Jays Promote Rookie Hurlers

The Toronto Blue Jays made a number of pitching moves this past week by demoting right-handed pitcher Bryan Bullington, as well as southpaws Brian Burres and David Purcey to Triple-A. The club promoted reliever Brian Wolfe as well as rookie hurlers Brett Cecil and Robert Ray to the Majors. Both Cecil and Ray are making their MLB debuts. Wolfe has had a number of stints with Toronto after originally coming to the organization from Milwaukee in a trade for third baseman Corey Koskie, who has since retired.

Cecil is the bigger name of the two prospects. He was originally acquired in the supplemental first round of the 2007 draft out of the University of Maryland. The left-handed starter was a reliever in college but had a successful conversion to the starting rotation. Cecil, though, has battled injury problems. He was also struggling at Triple-A Las Vegas prior to his call-up and had an ERA above 8.00 in the very good hitter’s league. Cecil, though, may have been a victim of his defense to some degree as his FIP was just 3.72. He’s not a great bet in the short term for fantasy baseball owners because he is still working on his endurance and is a five-inning pitcher for the most part, which will limit his effectiveness in categories such as wins and strikeouts. Cecil also struggles with his fastball command a bit, but his control is at least average. His repertoire includes an 88-93 mph fastball, good slider, curveball and developing change-up.

Ray is an interesting player and he – like Cecil and many of the Jays’ young pitchers – has battled injury problems. The right-hander missed significant portions of the 2006 and 2007 seasons after undergoing shoulder surgery. He showcased good stuff in college but was painfully inconsistent and those issues have plagued Ray in his pro career too. The Jays selected him in the seventh round of the 2005 draft out of Texas A&M. He has an average repertoire with an 88-92 mph fastball, curveball, slider and splitter. His ceiling is that of a No. 4 starter, although he is probably better suited to relief. Ray actually began the 2009 season on the disabled list and actually had his rehab cut short when Triple-A Las Vegas needed pitchers. He made his MLB debut on Saturday against Baltimore and allowed three runs in 5.2 innings. Ray struggled a bit with his nerves (56 of his 90 pitches were for strikes) and walked four batters with just two strikeouts. He allowed just four hits.

As mentioned, neither pitcher is a great bet going forward in fantasy baseball for 2009. Cecil has a higher ceiling when considering overall careers, as a left-handed version of David Bush (a converted college reliever drafted in the first two rounds by Toronto and later traded to Milwaukee). Wolfe, the third player recalled, will likely serve as a long reliever and should have limited fantasy impact, save for the odd vulture win.