Blue Jays Re-evaluate Timetables — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

TORONTO—Judging where a player is mentally, as much as fundamentally, will be a crucial tenet in the Blue Jays’ decision-making process for prospects under Ross Atkins.

The first-year general manager believes firmly there is no uniform approach to deciding when the time is right for a promotion, and he feels that ensuring a young player has a strong foundation is essential.

When asked to define what he means by foundation, Atkins said: “When a player fails, what do they fall back on? When a player has success, what do they look to do to continue it? When a player is looking to make an improvement, what do they go to do to push forward?

“Building the right routines, the right areas to focus on, the best ways to evaluate your process—learning what that means is hard.

“The physical, too, that all comes with it. I would look to the fundamental, as well. But typically for younger players, the hardest one is the mental foundation.”

Such thinking guided the Blue Jays’ approach to constructing their organizational rosters, a process led by farm director Gil Kim but included input from nearly everyone in the front office.

Notable assignments included hard-hitting first baseman Rowdy Tellez at Double-A New Hampshire, while center fielder Anthony Alford, shortstop Richard Urena and righthander Conner Greene all were assigned to high Class A Dunedin.

All four impressed in big league camp during the spring.

Speedy outfielder Roemon Fields and hard-throwing reliever John Stilson are also at New Hampshire, while outfielder D.J. Davis, the 2012 first-rounder, Canadian righty Tom Robson and catcher Dan Jansen are all at Dunedin, as well..

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• The Blue Jays claimed first baseman Jesus Montero on waivers from the Mariners in the final days of spring training. He subsequently cleared waivers, and Toronto outrighted him to Triple-A Buffalo once removed from the 40-man roster. Atkins knows Montero, once among baseball’s brightest prospects, from his days in Latin America with the Indians.

• Former Phillies all-star Domonic Brown accepted an assignment to Buffalo after not making the big league Opening Day roster. He signed a minor league deal in February after electing free agency last October.