April 15, 2021

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

In 2011, Andrew Tinnish’s second year as scouting director of the Toronto Blue Jays, he drafted 56 high schoolers and collegians. The Jays signed 36 players for $10,552,500 US in signing bonuses.

The highest paid from that draft were in this order:

Second rounder LHP Daniel Norris, the Johnson City, Tenn. high schooler was given a $2 million bonus.

The rest of the top five were all high schoolers: RP Kevin Comer, a supplemental sandwich pick from Tabernacle, NJ, given $1.65 million, OF Jacob Anderson, a Chino Calif., $990,000, OF Dwight Smith, a McIntosh, Ga., $800,000 and Christian Lopes of Huntington Beach, Calif., $800,000.

Now, the highly-respected Baseball America likes to play a “do-over,” game asking the question who would you pick now based on a player’s career to date.

The best five Blue Jays on their careers to date would be RHP Aaron Nola, the ace of the Philadelphia Phillies, a 22nd round choice. Nola chose LSU over turning pro.

So the best five that the Jays signed from that draft? Well, No. 1 is 32nd rounder Kevin Pillar (the 979th player selected in North America), who is in his ninth season and has had four seasons with more than 600 at-bats.

Next would be RHP Anthony DeSclafani, a sixth round choice from the University of Florida. DeSclafani was the fourth starter with the class-A Lansing Lugnuts in 2012 behind Noah Syndergaard, Aaron Sanchez, Justin Nicolino and David Rollins. DeSclafani has made 117 starts, including two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds when he started 31 games. He signed a free-agent $6 million deal with the San Francisco Giants joining Sanchez.

Then, would be Norris, who the Jays shipped to the Detroit Tigers along with Matt Boyd for LHP David Price. In his eighth season, he’s working out of the Tigers bullpen in his eighth year. He has appeared in 114 games -- 83 starts -- going 18-32 with a 4.52 ERA.

Next would be Musgrove of El Cajon in San Diego County, now in first season with the Padres. He has one 30 start season with the 2019 Pittsburgh Pirates. In his career he has pitched in 110 games -- 85 starts -- with a 31-38 record, two saves and a 4.20 ERA.

And fifth would be Jon Berti of the Miami Marlins. An 18th round selection from the Bowling Green State Falcons, he has started 102 of 132 games with the Jays and the Marlins. You might not remember the name but you should recall his face. In the final game of the 2018 season -- and John Gibbons’ last game at Rogers Centre -- the camera zoomed on Gibbons as fans applauded. Berti suddenly saw himself on the Jumbotron and backed away. Gibbons grabbed his second baseman and brought into the shot. Smiles for everyone.

That is the top five ... to date. The best going forward?

“It’s Musgrove, he was a high school draft so while he and DeSclafani are very close, Musgrove is 2 1/2 years younger than DeSclafani,” said one veteran scout.

Tinnish said that cross checker Marc Tramuta was a “big supporter,” of Musgrove in the war room that year.

“We liked his make up, we liked his ability, he had a great work ethic,” Tinnish said. “He wasn’t projected to go that high.”

Likely the second round. Instead he was a supplemental first rounder selected 46th overall, scouted by area evaluator Dan Cox.

“You have to look back at the drafts that Andrew had while he was the scouting director,” Cox said. “He had a really impressive collection of high school arms including Syndergaard, Sanchez, Musgrove, Norris and DeScalfini. A lot of the credit should go to Andrew.”

In June of 2011 the Blue Jays had a hatfull of first round and supplemental picks.

2011 draft first rounders selected by the Jays

21st over-all

(Jays own draft)

Tyler Beede

Did not sign with the Jays, re-drafted 14th over-all in 2014 from Vanderbilt

Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass.

Pitched 26 games in the majors

He was 5-10 in 22 starts with the 2019 San Francisco Giants. He underwent Tommy John surgery last year and is expected to be ready to pitch in the minors by May or June.

35th overall

(Supplemental Pick for loss of free agent RP Scott Downs)

OF Jacob Anderson

$990,000 signing bonus

Chino, Calif. HS

Peaked in 2016 with 27 games at class-A Lansing

He hit .204 with 26 doubles, two triples, nine homers and 60 RBIs in 164 games, with a .572 at the rookie-class Gulf Coast Blue Jays, rookie-class Bluefield, class-A Vancouver and class-A Lansing.

46th overall

(Supplemental Pick for loss of free agent C John Buck)

RHP Joe Musgrove

$500,000 signing bonus

El Cajon, Calif. HS

Pitched in 110 games -- 85 starts -- in the majors.

Recorded a combined 31-38 record with two saves and a 4.20 ERA pitchcing for the Astros, Pirates and Padres. Has walked 122 and struck out 483 in 511 2/3 innings.

In the minors, he was 30-13 with one save in 81 games -- 57 starts -- as he walked 45 and fanned 344 in 362 innings with the rookie-class Gulf Coast Jays, rookie-class Bluefield, rookie-class Gulf Coast Astros, rookie-class Greeneville, class-A Tri-City, class-A Lancaster, class-A Quad Cities, double-A Corpus Christi, triple-A Fresno, double-A Altoona, triple-A Indianapolis and class-A Bradenton.

53rd overall

(Supplemental Pick for loss of free agent RP Kevin Gregg)

OF Dwight Smith, Jr.

$800,000 signing bonus

McIntosh, Ga. HS

Played in 169 games in the majors with the Blue Jays and Orioles.

Hit .248 with 29 doubles, three triples, 17 homers and 68 RBIs, with a .726 OPS at rookie-class Bluefield, class-A Vancouver, class-A Lansing, class-A Dunedin, double-A New Hampshire, triple-A Buffalo and triple-A Norfolk.

57th overall

(Supplemental Pick for loss of free agent C Miguel Olivo)

RHP Kevin Comer $1,650,000

Tabernacle, NJ HS

Peaked at triple-A Toledo in 2016.

Pitched in 200 games in the minors in the Blue Jays, Astros and Tigers systems.

Combined to go 24-26, with 20 saves and a 4.89 ERA with 209 walks and 426 strikeouts in 445 innings pitching at rookie-class Bluefield, rookie-class Greeneville, class-A Tri-City, class-A Quad Cities, class-A Lancaster, class-A Quad Cities, double-A Corpus Christi, triple-A Fresno, Toledo and independent Sugar Land.

* * *

Tinnish is now an assistant general manager and scouts Latin America for the Jays.

This year Shane Farrell will be running his second draft. Shane is the son of former Jays manager John Farrell ... and 46th round draft from the Marshall Thundering Herd when Tinnish selected him in 2011.