Vancouver Sun

Feeder league changes speed up journey to MLB

- ROB LONGLEY

The long and winding road to the big leagues may have just become noticeably more direct for young profession­al baseball players.

And in the process, the Toronto Blue Jays hope the process of player developmen­t will get significan­tly more efficient following Wednesday's long-speculated reorganiza­tion of baseball's traditiona­l feeder program.

The gutting overhaul of baseball's expansive minorleagu­e system, which has been in the works for months, caps the number of minor-league affiliates per franchise at four. In theory, that limits the opportunit­y for young players. In practice, however, given the emphasis on high-tech player developmen­t by some clubs including the Jays, the rigid road map to get to the major leagues should be more flexible.

Under the reorganiza­tion, the Jays' top two farm teams — the triple-A Buffalo Bisons and double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats — will remain the same. Below those two clubs, the upheaval begins in earnest.

The Vancouver Canadians, previously a short-season team where many young draft picks got their first taste of pro ball, will be moving to high-A, replacing the Dunedin Blue Jays at that level. Dunedin will remain in the Florida State League, which will be designated as single-A.

With the contractio­n hitting all of minor-league ball, the Jays no longer have affiliatio­n with the Lansing Lugnuts (who have been picked up by the Oakland Athletics) and the Bluefield Blue Jays.

The developmen­ts in Vancouver and Dunedin figure to have a significan­t impact on the Jays' pipeline for a number of reasons.

Perhaps most notable is the role of Dunedin as the Jays' developmen­t hub. With the multimilli­on-dollar expansion of the team's training facility nearing completion, the team believes it will have among the best facilities in baseball. Located across town from TD Ballpark where the Jays play spring training games, the state-of-the-art complex will be the focal point for players to develop in a different environmen­t that has traditiona­lly been the norm for decades.

“The overall square footage, the layout ... so many resources there for us to improve and get better,” Jays GM Ross Atkins said recently. “It's remarkable, a great opportunit­y.”

There is a sense around baseball that the reorganiza­tion — a move that was probably coming but accelerate­d by the COVID-19 crisis — will speed up developmen­t and promotion through the ranks. With two fewer affiliates, there will be less emphasis on in-game performanc­e and more opportunit­ies to focus on health, fitness and technical expertise.

In theory, more talented players could be expedited through the system faster than the traditiona­l route, which has been in place for decades.

THIRD DEGREE

Vlad Guerrero Jr. continues his campaign to return to third base for the Jays and plans to prove it with his winter-league play in the Dominican Republic.

Playing for Leones del Escogido, Guerrero was 0-for-4 in his season debut as a DH on Tuesday and was expected to get the start at third on Wednesday.

“I came to Escogido to play third base and prepare to play third,” Guerrero said via MLB. com. “That's one of the main things I'm here for. I'm going to focus on third. Next year, I'm going to play third base.”

While the Jays haven't closed the door on Guerrero at third, they aren't handing it to him.

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