May 24: The Blue Jays have made Biggio’s promotion official.
May 23: The Blue Jays will promote infield/corner outfield prospect Cavan Biggio, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca was among those to report on Twitter. He’ll be joined in the majors by Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
With a need for two roster spots, the Toronto organization will send down two players. Outfielder Billy McKinney and infielder Richard Urena will be optioned out.
It’s fun to see Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. share a MLB roster. They’ll likely be joined before too long by fellow top prospect Bo Bichette, at which time the Jays will be in position to compile a fearsome father-son softball team. (For the record, Cavan’s dad out-WAR’ed Vlad’s dad. Both are recent Hall of Fame inductees.)
If that trio can do anything to the 2020’s like their dads did to the 1990’s and 2000’s, it’ll make for heady times in Toronto. For now, the focus is on finishing off the development of these talented youngsters.
Biggio is the least hyped of the group, though he has already exceeded the expectations placed on him as a fifth-round draft pick. Entering the present season, he graded out as one of the ten or so best prospects in the Blue Jays system, but wasn’t considered an elite youngster on a leaguewide scale.
Notably, however, the 24-year-old has increased his offensive output at each step up the minor-league ladder. Through 168 plate appearances at Triple-A, he owns a robust .306/.440/.507 batting line with six home runs.
Having put the ball over the fence 26 times last year at Double-A, Biggio obviously possessed more power than might have been expected. He’s now combining that with the plate discipline that had long been his calling card — and doing so at the highest level of the minors. Biggio has ramped his walk rate all the way up to 19.0% while dropping his strikeout rate to 16.7% thus far in 2019.
Though he has primarily appeared at second base in the minors, Biggio also has experience at third, first, and the corner outfield. He and Gurriel could both appear at multiple positions in the big leagues. The latter was introduced to the outfield (where he has some prior experience in Cuba) after being optioned down due to his struggles at the plate and some yips that arose at second base.
ITS HAPPENING!! NEXT ONE UP IS BO BICHETTE AND WE’LL HAVE ALL THE FORMER BIG LEAGUERS KIDS
uh, yea?
Yep. That’s what the article says….
Don’t forget about Griffin Conine, son of Jeff Conine.
And Kacy Clemens
It would be hilarious if they had Mondesi too.
Why the outside voice?
AAHHHH!!! Why did this site not mention the big move today the Cubs promoting Rowan Wick! What a d—! Rowan Wick is going to be their shutdown closer in the playoffs this year. Literally the most underrated player in the game, the Poodres don’t know what they gave up!
you think too highly of Rowan Wick. I feel sorry for the Cubs if this is the best option they have to close out games going forward
2/3rds of hof not bad
I’m kind of curious if bo can last at short. I have a feeling he will end up in the outfield with biggio playing
You may be right. Bo hasn’t handled SS very well in the minors.
Urena is actually a decent hitter…..
Found Urena’s burner
Urena would really be able to prove himself if he got a real chance. he’s been stuck as the 26th man all year though.
There’s only 25
26th man
First man up and down with struggles to starters and injuries
I think there are antibiotics for that
Bingo.
If Urena was a decent hitter the Jays would have never signed Freddie Galvis.
no that was a move to “shore-up” the defense sign.
In case you didn’t see it the first time….
If Urena was a decent hitter the Jays would have never signed Freddie Galvis.
It is a fact. He would have started at the end of last year and would have been declared the starter this year. Period.
my point was that because he lacks defensively they got Galvis. the only tool he has is offense and was showing that when he got sent down.
In case you didn’t see it the first or second time….
If Urena was a decent hitter the Jays would have never signed Freddie Galvis.
Urena has not hit well in A, AA or AAA. If he did, he would have been the starting SS. Why? Because Gurriel came with defensive deficiencies yet he was given a starting job. Guerrero Jr comes with defensive deficiencies yet he was given a starting job. Teoscar comes with defensive deficiencies yet he started. Bo Bichette has defensive deficiencies and he will start when he is ready.
It is all about hitting. You hit, you play. Eric Sogard is a prime example.
galvis cant hit so wtf are you talking about.?
In case you didn’t see it the first or second time or third time….
If Urena was a decent hitter the Jays would have never signed Freddie Galvis.
They felt Galvis was a better hitter with a chance to be traded for a (one) mid-range prospect at-best. Urena was nothing more than an afterthought in March. Backup player at best.
I’d answer your question except you don’t have a clue what you’re talking about so I’ll end this here.
they are a wash offensively. if you listen to management, broadcasters and the media they are all uniform in saying Galvis was picked up to help the defense. With groundball pitching they needed to get much better here. Urena projects to be pretty close to Gslvis with the bat. He is pretty close now, and was much better last year. Urena is a 640 OPS career (small sample though) and Galvis is 667. Urena is young enough to improve and may/may not. Galvis is a regression candidate as he is older.
moron
Since you keep missing the point….
