63.33 Montreal Trades the Sheriff for Knuckleballer Bouton
Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2025 11:15 am
Montreal announced a trade with Twin Cities today. The Blazers will part ways with first baseman/right fielder Herman 'Sheriff' de Jonge and receive right-hander Enzo Bouton and $333,333. Bouton, an LA native, holds dual citizenship with both the US and Canada.
Enzo Bouton
Bouton, 29, was the number one overall pick in the 2050 amateur draft, selected out of high school by Twin Cities. He has a four-pitch repertoire led by his elite knuckleball. He complements his "balle papillon" with a fastball, slider, and changeup, but all three pitches could stand improvement -- especially the changeup. His fastball sits around 92-94 mph. Batters struggle to square up his pitches and Bouton struggles to throw strikes. Montreal catchers are facing quite the challenge.
This season Bouton is 3-5 with a 6.39 ERA, but that doesn't tell the whole story. In nine starts, he is 2-4 with a 5.82 ERA; in 16 relief appearances, he is 1-1 with a 7.23 ERA. Last season, after being traded to Twin Cities, he was 4-3 in ten starts with a 4.04 ERA. He is said to be an iron man and innings eater who always answers the bell and can pitch deep into games but scouts say that he has a poor work ethic.
Herman 'Sheriff' de Jonge
The towering (6'6") De Jonge, 24, is a strong-armed right fielder and highly capable first baseman with no holes in his offensive profile. He has all-around decent major league hitting skills but none that stand out. He exhibits slightly more power against left-handed pitching. This season in AAA, he is hitting .372/.450/.649 (193 OPS+) in 169 plate appearances. His career BBA batting line is .247/.317/.399 (105 OPS+) in 704 plate appearances over the last three seasons. He was originally selected out of high school by Phoenix in the second round of the 2055 amateur draft.
Enzo Bouton
Bouton, 29, was the number one overall pick in the 2050 amateur draft, selected out of high school by Twin Cities. He has a four-pitch repertoire led by his elite knuckleball. He complements his "balle papillon" with a fastball, slider, and changeup, but all three pitches could stand improvement -- especially the changeup. His fastball sits around 92-94 mph. Batters struggle to square up his pitches and Bouton struggles to throw strikes. Montreal catchers are facing quite the challenge.
This season Bouton is 3-5 with a 6.39 ERA, but that doesn't tell the whole story. In nine starts, he is 2-4 with a 5.82 ERA; in 16 relief appearances, he is 1-1 with a 7.23 ERA. Last season, after being traded to Twin Cities, he was 4-3 in ten starts with a 4.04 ERA. He is said to be an iron man and innings eater who always answers the bell and can pitch deep into games but scouts say that he has a poor work ethic.
Herman 'Sheriff' de Jonge
The towering (6'6") De Jonge, 24, is a strong-armed right fielder and highly capable first baseman with no holes in his offensive profile. He has all-around decent major league hitting skills but none that stand out. He exhibits slightly more power against left-handed pitching. This season in AAA, he is hitting .372/.450/.649 (193 OPS+) in 169 plate appearances. His career BBA batting line is .247/.317/.399 (105 OPS+) in 704 plate appearances over the last three seasons. He was originally selected out of high school by Phoenix in the second round of the 2055 amateur draft.