cannot harness his stuff, he could develop into a dominating left-handed closer.

Zach Jackson, First Round Supplemental
Zach Jackson, another left-handed college starter, was the second player taken by the Jays. He was drafted in the supplemental first round, as compensation for the Angels signing pitcher Kelvim Escobar.
Jackson does not throw as hard as Purcey and his ceiling is not as high, but he is far more polished as a pitcher at this point of his career.
He has above-average command, which he has displayed in Dunedin this year by walking only six batters in 51.3 innings.
The biggest problem for Jackson has been allowing too many walks, often because he is always in the strike zone.
Jackson throws an 89-92 mph fastball, a change-up and a breaking ball, which needs to be more consistent.

Curtis Thigpen, Second Round
Second round pick Curtis Thigpen, a catcher, was a bit of a surprise pick when other highly-touted catchers, Kurt Suzuki and Jason Jaramillo, were still on the board. The Jays were intrigued by his athleticism and excellent makeup.
Playing at Lansing in 2005, his numbers have not been flashy but they have been solid. There are still a number of scouts who don’t think Thigpen will be able to play catcher everyday at the major league level, but he has enough bat to play elsewhere if the need should arise.
Thigpen’s hard-nosed attitude makes him a favourite of fans wherever he plays and could be a real sparkplug for the Jays. He has a good eye, patience at the plate and makes good contact. He also has some power potential but has yet to fully tap into it.
If he can improve his defence, and become even an average catcher, Thigpen could be an impact player in the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup.

Adam Lind, Third Round
Adam Lind did not get a lot of fanfare coming into the draft but he has developed into perhaps the Jays’ best pure hitter.
He did not miss a beat in 2005 when he skipped a level and was placed in Dunedin of the Florida State League, leaving most of his 2004 Auburn teammates in Lansing.
Lind’s biggest weakness is his defence in leftfield and may soon be moved to first base.
The third round pick in 2004 also possesses below average power for either position, which could hurt his playing time at the major league level unless he develops into the next Mark Grace.
He has the potential to be a .300-plus hitter for the Jays and also has an excellent idea of the strike zone.

Casey Janssen, Fourth Round
Right-handed starting pitcher Casey Janssen was a fairly quiet signing as a college senior out of UCLA. One publication suggested at the time of his drafting that he was over-drafted to compensate for the Jays having to pay two first-round picks.
Regardless of the reason for his selection in the fourth round, Janssen has so far outperformed both Purcey and Jackson in both Dunedin and Lansing.
Coming into the 2004 draft, Janssen was considered unpolished as pitcher having spent most of his college career as a two-way player.
Since signing, though, Janssen has improved by leaps and bounds, posing a 1.37 ERA in 46 innings in Lansing. He has since been promoted to Dunedin, joining a prospect-heavy rotation and his impressive numbers have not dropped off.
He does not have the most dominating stuff, but Janssen mixes four pitches well: an 87-92 mph fastball, curveball, slider, and change-up.

Kyle Yates, Thirteenth Round
Kyle Yates, a right-handed pitcher, was signed out of the same college that produced second round pick Curtis Thigpen.
A 13th round pick, Yates started his pro career slowly in 2004 after battling the injury bug, but has really taken off in his first full pro season in 2005.
He was moved from the bullpen to the starting rotation and has flourished, especially as of late.
At 6’4’’ and 220 pounds, Yates is an excellent size for a starting pitcher and should be able to develop above-average stamina.
He throws an average fastball, which he compliments with a breaking ball and a change-up. Yates also has excellent control, having walked only nine batters in 53.3 innings.

Mike MacDonald, Fifteenth Round
Former 15th round pick Mike MacDonald does not wow scouts, but no one can argue with his early pro success.
He lacks the electric stuff that Purcey brings to the table, but MacDonald has moved just as quickly as the first round pick mainly due to excellent control and knowing how to pitch.
MacDonald currently resides in the Dunedin rotation along with fellow 2004 draftees Purcey, Jackson and Janssen, as well as 2003 draftee and left-handed pitcher Kurt Isenberg.
MacDonald has a below average fastball, which sits between 86-89 mph, but he locates it well and mixes it with a breaking ball and a change-up.
Many soft-tossers have success in the low minors so he will have to continue to prove himself at each level and his future may lie in the bullpen.

Sleepers:
Ryan Klosterman, SS - He has not been as heralded a pick as other recently-drafted shortstops, such as Russ Adams or Aaron Hill, but Klosterman has a ton of potential.
The fifth round pick has shown good power for a middle infielder, has solid patience at the plate and possesses above-average speed.

Chip Cannon, 1B – He has shown good power as a member of the Blue Jays’ minor league system but Cannon has struggled to make consistent contact in Lansing this season.

Eric Nielsen, OF – Nielsen got off to a painfully slow start in Lansing this season but has since turned it on and was one of the Jays’ best minor league hitters in May. He is starting to tap into his home run potential.

Joey Metropoulos, 1B – In 2004, Super Man showed off what is considered by many to be the best raw power of any player in the Jays’ system. A broken leg, though, has put a temporary hold on Metropoulos’ career.

Brian Hall, 2b – Hall shocked a lot of people when he went on a home run tear for Auburn after he was drafted in 2004. The big question coming into 2005 was whether or not the homer streak was a fluke. Labrum surgery means that the answer will have to wait until 2006.

Danny Hill, RHP – Hill has spent the initial part of the minor league season closing for Lansing, although he profiles as more of a setup man in the majors. As a college senior draft pick, Hill is older than most of his competition and needs to be challenged with a promotion.