This article is part of our John Sickels' Column series.
Braves trade Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes to the Blue Jays for Alex Gonzalez, Tim Collins, and Tyler Pastornicky. This looks like a trade of disappointing major league shortstops with some minor league throw-ins, but the minor league guys are actually quite interesting.
Tim Collins: Collins is an unusual player, an undrafted free agent signed out of high school in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2007. Then-GM J.P. Ricciardi had seen Collins pitch and was impressed with him, despite his diminutive size: he's only 5-foot-7 and weighs 155 pounds. Despite the lack of classic pitcher height and weight, Collins hits 90-93 MPH and has a nasty curveball. He's pitched extremely well in pro ball, including a 2.51 ERA with a 73:16 K:BB ratio in 43 innings this year for Double-A New Hampshire, allowing just 27 hits. His K/IP and H/IP marks are terrific, and at this rate it won't be long until he gets a trial in a major league bullpen.
Tyler Pastornicky: A fifth round pick in 2008 out of high school in Bradenton, Florida, Pastornicky is a "baseball rat" type and the son of former major leaguer Cliff Pastornicky. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound right-handed hitting infielder is best known for his speed and solid defensive skills. He's hitting .258/.348/.376 in 77 games for Dunedin in the Florida State League, with 39 walks, 49 strikeouts in 287 at-bats, and has stolen 24 bases in 31 attempts. Although he's not likely to develop much home run power, he's
Braves trade Yunel Escobar and Jo-Jo Reyes to the Blue Jays for Alex Gonzalez, Tim Collins, and Tyler Pastornicky. This looks like a trade of disappointing major league shortstops with some minor league throw-ins, but the minor league guys are actually quite interesting.
Tim Collins: Collins is an unusual player, an undrafted free agent signed out of high school in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2007. Then-GM J.P. Ricciardi had seen Collins pitch and was impressed with him, despite his diminutive size: he's only 5-foot-7 and weighs 155 pounds. Despite the lack of classic pitcher height and weight, Collins hits 90-93 MPH and has a nasty curveball. He's pitched extremely well in pro ball, including a 2.51 ERA with a 73:16 K:BB ratio in 43 innings this year for Double-A New Hampshire, allowing just 27 hits. His K/IP and H/IP marks are terrific, and at this rate it won't be long until he gets a trial in a major league bullpen.
Tyler Pastornicky: A fifth round pick in 2008 out of high school in Bradenton, Florida, Pastornicky is a "baseball rat" type and the son of former major leaguer Cliff Pastornicky. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound right-handed hitting infielder is best known for his speed and solid defensive skills. He's hitting .258/.348/.376 in 77 games for Dunedin in the Florida State League, with 39 walks, 49 strikeouts in 287 at-bats, and has stolen 24 bases in 31 attempts. Although he's not likely to develop much home run power, he's not punchless and will nail something into the gaps occasionally. His speed and glovework play well, and his work ethic is well-regarded. He could be a fine utility player in time, although at age 20 there is still some chance his bat could develop beyond that.
