The Toronto Blue Jays have been producing a ton of offence at the big-league level as of late, so there hasn’t been much focus on the organization’s prospect pool.
It’s mostly gone unnoticed that Max Pentecost, the Blue Jays’ first-round pick in 2014, is starting to make significant progress at the plate after missing the entire 2015 season due to shoulder surgery.
Pentecost has homered four times since June 24, driving in 10 runs over that stretch. For the season, he’s hitting .297/.367/.436 in 43 games with the Lansing Lugnuts, an A-ball affiliate of the Blue Jays.
“Our focus is really just getting the bat (going),” he said Thursday in a guest appearance on The Jeff Blair Show. “Getting that timing, and so far I’ve made good progression. It feels good to be out there and playing again.”
The 23-year-old, who was ranked by MLB.com as the ninth best catching prospect in all of baseball this past January, is primarily playing as a DH this season.
His previous shoulder injuries, which included a partially torn labrum in October of 2014, have prevented him from catching in game action, but he’s still working hard on his craft behind the scenes.
“Right now I’m doing a lot of drills,” Pentecost said. “The hands, the footwork, and the receiving. I’ve been doing that for a while now. I’m more comfortable than I have been and there’s a lot of positive stuff coming out. The throwing is still bugging me a little. We’re still making progress with that but the main focus is the bat.”
“I’ve had a lot of success catching (side sessions) and you can learn a lot just by catching them. Sitting back and watching the games, you can pick up on tendencies and where they need to be. I think sitting back and watching the game, I’ve learned more than (in) the games.”
Pentecost understands it will take a while before he is ready to return to catching on a full-time basis.
“Coming back from surgery, you’re not going to get from surgery to great in a short time,” he added. “Each day, you got to focus on the little things and once they can get better, you say ‘wow you’ve made some progress.’ You still have hiccups where your arm is sore. You worry about your body. It’s a learning block. I’ve learned a ton about the shoulder through three surgeries that I never knew. It’s kind of mind boggling — all the different stuff that goes on.”
“There’s still a lot of work to do. I have no doubt I’ll be catching again. If it’s going to take a little more time, a little bit of hard work, and I think it’s a good project. You don’t see it all the time. It’ll be a great story to look back on one day.”
