Ryan Goins breaks Travis d'Arnaud's record

Love getting the double apostrophe into a headline. The Fisher Cats lost again, 6-5, in a battle with the New Britain Rock Cats today, but I'm here to tell you about the silver lining. That's because I'm flat-out cheery today. Shortstop Ryan Goins had three hits, breaking a club record with his 41st base knock of the month. Travis d'Arnaud had the record for hits in a month (40) last July en route to winning Eastern League MVP honors. "I feel way more relaxed this season at the plate with my swing path and looking for pitches I'm getting to hit. I have confidence up there every day, just trying to be patient and be the best that I can be," Goins said ... Helluva month for Goins, who batted .357 with seven doubles. Excellent situational hitter knows how to move runners. Clutch, too. On the season, the kid is 21-for-47 (.447) with runners in scoring position.

Mailbag Q-and-A on my 41st birthday

"Were you surprised by the level of outrage that came your way after the "Darvish-to-Toronto" fiasco? Why do you think you got hit so hard in the aftermath?" -- Brian from Bus Leagues Baseball.

I wasn't surprised at the level of outrage and comments. I saw the comments on my blog, but I haven't seen more than one message board. The first one I check was headlined with "RIP Kevin Gray," which was a little odd, kind of like reading your own obituary. The fans were so excited to add Yu Darvish, and when it didn't happen, they directed some anger at me. Like I said before, I had sources with direct knowledge of what was going on that night inside the Blue Jays front office. I was told they were ready to announce they'd won the Darvish bidding. It was definitely a wild night, and the story had legs for a few days. The publisher of my newspaper came to my desk and told me he admired the way the whole thing was handled. (The story was not published in my newspaper, just my personal blog.) John Lott of the National Post wrote a sports column about that night and was fair. He also complimented me in an email, saying how I've demonstrated professionalism and integrity many times over. That meant a lot.

"Why would your 'trusted sources' lie to you? If true, you got duped, and I forgive you. If false, just tell the truth bro, at least there's honour in that." -- Anonymous

Nobody lied. I've got the call records and texts from my guys who had a perfect record giving me good info. The Blue Jays really thought they'd won the bid, at least from what I was told, and they had bad info. "Two, not one, two people in the organization told me Alex would announce at 9:30 p.m.," I was later told. I shouldn't have been so definitive in my tweets and on my personal blog. I was playing with fire and definitely got burned.

"I cannot imagine the amount of wrath and venom that has been heaped on you. I hope that as much as Blue Jays fans forgive you that you are also able to forgive the Blue Jays fans and the city of Toronto after receiving such scorn." -- Anonymous

I was already feeling closely connected to Jays' fan through the blog, and this incident ratcheted up things. So many fans have taken the time to write or send tweets. Anonymous commenters don't really pack a punch but fans sending positive thoughts and recognizing my coverage through the years have made this into an unbelievable experience. There are about a dozen people in Toronto I'm dying to meet. I'm looking forward to visiting Toronto more than ever.

"After being around Travis d'Arnaud during the season, how do you feel about his overall attitude and maturity?" -- Dave Rouleau

I thought it was excellent. He worked hard and pitchers enjoyed throwing to him. He's a quiet leader. Travis can be kid-like and have lots of fun, but he understands the business side of the game. When I asked him about being compared to J.P. Arencibia, he said, "J.P. is a great person and baseball player. It's an honor for people to consider me that type of player, especially when he is so good." He took the moment to give props to JPA and came out looking great in the interview. Travis just gets it.

Lower-case "d" is for dominant

This interview with Travis d'Arnaud came in mid-August, at the height of his Eastern League MVP season with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He was squaring up everything fashioned a 15-game hitting streak. Finished the year at .311 with 21 HR and 78 RBI while polishing his catching game. My prediction is he'll start the 2012 season at Triple-A Las Vegas, get hot, and force the Blue Jays' hand by June. Let's get the kid some big-league work. "I'm understanding the game more. My blocking and throwing are more efficient. As far as hitting, I'm keeping the same approach and feeling relaxed. I feel happy. This is the most fun I've ever had playing baseball," d'Arnaud told me that day of the interview ... Fisher Cats 2011 hitting coach Justin Mashore: "When he steps to the plate, it's like there's something special in his hands."

Kevin Littlefield, No. 1 photography prospect

Here are some random 2011 pics from Kevin Littlefield, official photographer of this site. One of my favorite moments of the season was standing at Tampa Bay's batting cage with Littlefield as we told B.J. Upton it's "all about the swag." J.P. Arencibia is mayor of the K2 Swag District. 

