Toronto Blue Jays 2019 Top 50 Prospects

Kevin Smith - Photo credit Bryan Green on Flickr

The youth movement is now underway. The Blue Jays are fully into a rebuild and now have one of the top farm systems in baseball. They have a lot of prospects in the upper minors that are near major league ready including ten players on this list who have already made their major league debut. Last season they began trading away veteran players and those trades brought in nine prospects that are new to this year’s list.

With a roster full of young players it will be a tough year while the losses begin to pile up. Expectations from the fanbase are very low for this season but with Carlos Montoyo, the new manager with a great reputation of working with young players we could be pleasantly surprised. It is fun though to think of the exciting future that is not far away.

In a review of the last years list we saw some graduations in infielders #7 Lourdes Gurriel Jr.and #9 Richard Urena, starting pitcher #12 Ryan Borucki and outfielder #30 Dwight Smith Jr.. A few others were moved on to other organizations #14 Conner Greene (trade to STL for Grichuk), #15 Edward Olivares (trade to SD for Solarte), #35 Jordan Romano (Rule 5 draft to CWS), #36 Connor Panas (trade to SD for Richard). Some elected to go to free agency in #17 Taylor Guerrieri, #23 Harold Ramirez (signed with MIA), #45 Ivan Castillo, #46 Juan Kelly and #47 Eduard Pinto. #31 D.J. Davis was released and #48 Bradley Jones retired. Let’s take a look at this years top 50 prospects.

Prospects1500 Tiers:
Tier 1: Players with high expectations of both making the majors and playing at an All-Star level for a number of years
Tier 2: Players with an above average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
Tier 3: Players with an average expectation of making the majors and being a solid contributor
Tier 4: Players who have the potential of making the majors, or have high likelihood of making the majors but providing minimal impact (e.g. middle reliever, low-ceiling UT guys)
Tier 5: Players who are worth keeping an eye on, but likely to never make a team’s 40-man roster


Tier 1:
1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B (’18 rank #1)
Age: 19 (DOB 03/16/99)
2018 Highest Level: AAA
The undisputed #1 prospect in baseball is a future generational hitter. We have heard and read all about him for what seems like years now but he is not even 20 years old yet. We were teased with a walk-off home run in Montreal to end spring training 2018 and then had to wait and watch him spend another full season in the minors. He hit a combined .381/.437/.636 with 20 HR at AA New Hampshire and AAA Buffalo. He will not be part of the opening day roster again in Toronto but…..sometime in late April….THE LEGEND BEGINS!!

2. Bo Bichette, SS (’18 rank #2)
Age: 20 (DOB: 03/05/98)
2018 Highest Level: AA
Bichette is the other half of the dynamic duo. As one of the youngest players in the Eastern League he led AA New Hampshire to a championship with another solid season hitting .286/.343/.453 with 11 HR and 32 SB. He is getting close but most likely will spend the full season at AAA Buffalo. Look for him to be the next “top prospect in baseball” before long.


Tier 2:
3. Danny Jansen, C (’18 rank #8)
Age: 23 (DOB: 04/15/95)
2018 Highest Level: MLB
Jansen had another all-star season at AAA Buffalo hitting .275/.390/.473 with 12 HR before his mid-August promotion to Toronto. In 31 MLB games he showed that he is ready to take over the everyday catching duties from Russell Martin.

4. Kevin Smith, SS (’18 rank #25)
Age: 22 (DOB: 07/04/96)
2018 Highest Level: High-A
Smith was selected in the 4th round of the 2017 draft. In his first two seasons he has improved at every step but he will face tougher competition as he moves up to AA New Hampshire in 2019. He hit .302/.358/.528 with 25 HR and 29 SB combined between Low-A Lansing and High-A Dunedin. Versatility is a plus as he has seen time at shortstop, third and second base.

