Marriage to 51s working for Blue Jays

Since Alex Anthopoulos became general manager of the Blue Jays in October 2009, he has remade the franchise in his own image -- young.

Anthopoulos, who at 34 is baseball's second-youngest GM, has emphasized scouting and player development and the 51s -- Toronto's top affiliate -- have played a pivotal role in the youth movement.

Las Vegas (70-73), which will wrap up its 29th Pacific Coast League season today at Cashman Field, has sent 16 players to the Blue Jays this year and several have emerged as starters.

"This was as talented a team as we've had at this level in years," said Anthopoulos, who attended the 51s' 11-8 victory over Salt Lake on Saturday night at Cashman.

"For them to even be around .500 with all the players we took from them -- and we've taken a lot of them -- is just a credit to the talent here and to the work that (manager) Marty (Brown) and the staff have done," he said. "You always want to be better, but it is about player development and these guys have more than done their job and provided us with great players."

Anthopoulos said Brown, who replaced Dan Rohn as 51s manager this season, has received rave reviews from players called up to Toronto from Las Vegas.

"They talk about the atmosphere here, compared to last year, under Marty," he said. "They rave about it.

"I can't say enough good things about the culture that we've had here."

Anthopoulos also praised the leadership of Las Vegas veterans Chris Woodward, Ryan Shealy and Jason Lane.

"We really focused on making sure the veteran players we added to the team were high character guys," he said.

Woodward was promoted to Toronto on Sunday. Other 51s are expected to be called up after today's game. Anthopoulos said several are deserving, including left-hander Brad Mills and outfielder Adam Loewen, a former Orioles pitcher trying to return to the majors as a position player.

Loewen, 27, is batting .308 with 17 home runs and 84 RBIs.

"He keeps getting better every single year and he's a guy you don't bet against," said Anthopoulos, who has been impressed with Loewen's attitude. "He's just gone about his work -- it's been three years in a row -- and he deserves to be rewarded for that and everything that he's done."

One reason Anthopoulos dropped by Cashman was to watch top prospect Kyle Drabek's last start for Las Vegas. The right-hander, who has struggled with his control this year, didn't walk anybody but allowed six runs on eight hits in seven innings and finished 5-4 with a 7.44 ERA for the 51s.

"His stuff is still good," Anthopoulos said. "Command's been the biggest thing with him, but I think Kyle's going to get it in time. He reminds me a lot of (Blue Jays starter Ricky) Romero.

"(Romero) was in (Double-A) New Hampshire three years in a row and had five (plus) ERAs and struggled with his command. But his arm worked and he's athletic. I think Kyle's the same way."

Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria also figures to be a big part of the Blue Jays' future.

"He really stands out on the field (with) his athleticism," Anthopoulos said. "Everybody raves about the defense, but he's taken his (plate) approach up a notch.

"He's someone that looks like he's going to be an impact player for us."

Anthopoulos credited 51s batting coach Chad Mottola with helping Hechavarria improve at the plate, where he's hitting .388. He also praised Mottola for having a major influence on Toronto rookies Brett Lawrie and Eric Thames.

"The work that he's done with Lawrie and Thames, just their approaches at the plate are so much better than what I saw in spring training," he said.

As for Anthopoulos' impression of aging Cashman Field, he said he likes it a lot -- other than the outdoor batting cages.

"That's probably the one significant drawback. It's 110 degrees and you need guys to work. Other than that, everything has been first class."

Anthopoulos said he has no problem with his prospects pitching in the PCL or with Cashman's hard infield.

"Some people say it's hard to evaluate a starter in this league. (But) it's not a bad comparison when you have to go to Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, to know that you pitched in this league," he said. "I heard the infield's hard to play on, but that's also not the worst thing to develop defensive skills.

"You could always be better but, from a development standpoint, I think we're in pretty good shape."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.