Rowdy Tellez Rewards Blue Jays’ Faith In Him

Best Player: At the 2015 trade deadline, the Athletics wanted Rowdy Tellez as part of a package for Ben Zobrist, but the Blue Jays refused to part with hulking, 6-foot-4 first baseman. This season, the 21-year-old rewarded that faith with the power potential he showed in the Eastern League.

One of the few prospects the new Blue Jays regime challenged with their initial minor league assignments, Tellez responded to a slow start at Double-A New Hampshire by grinding through his at-bats, working counts and eventually turning things around.

“He’s a consistent worker, and a lot of credit goes to him for being proactive and seeking out daily opportunities to improve,” farm director Gil Kim said. “Hitting coach Stubby Clapp has worked tirelessly with him, and both manager Bobby Meacham and infield coordinator Mike Mordecai have really helped him improve as a defender.”

Tellez hit .297/.387/.530 in 124 games with 23 home runs (fourth) and 63 walks (fourth) that ranked among the EL elite.

Best Pitcher: Improved fastball command was one of the priorities the Blue Jays set for Sean Reid-Foley. The heater turned into a major weapon for the 21-year-old righthander across two Class A levels. He cut his walk rate in half (3.0 per nine innings) while his strikeout rate remained strong at 10.1 per nine.

“He’s got electric stuff, and it’s been fun to watch him commit himself and rise to the challenge of repeating his delivery and improving his command,” Kim said. “Jeff Ware worked very well with him at the start of the season at (low Class A) Lansing, and Jim Czajkowski was able to keep moving him forward when he arrived at (high Class A) Dunedin. He’s got no fear, and he’s the type of competitor you want out there.”

Keep An Eye On: Jordan Romano, a college closer selected in the 10th round in 2014 out of Oral Roberts, had 13 pro games of relief under his belt when his elbow blew out last year. When he returned to action this June it was as a starter, and the Canadian righty opened plenty of eyes at Lansing.

“Before the season even began, the pitching staff was excited to see him in action,” Kim said. “He’s one of the better athletes we have—he finished first in sprints—and he was making progress with his side (sessions). He had a good extended (spring training) and then really took off in Lansing.”