5. Nate Pearson, RHP (’18 rank #5)
Age: 22 (DOB: 08/20/96)
2018 Highest Level: High-A
In his first start at High-A Dunedin Pearson was injured when he was hit by a comebacker to the mound that broke his forearm. He missed the rest of the season. After the season he was sent to the AFL where he was very impressive. His fastball was topping out at 104 mph. He made 6 AFL starts with 23K in 20.2 IP. He will return to the Dunedin rotation for 2019 and will sore up top 100 prospect lists this year.

6. Jordan Groshans, SS/3B (’18 N/A)
Age: 19 (DOB: 11/10/99)
2018 Highest Level: Rookie
Groshans was selected in the 1st round of the 2018 draft. He had a strong start to his first pro season hitting .331/.390/.500 with 4 HR in 37 games in the GCL before moving on to Bluefield for the last 11 games. I can see them aggressively moving him straight to Low-A Lansing to start 2019.


Tier 3:
7. Anthony Alford, OF (’18 Rank #3)
Age: 24 (DOB: 07/20/94)
2018 Highest Level: MLB
After progressing quickly from High-A Dunedin all the way up to making his major league debut in 2017 the past year has been a bit of a disappointment. He opened 2018 on the DL with a hamstring injury and never really got going after that. He slashed .240/.312/.344 with 5 HR and 17 SB at AAA Buffalo. It is time for the Blue Jays organization to clear some space and give him the opportunity to show off his 5-tool talent at the major-league level.

8. Cavan Biggio, 2B (’18 unranked)
Age: 23 (DOB: 04/11/95)
2018 Highest Level: AA
Biggio was the Eastern League MVP in 2018 as he took his hitting to a whole new level. He entered the season outside my top 50 list and went on to lead the EL in HR(28), SLG(.499) and OPS(.887) while also having 20 SB moving him into the top 10. He was sent to the AFL after the season where he played right field to increase his versatility for the future. He should start 2019 at AAA Buffalo and with another big year will be in Toronto soon.

9. Eric Pardinho, RHP (’18 Rank #20)
Age: 18 (DOB: 01/05/01)
2018 Highest Level: Rookie
Pardinho was signed during the 2017 J2 signing period for $1.4M. He excelled in his debut at rookie level Bluefield where he posted a 2.88 ERA with 11.5 K/9 in 11 starts. He has a 96 mph fastball and a good four-pitch mix at a very young age. They could move him straight to Low-A Lansing in 2019 where he should continue to dominate hitters. A future ace.

10. Sean Reid-Foley, RHP (’18 Rank #4)
Age: 23 (DOB: 08/30/95)
2018 Highest Level: MLB
Following up on a disappointing 2017 season Reid-Foley had a 3.90 ERA and 7-5 record in 16 starts at AAA Buffalo before a promotion to Toronto where he made 7 starts. He finished strong with a 3.75 ERA and 33K in 24 innings in September. The recent free agent signings of pitchers Matt Shoemaker and Clayton Richard will force SRF back to the Buffalo rotation to start 2018.

11. Miguel Hiraldo, SS/3B (’18 Rank #43)
Age: 18 (DOB: 09/05/00)
2018 Highest Level: Rookie
Hiraldo was signed during the 2017 J2 signing period and had a nice start playing in the DSL hitting .313/.381/.453. He was moved stateside near the end of August and got into 10 games at rookie level Bluefield. He should continue to improve as he moves up to short-A Vancouver in 2019.

12. Hector Perez, RHP (’18 Rank #9 Astros)
Age: 22 (DOB: 06/06/96)
2018 Highest Level: AA
If Perez can ever harness his control he may end up being the top prize in the Roberto Osuna deal. The stuff is electric and overpowering. He posted a strikeout rate of 10.4 K/9 with a fastball that sits at 96-99 mph but he needs to improve the control issues that saw him give up 5.0 BB/9. He should return to the rotation at AA New Hampshire in 2019.

