Blue Jays Minor League Report: Garrett Spain dominated, Jaden Rudd had a strong game, and more!

10 months ago

Due to the Canadian wildfires, the Blue Jays minor league system only had three games on Wednesday.

With that being said, the three games on tap were all pretty exciting. Let’s take a look at how the Buffalo Bisons, Vancouver Canadians, and Dunedin Blue Jays did.

Triple-A:

The Triple-A Buffalo Bisons dropped their game 7-5, despite registering 15 hits to Toledo’s nine. Buffalo’s record now sits at 26-33.

The Blue Jays Nation Player of the Game: Trevor Schwecke

The 25-year-old utility player went two for three in 3 at bats, but reached base all five times he came up.

In his first plate appearance, he was hit by a pitch. In the second, he reached on catchers interference. He then singled in his first official plate appearance, before doubling and eventually scoring in his fourth plate appearance. In his last time at the dish, he put the ball in play and reached on a fielding error.

Between Double-A and Triple-A, Schwecke is batting .275/.369/.413 with three home runs in 132 plate appearances.

Things worth mentioning:

Mitch White had a successful rehab appearance, owning a line of 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. This was his second good appearance in a row, as he struck out a batter in his clean inning of work on Sunday.

Davis Schneider continues to hit the ball well. He just missed a homer, instead settling for a double. However, he also added two infield singles to bring him to a 3-5 day at the plate with a homer.

Otto López had a good day at the plate, going 3-6 with three singles. After a tough start to the season, it appears that López is turning it around.

High-A:

The Vancouver Canadians were down to their final out in the ninth with no one on and down 5-3. They pulled out the win, and have brought their record to 28-24.

The Blue Jays Nation Player of the Game: Garrett Spain

Out of the 11 hits the Blue Jays had on Wednesday night, Garrett Spain had four of them in his five plate appearances.

There wasn’t a more important homer than his heroic grand slam on a 1-1 count to pull the Canadians ahead 8-5. Not just that, but he also tied his career-high home run total of six that he set last year in 337 plate appearance. This time, he did so in just 94 plate appearances.

He also hit an additional homer early in the game, as well as a double and a single for six RBIs and 11 total bases.

Spain also made an impressive sliding catch in right field.

Things worth mentioning:

Alan Roden had a good game, hitting his third homer of the season and adding a double. For the season, the 23-year-old outfielder is slashing .300/.420/.463 with three homers in 193 plate appearances. He also has an even 12.4 K% and BB%..

Cooper Benson pitched well in relief, striking out three batters and walking just one in two innings. His numbers still remain high on the season, as he has a 7.01 ERA and a 6.15 FIP, but it’s an encouraging sign.

Lyle Lin replaced Jommer Hernandez early in the game. He went 2-4 with a strikeout and had two doubles.

Single-A:

The Baby Jays won on Wednesday afternoon by a score of 3-1, moving them to 26-27, one win short of .500. However, if they lose on Thursday evening, they’ll be eliminated from contention for the first half.

The Blue Jays Nation Player of the Game: Ian Churchill

The 24-year-old left-handed pitcher was drafted in the 10th round of the 2022 draft.

On Wednesday, he struck out three batters, walking one, and allowied just one hit in his two innings of work. For the season, he has a 1.33 ERA and a 3.23 FIP in 20.1 innings pitched, along with a 33.7 K%.

He has a funky delivery, and used his sinker, slider, and changeup to strikeout the three batters.

Things worth mentioning:

Jaden Rudd had another good game Wednesday evening. He had a hit, reached base via a walk, and also drove in a run. For the season, he’s slashing .237/.398/.363 with a crazy 17.4 BB% in 172 plate appearances.

Ryan McCarty hit a homer Wednesday, while also drawing a walk. For the season, he’s slashing .227/.324/.395 with three homers in 143 plate appearances for a 101 wRC+. It may be only a matter of time before he’s tested at High-A.

Nicholas Deschamps hit his third homer Wednesday evening. On the season, the 20-year-old catcher is slashing .152/.299/.266 in 97 plate appearances. An encouraging sign is that he has a 15.5 BB%.

Setting up the Minor League report of Friday:

As I write this, both the Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League games have concluded.

Buffalo has Paxton Schultz on the mound, who is making his Triple-A debut. New Hampshire has Chad Dallas on the mount, while Vancouver has Rafael Sáchez on the mount. Dunedin will have Pat Gallagher on the mount.

As always, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Brennan_L_D.