Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Toronto Blue Jays’

The Toronto Blue Jays have added another former Wizards player in outfielder Todd Donovan. The veteran Minor Leaguer was recently in his hometown of East Lyme, Connecticut for the World Baseball Coaches’ Convention. The Jays’ bench coach Brian Butterfield kicked off the event by telling those in attendance that he would like to get Donovan in a Toronto uniform and came through on his hope.

Donovan was the eighth round pick (number 292 overall) of the San Diego Padres in the 1999 Amateur Draft. With Fort Wayne in 2000, he appeared in 53 games. During that span, he hit .284 with 58 hits, 12 doubles and runs batted in. He also walked 25 times in 204 at-bats and compiled a .370 on base percentage. He swiped 18 bases and was caught stealing 9 times.

In ten minor league seasons, Donovan has 309 stolen bases; including 62 in 1995 while with the Jacksonville Suns of the (AA) Southern League. Yeah, that’s a record and yeah, that still stands today.

Note: The following links were used as references in producing this post:

• Local Roundup: East Lyme’s Donovan signs with Blue Jays (Norwich Bulletin)
• Major League Legends of Past Meet Future Stars: CT Dugout Club comes to Groton (The Lyme Times)

What a year it has been for former Wizards pitcher, Dirk Hayhurst. Before the 2008 season, h was probably best known as the scribe of Baseball America’s “Non-Prospect Diary” before he earned his shot at the Major League roster with the San Diego Padres (even spot starting for Jake Peavy). The 27-year-old Hayhurst appeared in 10 games wiht the Friars. He went 0-2 with a 9.72 ERA.

Yesterday, the Canton Republic published Hayhurst’s first-hand account of getting the call.

The morning I left to join the San Diego Padres, I deflated my air mattress, folded the lawn chair and ironing board I used for a desk set, and threw out the few lonely groceries in my fridge. I put on a sports coat bought at Goodwill, shined the shoes loaned to me by a teammate, and shaved twice just for good measure. I locked my apartment, turned in the keys, and waved goodbye to my life as a career minor leaguer.

Today, he was placed on waivers by San Diego and quickly snatched up by the Toronto Blue Jays.  

Hayhurst — a 6-foot-3 native of Canton, Ohio — went 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA in 46 games, including a pair of starts, while striking out 98 over 84 innings for Portland. Hayhurst, who was an eighth-round selection by the Padres in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, has gone 32-33 with a 4.05 ERA in six Minor League seasons.