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Toronto Blue Jays 2020 Prospect Pyramid

Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays 2020 Prospect Pyramid

The Prospect Pyramid is a method of measurement used for prospects for any team. The purpose of this system of ranking is to forego the prospect list system. While lists may be easier for top prospects, a list will vary from person to person. Instead, prospects will be categorized based on their projected ceiling. In this case, all prospects will come from the Toronto Blue Jays farm system.

Requirements

To qualify as a baseball prospect a player must be:

  1. Born after December 31, 1994 (25 and Under)
  2. Has appeared in less than 50 games or under 50 Innings Pitched
  3. Has had less than 130 plate appearances

* Dasan Brown, Olrevis Martin, and Kendall Williams will not be considered in this pyramid. Instead, they will be considered “too early to tell.”

First Tier

Nate Pearson

It’s hard to talk about the Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospects without discussing Nate Pearson. Since being drafted 28th overall by the Blue Jays in 2017, Pearson has been nothing but dominant. In three seasons in Minor League Baseball, Pearson has an ERA of 2.19, a WHIP of 0.868 in 123 innings pitched. Within a year, Pearson went from the 91st best prospect to the 70th best prospect according to Baseball America. Blue Jays fans hope that Pearson will become the future ace of the staff in a few short years. Although it’s unlikely, Pearson could make the starting rotation out of Spring Training.

Second Tier

Jordan Groshans

In 2018, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Groshans 12th overall. After a great first season between the Bluefield Blue Jays and the GCL Blue Jays in the Gulf League; his 2019 season saw his playing time cut with injuries. In 71 career games as a professional baseball player, Groshans hit .309/.376/.457. While he’ll likely be a few years away from making the big leagues, he’s exciting to watch for minor league fans. If all goes well, Groshans will be a future all-star in the major leagues.

Alek Manoah

He was selected 11th overall in the 2019 MLB Draft. The 22-year-old starting pitcher was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year in 2019. Manoah is classified as a “power pitcher” known for his 94-97 mph fastball, his change-up, and his slider. Manoah started just six games for the Blue Jays affiliate Vancouver Canadians; where he produced an ERA of 2.65. While he may be a few years away from the majors, expect the 6 foot-6 pitcher to be a dominant presence wherever he plays next year in the minors.

Third Tier

Griffin Conine 

The Toronto Blue Jays selected Griffin Conine in the second round in the 2018 MLB Draft. After playing the 2018 season with the Vancouver Canadians, he spent the 2019 season with the Lansing Lugnuts. In 80 games with the Lugnuts, Conine hit .283/.371/.576 with 24 HR and 64 RBI. The right fielder will spend his 22-year-old season with either the Dunedin Blue Jays or the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. While he won’t make the majors in the next few years, he is worth watching.

Miguel Hiraldo

He is a 19-year old that can play, second base, shortstop and third base. In 57 games last season for the Lugnuts and Bluefield Blue Jays he hit .299/.346/.485 with seven HR and 37 RBI.

Leonardo Jimenez

He is an 18-year-old shortstop who can also play second base. In 58 games between Lansing and Bluefield, he hit .294/.372/.371 with 22 RBI.

Alejandro Kirk

He is a catcher from Mexico heading into his 21-year-old season. In 92 games with Lansing and Dunedin, he hit .290/.403/.465 with seven HR and 44 RBI.

Adam Kloffenstein

Last year the right-handed starting pitcher appeared in 13 starts with the Vancouver Canadians. He produced an era of 2.24 in 64 innings pitched.

Otto Lopez

Otto Lopez is a 21-year-old shortstop who hails from the Dominican Republic. In 108 games last year in Lansing, he hit .324/.371/.425 with five HR and 50 RBI.

Joey Murray

The Blue Jays selected Joey Murray in the eighth round of the 2018 draft. The 23-year-old starting pitcher has raised his way through the ranks, even playing some games with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. During his 2019 season, he produced an ERA of 2.75 with a WHIP of 1.121 in 137 innings pitched. One thing that sets the right-hander apart is his rising fastball. Although it may be slower, the backspin confuses the hitter a great deal. It’s unclear where he will start the 2020 season, but he will likely make at least one start with the Buffalo Bisons.

https://twitter.com/RyanDifrancesco/status/1212062848970641410

Reese McGuire

At 25-years-old, this will be the last year McGuire will be on this list. In 44 games with the Blue Jays, he has hit .297/.343/.539 with seven HR and 15 RBI.

Eric Pardinho

The 19-year-old starting pitcher hails from Brazil. In 37 innings pitched last season, the right-hander produced an ERA of 2.39 with a WHIP of 1.221.

Kevin Smith

In 116 games with the Fisher Cats, the 23-year-old shortstop hit .209/.263/.402 with 19 HR and 61 RBI.

Forrest Wall

Wall was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the 2014 draft. Last season he hit .268/.351/.422 in 123 games with the Buffalo Bisons and New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Fourth Tier

Riley Adams

He is a 23-year-old catcher drafted by the Blue Jays back in 2017. In 100 games last season with New Hampshire and Dunedin, he hit .261/.366/.443 with 14 HR and 51 RBI.

Anthony Kay

Between three teams last year, Kay had an ERA of 2.96 in 133.2 innings. Good enough for the Blue Jays to call him up last September.