Eastern League MVP Travis d'Arnaud about to go Oppo-Taco.

Mark Sobolewski reppin' New Balance.

Adeiny ready to pounce.

Adeiny would've had it.

Top 10 Blue Jays Prospects, scouting reports

1. C Travis d'Arnaud -- Eastern League MVP  proved to be a complete catcher and offensive force. Showed raw power and the right approach in a .311/.371/.542 season. Good situational hitter and knows how to move runners and reach base. Oppo-Tacos are always a plus. Video of lower-case d talking about his season here.

2. RHP Drew Hutchison -- Young, efficient. Easy delivery, pinpoint control and good movement. Hutch, a 15th-rounder, will start next season in Double-A and be throwing complete games in the majors by 2013. Good listener, worker and teammate. Sound bites here.

3. RHP Noah Syndergaard --  Love the 6-foot-5 frame and arm action. Call me crazy, but he reminds me of Daniel Bard. Gets on top of pitches with excellent extension, leading to riding action on 4-seamers. Throws a 2-seamer with late sink. Gym rat. Good makeup.

4. SS Adeiny Hechavarria -- Elite glove, range and arm. We watched Adeiny win games with his defense. Had a promising 2011 and finished with a .389 stop in Las Vegas.  Personally, I'd package him in a trade while stock is soaring. He'll never hit big-league pitching like Yunel Escobar.

5. C Carlos Perez -- Baseball player. The Blue Jays rave about his defense, quick bat and approach to the game. Gap hitter with good instincts everywhere on the diamond.

6. OF Jake Marisnick -- When talking about a prospect's "tools," there is a tendency to overrate players or fail to mention a glaring weakness -- Moises Sierra and poor base running, for example -- but Marisnick is a legit athlete with all the tools. Average (.320) & power (14 homers) spiked in '11. 

7. RHP Aaron Sanchez -- Lean and mean, Sanchez is going to tantalize the Blue Jays until he develops better command. Plus fastball. High ceiling. Relies on his curveball a little too much.

8. RHP Deck McGuire -- Though still a work progress, Deck made significant strides and looked unhittable at times with the slider and sinker. When I saw him dominate at Portland, I was convinced.

9. OF Anthony Gose -- No shortage of star power. Showed 4 of 5 tools, swagger along with 70 stolen bases in 2011 but got himself out way too much. Hard to believe he didn't turn 21 until August.

Goseman: .253, 16 HR, 70 SB, 154K  (Kevin Littlefield photo)

10. LHP Justin Nicolino -- Slender southpaw has a slight edge over Daniel Norris as the best lefty in the system. Have heard great things about his off-speed stuff and changeup. More muscle and physical maturity are going to make him a scary prospect in the near future.

Arizona Fall League Notebook

BRYCE HARPER went 0-for-13 with four punchouts to start the Arizona Fall League, but the Scottsdale Scorpion finally broke out tonight. Harper doubled off A's prospect Tyson Ross, then homered on a 2-1 pitch against A's farmhand Anthony Capra, a lefty, for a two-run shot to left field. Going "Oppo-Taco" off a southpaw is an impressive feat, even at the homer-happy Phoenix diamond.


Chicago Cubs prospect Josh Vitters, a potential target for the Red Sox as compensation for Theo Epstein, has been raking (.405, 2 HR, 10 RBI) in the AFL. 


Blue Jays prospect Travis d'Arnaud, who suffered torn ligaments in left thumb, underwent surgery in Phoenix on Monday and should make a full recovery before spring training. d'Arnaud was playing for Team USA in Panama when he sustained the injury behind the plate, receiving a pitch. I spoke with one Blue Jays executive today who was optimistic about d'Arnaud's return. 

Three triples for Hech ...

... And surgery for Travis d'Arnaud. 
Two significant stories today for the Blue Jays: Adeiny Hechavarria went 4-for-4 in the Arizona Fall League and had three triples. Now that makes a pretty headline, but the fact remains Hech is batting .214 at the bottom of the order. Still no plate discipline and no leadoff skills. Don't get too ga-ga over Hech's offense.


In the meantime, d'Arnaud returned to Arizona for surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left thumb. The injury occurred at Panama while d'Arnaud, the 2011 Eastern League MVP, was playing for Team USA, according to the Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott ... I will have more reaction on the injury tomorrow after talking with the Blue Jays.