If Urena was a decent hitter the Jays would have never signed Freddie Galvis.
You keep helping my point by the way you tear down Galvis. Urena would have been given a chance to run with the SS position if the Jays were high on Urena’s ability to hit, AND field. Especially hit. Galvis isn’t a great hitter, Urena isn’t a great hitter. Neither would start for a contender right now.
Next time you call someone a moron make sure you do it in-front of a mirror getting dressed in the morning.
was just thinking yesterdayish about how nice his AAA numbers were. could see him Vlad and Bo all in Toronto soon.
ANOTHER PIECE OF THE INFINITY GAUNTLET
Glad to see him get called up. I believe hes going to be a good player at the highest level. I like how he has more walks then strikeouts before getting called up. Thats a good sign. Bluejays got some good young talent
How long till Beau Bichette comes up ?
around the same time as Bo Burrows most likely
@Darkside830 haha excellent
He’s on the AAA injured list right now. He was hit on the hand by a pitch a few weeks ago, but he’ll be back in about two weeks, I think. After that, I guess it just depends on how he hits. He’s only 21, whereas Biggio is 24, so I think they’ll give him a bit more time in AAA. Maybe we’ll see him before summer is over.
is Clemens’ kid still in the system
Yes. He started out in AA New Hampshire this year but he struggled, so they sent him back down to A ball in Dunedin.
Clemens and Grudzielanek are playing for a pink slip right now.
2 Hall of fame kids playing in same lineup… Thats pretty awesome!!
Biggio Jr is going to be a very good ballplayer. Gurriel Jr has a shot at being very good too. Bichette not so much.
It is good to see the kids getting a shot to play. Let’s speed up this rebuild. It can be done.
what evidence do you have that Bichette will not be successful at the major league level? oh, i forgot, you have #scoutseyes.
Biggio is not a junior… and he’s not going to be better than Bichette.
This might be your dumbest comment yet.
Keep up the good work.
Jimmer’s comment wasn’t “dumb”, it was a comment you disagree with (and I do too, I might add).
By “dumb” I assume he meant “uninformed” or “unintelligent”, both of which apply to the idea that Lil’ Bichette will definitely not be a good player.
I do believe the word you’re looking for is ignorant
Bichette not so much? Click bait troll. I like when uneducated people say things on the internet.
Bichette is going to be the most fun and fearsome of the three.
I’d put money on that being wrong. Have you seen Vlad Jr swing a bat?
Vladimir Guerrero Jr is awfully overweight for a young man. I have a feeling he’s going to go the way of Prince fielder. Eat his way out of playing time
I agree. I can see a move over to 1b for a few years then DH the rest of his career and have a career like David ortiz.
the Jays would take a Prince Fielder… it would be near the projected bottom of predictions but still a very good player
How much does he weigh and how much does he eat? We will wait…
Vlad jr will obviously be a star. How high he flies will depend on his disciplines.
In spring training the Toronto blue jays guide listed him as 200lbs. The sportsnet folks said 235 lbs. The actual number was 280 lbs. The Jays asked him to lower it. He is down to 260 lbs so far.
VLad Jr will not be a 3rd baseman for long. His range and glove have already been exposed. He will end up at first like Prince Fielder.
Rowdy can DH.
Bichette will be a below average major leaguer. I have never said a bad major leaguer. Those slumps Bichette gets into every once in a while in the minors…will drastically increase against MLB pitching. Wait for it.
why have they kept drury instead of urena?
Most likely as a veteran presence to hold down the fort til the young guys come up. They’re also likely showcasing his and hoping to get some kind of return in a trade.
Drury has three, two hit games in a row. Urena isn’t very good hitter unless his BABIP is unsustainably high
trying to build value for a trade and he is hitting well lately.
Drury stays to play the OF.
Bichette is still out with a broken hand. He isn’t coming to Toronto anytime in the near future. He needs to get healthy & then gets some at-bats to get into a groove offensively before he comes up
Now this is a team that I can watch lose. Just take Davis out of the starting line-up and use him for defence only. This is a lot like the Maple Leaf rebuild of 4 years ago. Eventually this team will be fun to watch.
Davis?
Oh yeah, I forgot about Jonathan Davis. You’re welcome for solidifying your point.
Go jays
This is definitely a softball team.
So this prompts more questions….
– Where will Biggio and Gurriel play on the field?
– Who goes to the bench?
Presuming Biggio goes to LF and Gurriel to 2B? Or SS? I’m all for the promotion so long as they play. Wasn’t expecting the promotion so long as both Galvis and Sogard are on the roster. Jays need to deal one of them and get Urena back up.
Sogard is coming back to earth and becoming the player that others don’t want.
I agree about Urena, he needs to be in the big leagues.
Biggio to LF for sure. Not sure about Gurriel, depends if he has got those personal issues sorted out. If so, I would say 2nd base.