Zach Logue

The 23-year-old left-handed starter pitched in 20 games last season (19 with New Hampshire). In 104 innings in 2019, he produced an ERA of 4.14.

Elvis Luciano

Luciano was the Blue Jays Rule Five draft in 2019. In 33 innings with the Blue Jays he had an ERA of 5.35.

Gabriel Moreno

The Blue Jays signed the catching prospect to a minor league deal back in 2016 from Venezuela. During three seasons with the Blue Jays, Moreno seems to be adapting to professional ball rather nicely. In 2019, Moreno hit .280/.337/.485 in 82 games with the Lansing Lugnuts. In addition, he hit 12 HR, 52 RBI and stole seven bases. Moreno will likely start the 2020 season with the Dunedin Blue Jays.

https://twitter.com/RyanDifrancesco/status/1161088669844983809

Patrick Murphy

For the 24-year-old starter, 2019 was a bit of a setback. Despite making the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Murphy only produced an ERA of 4.71 in 84 innings pitched.

Ryan Noda

Noda is a 24-year-old first baseman. In 117 games with Dunedin he hit .238/.372/.418 with 13 HR and 74 RBI.

Josh Palacios

Palacios is an outfield prospect from Brooklyn, New York. In 82 games with the Fisher Cats last season, he hit .266/.371/.416 with seven HR and 38 RBI. Heading into his 24-year-old season, he has the chance to make the Buffalo Bisons in 2020.

Will Robertson

The 22-year-old is a right fielder who played most of last season with the Vancouver Canadians. In 61 games, he hit .268/.365/.404 with six HR and 33 RBI.

Kevin Vicuna

Originally a native of Venezuela, the 22-year-old spent most of last season with the Dunedin Blue Jays. In 112 games, the shortstop hit .250/.314/.326 with one HR and 36 RBI.

Simeon Woods Richardson

After being taken by the New York Mets in the second round of the MLB Draft; The Mets trade Simeon Woods Richardson to the Toronto Blue Jays in 18 months. He and fellow prospect Anthony Kay came in exchange for Marcus Stroman. In two minor league seasons, the right-hander has produced an ERA of 3.48 with a WHIP of 1.121 in 124 innings pitched. Heading into his 19-year-old season, he will play for either the Dunedin Blue Jays and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Chavez Young

Chavez Young is a 22-year-old outfielder from the Bahamas. In 111 games with the Dunedin Blue Jays last season, he hit .247/.315/.354 with six HR and 43 RBI.

T.J. Zeuch

After 86 innings pitched in the minors last season, Zeuch produced an ERA of 3.74. Zeuch will likely start the 2020 season in Buffalo; but expect him to make at least one start with the Blue Jays this season.

Fifth Tier

Mc Gregory Contreras

He is a 21-year-old outfielder played in 95 games last season between the Lansing Lugnuts and Vancouver Canadians, where he hit .211/.260/.319 with three HR and 29 RBI.

Hagen Danner

The 21-year-old is a designated hitter, catcher and first baseman. In 80 games with the Lugnuts, he hit .170/.254/.369 with 12 HR and 33 RBI.

Yennsy Diaz

In 26 games with the Fisher Cats, the 23-year-old pitched in 144 innings with an ERA of 3.74.

Kyle Johnston

He was originally drafted in the 6th round of the 2017 draft by the Washington Nationals; Johnston came to Toronto in a trade for relief pitcher Daniel Hudson. In 2019, the right-hander pitched in 124 innings with a total ERA of 4.98.

Justin Maese

Maese had a decent three seasons in the Blue Jays farm system. Unfortunately, he missed all of 2018 due to shoulder surgery. In 2019 he only pitched five innings with the Dunedin Blue Jays. Heading into his 23-year-old season Maese has to prove to the Blue Jays organization and himself that he is worth developing. While the odds are against him, hopefully, Maese can prove his naysayers wrong in 2020.

Tanner Morris

The 21-year-old middle infielder was drafted by the Blue Jays in the fifth round in 2019. In 64 games with the Canadians, he hit .246/.384/.346 with two HR and 28 RBI.

Hector Perez

Currently, at 23-years-old the right-hander hails from the Dominican Republic. In 121 innings with New Hampshire, Perez produced an ERA of 4.60.

Samad Taylor

Samad Taylor was selected in the 10th round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Cleveland Indians. After one year in their system, the Indians traded the Second Baseman to Toronto with Thomas Pannone for reliever Joe Smith. Fortunately, since joining the Blue Jays, Taylor has made his way to the Dunedin Blue Jays. In 2019 he hit .216/.325/.364 in 108 games with the Lugnuts.

Sean Wymer

Wymer was the Blue Jays fourth-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. In 137 innings for the Dunedin Blue Jays, he produced an ERA of 5.43.

Sixth Tier

Everybody Else

While there are many other prospects within the Toronto Blue Jays organization, some at this point may not be worth listing. This may be because there are an array of people within the Minor League system, outside of the United States or in a developmental league. While some may get on this list at some point, chances many won’t be.

Toronto Blue Jays
The players included in this study come from data compiled by MLB.com and from Baseball-Reference by Justin Merrlles. The Pyramid is based on future projections of these Toronto Blue Jays players.

 

Justin Merrlles

Justin Merrlles

Justin grew up a fan of the Toronto Blue Jays. He's begun writing to express his opinions and engage with his fellow readers. Follow Justin on Twitter @J_Merrlles

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