Just wanted to share with you all a couple of updates from a busy day corresponding with people at various levels of the baseball industry….
Draft Update
A more detailed post about the Blue Jays picks from rounds 3-10 will be up tomorrow. That’s where the draft starts to become interesting.
From our good friend, Jeff Ellis, who puts in as much work as many scouts across the country, his views on 1st rounder Jordan Groshans:
The talk was that the Blue Jays were all in on prep talent, but I refused to believe it until they did it. Groshans was the 14th rated player on my board, so this pick while surprising to some, but makes a lot of sense here for me. I have stated before that I see some Seagar in him and think that he is a player with an advanced approach who could have above average hit and power tools. I had him rated higher than Nolan Gorman and it seems the Blue Jays agreed with me.
On 2nd rounder Griffin Conine, who was viewed as a probable 1st rounder last fall, but had his stock slip:
In my very first mock, I had Conine to the Blue Jays at pick 12; instead, they get him at pick 52, where he is an excellent value. The Blue Jays love bloodlines and they took a pair of players with strong baseball bloodlines. Conine had a rough start to the year, but over the last month, he has been killing the ball. I thought his performance might push him up boards, but it did not seem to have an effect, which was to the Blue Jays benefit.
Maxx Tissenbaum
Guess who’s back? 💪😁 ➡️ pic.twitter.com/41y8JjOHF8
— Capitales de Québec (@CapitalesQuebec) June 5, 2018
We spoke to Tissenbaum this off season, after he helped lead the Capitales to their second Can-Am League title in a row. The Toronto native was uncertain of his future at that point, as he was finishing his degree and helping coach his alma mater Stony Brook. With the Seawolves eliminated from NCAA play last week, Tissenbaum got that itch to step between the lines again, and is heading back to La Belle Province for a third season, and is going to be able to combine playing with preparing for a career after baseball:
A bunch of stuff just kind of came together. I’m going to intern at B45 bat company during the days so I get some experience working in sales and marketing functions, make some extra money and get something for a resume outside of playing/coaching…and I just didn’t want to be done playing. I think that played a bigger role than I originally anticipated. I thought I was ready to be done but as it got closer it just didn’t feel right not to be playing.
We know just how you feel, Maxx.
Tissenbaum, who was drafted in the 43rd round by the Blue Jays in 2009 but didn’t sign, played in the Padres, Rays, and Marlins system. Adding to his baseball travels, he played in the Australian Baseball League for two winters. Capitales Manager Pat Scalabrini had high praise for Tissenbaum:
Maxx was a very rare kind of super utility player. Maxx played (very well) at mostly catcher and second base (which are not exactly complementary positions) but also played other positions when needed. All of that while being one of the best and most complete hitters in the league.