13. David Paulino, RHP (’18 Rank #6 Astros)
Age: 24 (DOB: 02/06/94)
2018 Highest Level: MLB
Paulino is a MLB-ready prospect also acquired from the Astros in the deal for Osuna. He has been up and down from AAA to the majors over the past 3 seasons but with injuries and a suspension his time on the mound has been limited. He had a 4.70 ERA and 11.0 K/9 in 10 AAA starts and a 5.48 ERA in 42.2 MLB innings over that time. He was a September call-up to Toronto who worked out of the bullpen where he had a solid 1.35 ERA with 8.1 K/9 in 7 games. He will need to have an outstanding spring to remain in the teams plans as a starter. It is more likely he will be a good late-inning reliever in the Toronto bullpen this year.

14. Adam Kloffenstein, RHP (’18 N/A)
Age: 18 (DOB: 08/25/00)
2018 Highest Level: GCL
Kloffenstein was selected in the 3rd round of the 2018 draft and was given 1st round money to sign. He made a brief debut in the GCL striking out 4 with 1 hit and 3 walks in 2 innings of work. He should move into the short-A Vancouver rotation this season.

15. Logan Warmoth, SS (’18 Rank #6)
Age: 23 (DOB: 09/06/95)
2018 Highest Level: High-A
Warmoth was selected in the 1st round of the 2017 draft. After a nice start in 2017 his sophomore season at Dunedin was disappointing. He missed a lot of time with injury and hit .248/.322/.319 with only 1 HR. The move straight to High-A may have been a bit aggressive so a second try at Dunedin will be needed to get back on track.


Tier 4:
16. Forrest Wall, OF (’18 Rank #12 Rockies)
Age: 23 (DOB: 11/20/95)
2018 Highest Level: AA
Wall was acquired from the Rockies for reliever Seunghwan Oh at the trade deadline. He has plus speed with 38 stolen bases this season. After the trade he hit .271/.354/.380 at AA New Hampshire and had 10 HR overall. With his ability to play both centre field and second base he could become a versatile utility player in the future. Should return to AA New Hampshire to start the year.

17. T.J. Zeuch, RHP (’18 Rank #10)
Age: 23 (DOB: 08/01/95)
2018 Highest Level: AA
Zeuch was selected in the 1st round of the 2016 draft. He made six starts at High-A Dunedin before being quickly promoted to AA. He had an excellent season as the ace of the New Hampshire staff making 21 starts. He was 9-5 with a 3.08 ERA in leading the Fisher Cats to a championship. He will work in the AAA Buffalo rotation in 2019 and could be a September call-up to Toronto

18. Orelvis Martinez, SS (’18 Rank N/A)
Age: 17 (DOB: 11/19/01)
2018 Highest Level: Did not play
Martinez was signed during the 2018 J2 signing period for $3.5M. He has yet to play in the system but has a lot of offensive upside and will debut in rookie ball this season.

19. Griffin Conine, OF (’18 Rank N/A)
Age: 21 (DOB: 07/11/97)
2018 Highest Level: Short-A
Conine was the 2nd round selection in the 2018 draft. He had a strong start to the season at Vancouver but after being named to the NWL all-star game he struggled in the second half hitting only .190/.260/.316. His troubles continued after the season when he was given a 50 game suspension for taking a banned stimulant. He quickly admitted to making a mistake so hopefully he will learn from it.

20. Billy McKinney, OF (’18 Rank #13 Yankees)
Age: 24 (DOB: 08/23/94)
2018 Highest Level: MLB
Acquired in the J.A. Happ trade deadline deal from the Yankees, McKinney played well in his debut with the Blue Jays. He hit .252/.320/.470 with 6 HR and 7 double in 115 AB. He is slated to be the starting left fielder for Toronto in 2019.

21. Chad Spanberger, 1B (’18 Rank #20 Rockies)
Age: 23 (DOB: 11/01/95)
2018 Highest Level: High-A
Spanberger is a left-handed slugger who was acquired from Colorado as part of the deadline deal for reliever Seung-Hwan Oh. He had a solid season hitting .298/.355/.538 with 27 HR and 90 RBI combined between Low-A Asheville/Low-A Lansing/High-A Dunedin. He should move up to AA New Hampshire in 2019.

