Max

Pentecost

Pentecost, a former first-round pick, has dealt with shoulder issues throughout his career. Drafted out of Kennesaw State, he leaves baseball after playing 260 minor league games and with a .280/.323/.435 line.

Pentecost went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI while serving as designated hitter. The 2014 first-round pick has had three shoulder surgeries since that time, with the most recent coming in February. “We’re very optimistic (about his shoulder), we just want to get him some activity and it just makes sense to at least get him hitting,” said Blue Jays head trainer George Poulis. “His mind gets better and he’s in the mix with all the guys down there.” Pentecost will continue to DH in games as he progresses with a throwing program.

This was a compensation pick for not signing Phil Bickford after drafting him 10th overall last year. Pentecost is a true catcher, but also a fine athlete with good speed. The questions about his bat kept him out of the top 10 tonight, but he could be a solid regular two or three years down the line. He did hit .423/.483/.631 this season, but that was against lesser competition in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Pentecost has hits in 12 of the 14 games in which he has appeared with Vancouver, but he has struck out 13 times in 62 plate appearances (21 percent), including eight times in the last three games. His overall line is solid, but it is what a first round pick who went to college should be doing in a short season-A league.

Pentecost, the No. 11 overall pick in this year’s draft, was promoted to Vancouver after batting .364 with two doubles over six games in the Gulf Coast League. The 21-year-old backstop was this year’s Johnny Bench Award winner after he batted .422 with nine home runs, 24 doubles, 61 RBI, 59 runs scored, 17 stolen bases and a .482 on-base percentage for Kennesaw State University.

Sportsnet.ca’s Ben Nicholson-Smith says Pentecost will receive the assigned slot value for the No. 11 pick of $2.8883 million. Pentecost is a great athlete that will stay behind the plate and has some upside with the bat.

It’s the second procedure he’s had on the shoulder this offseason, with the most recent one designed to clean out the joint. Pentecost is expected to resume throwing within three months and will obviously get a late start to the 2015 season. The soon-to-be 22-year-old was the 11th overall pick in last year’s Draft.

The former first-round pick has had multiple surgeries on the shoulder and the renewed soreness is a major reason why the Jays didn’t add him to the 40-man roster, exposing him to the Rule 5 Draft. Toronto is betting on Pentecost not being selected due to his injury issues in addition to his stalled development. Pentecost still hasn’t advanced past A-ball even though he was drafted out of Kennesaw State in 2014.