MWL notes: Jays' Moreno makes an impact

Gabriel Moreno didn't find an immediate landing spot on prospect rankings when he signed an international contract with the Blue Jays organization at age 16 for a $25,000 bonus and was switched from shortstop to catcher.
Flash forward nearly three years and the Venezuelan is ranked as the No. 17 prospect -- and the top backstop -- in the system.

Moreno, 19, is a 5-foot-11 right-handed hitter. A gifted athlete who chose baseball over soccer, Moreno is batting .296 for the Lansing Lugnuts with five homers and 21 RBIs in 33 games.
Moreno's physical talents guided the Blue Jays' decision to make a position switch.
"The skill set alone is what you see," Lansing manager Dallas McPherson said. "He has really good hands. His makeup, his movement, his actions behind the plate are top notch. His hands are good, his receiving is good and his arm is second-to-none. Those characteristics alone point to the direction of a guy who can do a lot of different things behind the plate.

"I compare him to a Jeff Mathis, who I came up with. He was a shortstop growing up, but his athleticism alone leads to a very easy transition."
McPherson said the Blue Jays identified key traits in Moreno that led to the transition.
"If you were going to build a baseball player, you would find that they play shortstop when they are younger. They have a lot of the key traits -- the agility, the explosiveness -- that transition well into other positions.
"Moving to catcher, the challenge is mental," McPherson added. "You're learning how to handle pitchers, situational awareness. That's going to be a big part of Gabriel's maturation process."
Moreno accepted the position change when it was pitched to him, but his enthusiasm for the switch skyrocketed after a breakthrough 2018 season.
"At first, it was hard, because I never caught before in my life," Moreno said through an interpreter. "I was told that I would have a better chance to move up if I was a catcher. I have a lot to learn. I'm working hard and trying to get better. I have had a lot of people in the organization help me.

"I really didn't like the catcher position early on, but my most important goal is reaching the Major Leagues, so I accepted it. Then, I saw progress, and now, I'm happy with being a catcher. In the beginning, the hard part was learning about blocking the plate. After learning the basics, now it's a matter of understanding how to handle the game and working with the pitchers. That's going to take a longer time."
McPherson said the Blue Jays' Minor League operation has an expansive development plan for Moreno.
"Our staff has really done a very good job of working with Gabriel and teaching him, making sure he understands that catcher-pitching relationship, make sure he understandings how to read a hitter in a game and make appropriate adjustments," McPherson said. "There will be mistakes along the way, but that's on us to educate him and give him the freedom to make those mistakes and use them as teaching opportunities to develop him."
Moreno's development also includes attending English language classes to help him as he learns to handle pitchers. According to McPherson, one of the top responsibilities of a catcher is to build trust and relationships with pitchers. That aspect of development will be a process, but one that the Blue Jays are confident will happen.
Moreno's offense hasn't suffered for dealing with the physical demands of catching and tackling a challenging learning regimen.
"Gabriel has a unique talent of being able to put the barrel on the ball," McPherson said. "When he gets in trouble, he's chasing a ball out of the zone. He's done a good job of learning how to shorten up and make adjustments when he gets to two strikes. He has really good hand-eye coordination.
"I think the sky is the limit for this kid. I'm a big believer in him. He has every physical tool he needs to not just be a big leaguer, but to catch in the big leagues for a long time."

In brief

Pitching debut: Great Lakes infielder Luke Heyer was pressed into pitching duty Saturday and came away with the victory in the Loons' 7-6 victory against Fort Wayne. The former Kentucky Wildcat standout tossed two innings, entering the game in the ninth inning with the score tied, 5-5. He fanned two in the ninth -- including punching out Grant Little to strand two runners. In the 10th inning, he used a double play and a whiff to escape another threat.
Stinging the Bees: Quad Cities River Bandits pitchers Jonathan Bermudez and Cody Deason punished Burlington Bees batters on Friday, June 28. Bermudez and Deason combined to strike out 18 Burlington batters in a 7-2 victory. Deason pitched the final 4 2/3 innings and struck out seven of the final nine batters he faced.