22. Rowdy Tellez, 1B (’18 Rank #11)
Age: 23 (DOB: 03/16/95)
2018 Highest Level: MLB
It seems like he has been on the cusp of making it for a couple years now and he finally got the chance to get regular playing time in Toronto as a September call-up. He made the most of it and showed us what the future holds smashing 4 HR, 9 doubles and slashing .314/.329/.614 in 70 AB. With Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales still around he remains blocked for full-time duty so he will likely open the season at AAA Buffalo for the third year in a row.

23. Thomas Pannone, LHP (’18 Rank #24)
Age: 24 (DOB: 04/28/94)
2018 Highest Level: MLB
Pannone has moved quickly through the minor leagues. He was only at Low-A Lake County in the Indians organization midway through the 2016 season. He started 2018 serving an 80 game suspension before being promoted to Toronto in August. He was 4-1 with a 4.19 ERA in 12 games (6 starts) at the major league level. Like SRF the recent free agent signings are going to bounce him back to AAA Buffalo to await another shot in Toronto.

24. Ryan Noda, 1B (’18 Rank #26)
Age: 22 (DOB: 03/30/96)
2018 Highest Level: Low-A
Noda dominated the Midwest League with 20 HR and 80 RBI while hitting .256/.421/.484. He led the league with walks (109) but the strikeouts (135) were high as well. He will look to follow up on his two strong seasons against better pitching at Hi-A Dunedin where he may also see more starts in the outfield.

25. Reese McGuire, C (’18 Rank #21)
Age: 23 (DOB: 03/02/95)
2018 Highest Level: MLB
McGuire got into 14 games in Toronto as a September call-up and the start to his MLB career was impressive. Small sample size but he hit 290/.333/.581 with 2 HR in 31 AB. With Russell Martin still around he will likely go back to AAA Buffalo and catch the majority of the games there this season.

26. Samad Taylor, 2B (’18 Rank #40)
Age: 20 (DOB: 07/11/98)
2018 Highest Level: Low-A
Taylor was acquired along with Thomas Pannone in the trade for reliever Joe Smith. He has great speed with 44 stolen bases at Low-A Lansing. His 9 HR shows that there could be some power there as well. Potential for a breakout season as he moves up to High-A Dunedin in 2019.

27. Max Pentecost, C (’18 Rank #13)
Age: 25 (DOB: 03/10/93)
2018 Highest Level: AA
Pentecost had a big finish to the season with 6 HR, 22 RBI while hitting .375/.381/.675 in August at AA New Hampshire after struggling at the plate the first half of the year. Hopefully that was enough to keep him relevant here though. He is beginning to get lost in the catching log-jam in the organization. He is looking at repeating AA and will likely be sharing the catching duties with the younger Riley Adams. Losing so much time to injury early in his career may be catching up to him with his development.

28. Santiago Espinal, SS (’18 Rank #42 Red Sox)
Age: 24 (DOB: 11/13/94)
2018 Highest Level: AA
Acquired from the Red Sox in June for Steve Pearce. Espinal had a breakout season in 2018. Combined across High-A Salem/High-A Dunedin and AA New Hampshire he hit .297/.356/.444 with 10 HR. He should return to AA New Hampshire but could move quickly from there. A future utility infielder may be a September call-up this year.

29. Chavez Young, OF (’18 unranked)
Age: 21 (DOB: 07/08/97)
2018 Highest Level: Low-A
The unheralded 39th round pick from the 2016 draft had a very impressive year at Low-A Lansing hitting .285/.363/.445 with 8 HR and 44 stolen bases. He was the only player in minor league baseball to have 50 extra base hits and 40 stolen bases. A dynasty sleeper we will watch to see if he can maintain those numbers as he moves up to High-A Dunedin.