Sogard should have been made an example of to the rest of the team. He caused the Shoemaker injury by running the wrong way in that rundown. He, Galvis, Drury, Teoscar….all with MLB experience yet make little league-esque mistakes that are a detriment to the younger players. The moment Shoemaker went down was the moment Sogard should have been cut. Yeah he was hitting. All the more reason boneheaded mistakes will not be tolerated. The Jays had a chance to set a tone and they didn’t.
I think Biggio and Gurriel will be playing a lot of OF in Toronto. Best guess is Biggio in LF and Gurriel in RF with Grichuk maintaining CF. David will be the main backup OF as he can comfortably and competently play all 3 OF positions. Drury is best utilized as a 2b/3b option as he has not looked comfortable in any of his time in the OF. Gurriel looks to be the main backup for Galvis whenever he needs a day off, which isn’t often. Best guess on all of this.
Gurriel has played a grand total of 0 (zero) games in RF during his professional career, minors and majors. Drury more likely to play RF.
Grichuk can’t play CF. He is atrocious there. Because of that, the Blue Jays will continue to start him in CF. Davis is a better defender there.
Best guess is Drury RF, Biggio LF and Gurriel 2B with Sogard and Galvis platooning. Or one of them is traded within the next couple days.
I don’t like to see McKinney sent down, I like this guy. He plays hard with every play and he’s versatile. I think he’s going to turn into a great major leaguer before it’s all said and done.
He was sent down because he’s not hitting well enough to mask how bad a defensive player he is. Good runner, poor OF routes. However, McKinney does have some talent.
Makes me sad to know that Smoak (11HR/30RBI), Stroman (2.74 ERA over 12 starts and 69 innings, avg of 6 innings/start), Sanchez and Giles will all get sold for the equivalent of a bag of balls ⚾️, and Shapkins and the apologists in this site will make excuses just like they’ve done for this three year disaster…
If Mckinney can learn to hit to all fields much better that he could be that very good major leaguer you are hoping for. His defensive routes can be a little rough but he compensates with speed.
A new team, in a year or so. I have only been following the Jays’ highlights for some time now, but they will be fun to follow, for sure, eh!( I had to look up the definition for yips, btw).
So many questions: will there be trades soon? Giles, et al, soon? Will the Jays keep Sanchez and make him their closure, ( as Joe Gerardi suggested) ? And will Stroman go to the Braves for even just one of their many top LHP prospects?
When i do watch a tv game, I mute it, and I don’t know if this is proper to ask here, because he is a respected dude, but, is anyone else, ( who may follow the Jays’ tv games), having a difficult time listening to the Buck and whoever rhyme on and on with their wiki-numbers, most often forsaking the game on the field…. ?
Thanks, in advance.
Buck Martinez is a fabulous color commentator. He is a longtime Jays broadcaster and former manager, which is probably why he was given a chance to do play-by-play. He was also a name when he was brought back.
Although his flubs on names can make you cringe, he and Pat Tabler have 1 thing; great baseball stories. I’d rather hear them tell stories during the game than make calls.
Also keep in-mind they were, reportedly, reprimanded by Rogers for being critical of the Jays. This was 2013. Rogers owns the team and the broadcast stations. Not a conflict whatsoever….
as a fan of another team and an mlb.tv subscriber I agree, anytime i tune into a Jays game I always choose the Jays broadcast. Buck is fantastic.
When Dan Shulman is on play by play it’s wonderful. Buck on color is a pro. Anyone who’s heard him on TBS games know.
What Buck Martinez is to Toronto is what Bob Uecker is to Milwaukee. or Hawk Harrelson to Chisox. They are “made” guys.
dray: Same situation here. Ditto and exactly. At least when Buck sees dumb, he calls it dumb, Calls a heck of a game.
plus he is a pretty humble guy and often pokes fun at his career.
Having Buck pronounce “Antetokounmpo” could be the greatest 30 minute comedy special of all time.
Feel sorry for Buck, having to apologize for the dumpster fire on the field… nine straight series losses to Tampa Bay since 2017. Third straight season of failure under Shapkins.
Hey, good point. I turn down the volume too on Jays broadcasts but not becuase of Buck. Buck is great even if he is gettin’ older.
I can’t stand Tabler. Does anyone ever actually listen to what comes out of his mouth? It is Grade 6 commentary. I would replace him immediately. Jack Morris would be good here in TO
Bring on Buck and Dan Shulman. What a great broadcast team theya re.
Pat is just a nice guy and doesn’t want to ruffle feathers. But, Dan and Buck are great. Heck, Jim Hughson and Buck were great. The radio broadcast is over the top with calls. I’d rather hear Buck flub names than hear yelling for a 3rd inning play in the month of April from the radio guys.
I’ve been asking these mlbtr clowns about this in their joke chats for weeks. Absolutely no attention paid. Eat it. Go Jays (in a few years)
Eat a Snickers.
Is this the Biggio son who played at Notre Dame?