30. Riley Adams, C (’18 Rank #22)
Age: 22 (DOB: 06/26/96)
2018 Highest Level: High-A
Adams was selected in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft. He jumped straight to High-A Dunedin from short-A Vancouver in 2018 and continued to improve as the season went on. He finished the year strong hitting .319/.424/.417 in August. He should move up to AA New Hampshire and share the catching duties with Pentecost.

31. Leonardo Jimenez, SS (’18 Rank #44)
Age: 17 (DOB: 05/17/01)
2018 Highest Level: GCL
Jimenez was the big signing from the 2017 J2 signing period. He was one of he youngest in the league when he made his debut this season in the GCL. He hit .250/.333/.341. He will likely move to short-A Vancouver this season.

32. Jon Harris, SP (’18 Rank #19)
Age: 25 (DOB: 10/16/93)
2018 Highest Level: AAA
1st round pick from the 2015 draft was 12-5 with a disappointing 4.75 ERA in 25 starts. It was his second full season at AA New Hampshire. He should start 2019 in the AAA Buffalo rotation but it may be time to see if he would be better suited as a reliever.

33. Alejandro Kirk, C (’18 Unranked)
Age: 20 (11/06/98)
2018 Highest Level: Rookie
An unheralded late international sign out of Mexico in 2016 who burst onto the scene at rookie level Bluefield where he bashed 10 HR, 57 RBI and hit .354/.443/.558 on his way to an APPY league all-star selection. Listed at 5’9”, 220 lbs he will need to keep his weight under control as he moves forward. With Hagen Danner and Gabriel Moreno targeted for Vancouver he could jump right to Low-A Lansing next season.


Tier 5:
34. Justin Maese, RHP (’18 Rank #16)
Age: 22 (DOB: 10/24/96)
2018 Highest Level: Did not play
Shoulder surgery following the 2017 season forced Maese to miss the entire year.

35. Trent Thornton, SP (’18 Rank #31 Astros)
Age: 25 (DOB: 09/30/93)
2018 Highest Level: AAA
Thornton was acquired in November from Houston in a trade for Aledmys Diaz. He has been a starter at the AAA level in the Astros organization for the past two seasons going 9-8 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 2018. He should start the season at AAA Buffalo and could become a factor in the Toronto rotation at some point in 2019. He may also become a useful multi-inning reliever in the future.

36. Hagen Danner, C (’18 Rank #18)
Age: 20 (DOB: 09/03/98)
2018 Highest Level: Rookie
Injuries limited Danner to only DHing in the second half of 2018. He slashed .279/.409/.432 in his second season at the rookie level. He should move up to short-A Vancouver in 2019.

37. Elvis Luciano, RHP (’18 unranked)
Age: 18 (02/15/00)
2018 Highest Level: Rookie
Luciano is a young, high upside arm who was selected from Kansas City in the Rule 5 draft. If they decide to keep him he will need to spend the entire 2019 season in the Toronto bullpen. Originally signed by Arizona in 2016 out of D.R., he was traded to KC early in 2018 for Jon Jay. He was 5-5, 3.90 ERA with 70 K in 67 IP pitching at the rookie level in the Royals organization. An interesting gamble.

38. Yennsy Diaz, RHP (’18 Rank #38)
Age: 22 (DOB: 11/15/96)
2018 Highest Level: High-A
Diaz had an outstanding the year in 2018. He started the season going 5-1, 2.08 ERA in 9 starts at Low-A Lansing before moving up to High-A Dunedin where he finished the season a combined 10-5, 3.05 ERA. He was added to the 40 man roster prior to the rule 5 draft so they think highly of him. He should get a few starts this year at Dunedin before quickly moving up to AA New Hampshire.

39. Julian Merryweather, RHP (’18 Rank #19 Indians)
Age: 27 (DOB: 10/14/91)
Highest Level 2018: Did not play
THE PLAYER TO BE NAMED LATER. Apparently all that former MVP Josh Donaldson was worth. At 27 he is a little old to still be considered a prospect. Merryweather is coming off Tommy John surgery and has not pitched since 2017 when he was 7-9 with a 5.32 ERA split between AA Akron and AAA Columbus. He is a combined 23-20 with a 3.92 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in his minor league career.The late-bloomer has been described by GM Ross Atkins as a “near-term prospect who can impact the major league team in a significant way”. He could become a useful middle-of the rotation starter or with a pre-surgery fastball that touched 97 mph he may become an effective late inning reliever.

40. Sean Wymer, RHP (’18 Rank N/A)
Age: 21 (DOB: 03/19/97)
2018 Highest Level: Short-A
Wymer was selected in the 4th round of the 2018 draft. He had a 4.84 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 13 appearances (7 starts) in his pro debut at short-A Vancouver. He will move up to the Low-A Lansing rotation but is more likely to be a reliever long-term.

41. Demi Orimoloye, OF (’18 Rank #38 Brewers)
Age: 22 (DOB: 01/06/97)
2018 Highest Level: High-A
Orimoloye was acquired at the trade deadline from Milwaukee for Curtis Granderson. A 4th round pick of the Brewers in 2015 he has always been known to have raw power potential and good speed. He split 2018 between Low-A/High-A hitting .248/.322/.393 with 12 HR and 22 SB. He had 38 SB in 2017 at Low-A Wisconsin. He should begin this season at High-A Dunedin.

42. Gabriel Moreno, C (’18 unranked)
Age: 18 (DOB: 02/14/00)
2018 Highest Level: Rookie
Moreno had an outstanding season in his first year stateside first in the GCL and then moving on to Bluefield. He hit .359/.395/.575 in 40 games. He should move up to short-A Vancouver in 2019. Look for a breakout season.

43. Jonathan Davis, OF (’18 Rank #37)
Age: 26 (DOB: 05/12/92)
2018 Highest Level: MLB
Davis got into 20 games as a September call-up to Toronto after a season spent split between AA New Hampshire and AAA Buffalo. He hit a combined .282/.359/.422 with 10 HR across the two levels. He should start 2019 at Buffalo awaiting another opportunity to get back to the majors.

44. Shawn Morimando, LHP (’18 Rank #23 Indians)
Age: 26 (DOB:11/20/92)
2018 Highest Level: AAA
Morimondo was signed to a minor league contract in July after he was released by Cleveland. Prior to his release he had been on the DL with a shoulder injury which had limited him to only 9 AAA starts in 2018. The Blue Jays sent him to the AFL after the season where he pitched is 21.2 innings. He previously had a short stint in the majors in 2016 with the Indians where things didn’t go so well, he got lit up for an 11.57 ERA in only 4.2 IP. He should begin the year as one of the AAA Buffalo starters and may get a look in Toronto at some point in 2019.

45. Kevin Vicuna, SS (’18 Rank #28)
Age: 21 (DOB: 01/14/98)
2018 Highest Level: Low-A
Vicuna had another impressive season at Low-A Lansing hitting .266/.307/.358 with 37 RBI. The strong defensive shortstop saw his extra base pop improve with 16 doubles, 6 triples and the first 2 home runs of his career. The abundance of middle infielders in the system could see him return to Low-A Lansing for a 3rd time.

46. Mc Gregory Contreras, LF (’18 unranked)
Age: 20 (DOB: 08/30/98)
2018 Highest Level: Short-A
My Super-Sleeper from last years top 50 list Contreras led short-A Vancouver in HR (8), RBI (30) and total bases (99) while hitting .260/.318/.460 in 2018. He should move up to full-season ball at Low-A Lansing in 2019.

47. Jackson McClelland, RHP (’18 unranked)
Age: 24 (DOB: 07/19/94)
2018 Highest Level: AA
McClelland was selected in the 15th round pick of the 2015 draft. He is a 6’5”, 220lb. power reliever who saw his velocity increase up to a high of 101 mph in 2018. He had 57K in 43.2 IP between High-A Dunedin and AA New Hampshire. He will be the New Hampshire closer in 2019.

48. Zach Jackson, RHP (’18 rank #34)
Age: 24 (DOB: 12/25/94)
2018 Highest Level: AA
Jackson was selected in the 3rd round of the 2016 draft. He had another strong season working out of the AA New Hampshire bullpen. He had 75 K in 62 IP while only giving up 2 HR. He will need to work on controlling the 7.4 BB/9. He should begin next season at AAA Buffalo with a possible call-up to Toronto sometime in 2019.

49. Otto Lopez, 2B (’18 unranked)
Age: 20 (DOB: 10/01/98)
2018 Highest Level – Short-A
Lopez was a late sign during the 2016 J2 signing period. He had a breakout season split between rookie level Bluefield and short-A Vancouver. He was a combined .308/.389/.466 with 3 HR. At 5’10” and only 160 lbs he is a scrappy, versatile hitter who plays all over the field getting into games at 2B/SS/3B as well as LF and RF this season. Look for him to move up to Low-A Lansing.

50. Zach Logue, LHP (’18 unranked)
Age: 22 (DOB: 04/23/96)
2018 Highest Level – High-A
Logue was selected in the 9th round of the 2017 draft. He had a stellar season going a combined 12-4 with a 3.15 ERA split between Low-A Lansing and High-A Dunedin. He is not overpowering but keeps hitters off-balance with a good four-pitch mix. He could start 2019 in the AA New Hampshire rotation but may need a few starts at Dunedin first.

51. Joshua Palacios, CF (’18 rank #29)
Age: 23 (DOB: 07/30/95)
2018 Highest Level: AA
Palacios was selected in the 4th round of the 2016 draft. He continues to put up solid numbers moving up one level at a time. He hit .292/.357/.418 at High-A Dunedin with a strong finish hitting .363 in August. After only 2 HR in his first two seasons the power is starting to come around with 8 HR this year. He got into the last game of the year at AA New Hampshire and should return there this year.

Other Names Considered:
Dom Abbadessa, OF – Age 21 – drafted Rd.23-2016- 2018 highest level – Rookie Bluefield
Maximo Castillo, RHP – Age 19 – signed IFA 2015 – 2018 highest level – Low-A Lansing
Brock Lundquist, OF – Age 22 – drafted Rd.6-2017 – 2018 highest level – High-A Dunedin
Patrick Murphy, SP – Age 23 – drafted Rd.3-2013 – 2018 highest level – AA New Hampshire
Joey Murray, RHP – Age 22 – drafted Rd.8-2018 – 2018 highest level – short-A Vancouver
Francisco Rios, RHP – Age 23 – signed IFA 2012 – 2018 highest level – AA New Hampshire
Yorman Rodriguez, C – Age 21 – signed IFA 2014 – 2018 highest level – short-A Vancouver
Cal Stevenson, OF – Age 22 – drafted Rd.10 2018 – 2018 highest level – Rookie Bluefield

SUPER SLEEPER ALERT
Josh Winckowski, SP
Age: 20 (DOB: 06/28/98)
2018 Highest Level: short-A
Selected in the 15th round of the 2016 draft. Winckowski really put things together and took off in the second half of the season with a 1.78 ERA, 1.08 WHIP in his final 6 starts at short-A Vancouver. With a fastball touching 96 mph and good slider and curve he had 40K and only 7 walks in his final 35.1 innings. He was named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Year. Look for a breakout season starting at Low-A Lansing in 2019.

Greg covers the Toronto Blue Jays organization for Prospects1500. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, a long-suffering fan of both the Blue Jays and the Toronto Maple Leafs. For more than 15 years now a participant/commish in many dynasty baseball leagues, all with extremely deep minor league rosters. Follow on X @gregbracken07.




3 Comments

3 Trackbacks / Pingbacks

  1. Creating a Blue Jays Top Prospect Uber-List | The Birdfeed
  2. Checking In On Where Blue Jays Top 50 Prospects Are | Prospects1500
  3. Toronto Blue Jays 2019 Midseason Top 50 Prospects | Prospects1500

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*