{"id":46684,"date":"2021-05-06T20:47:08","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T00:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=46684"},"modified":"2021-05-07T09:35:51","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T13:35:51","slug":"notable-blue-jays-farm-system-2021-storylines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/05\/06\/notable-blue-jays-farm-system-2021-storylines\/","title":{"rendered":"Notable Blue Jays Farm System 2021 Storylines"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0<\/span>Toronto Blue Jays<\/span><\/a> farm system is one of the best in the majors. With their prospects, the Blue Jays will continue to dive into their pipeline throughout the 2021 season. They have kept a strong foundation, giving themselves plenty of options to work with. This farm system has improved in the last two years with strong drafts and smart trades. They have a ton of pitching depth with two positions where teams want to have the most prospect capital: catchers and shortstops.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the 2021 minor league season underway, let’s look at some storylines surrounding some of the club’s prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blue Jays Farm System Storylines<\/span><\/h2>\n

Alek Manoah’s Timeline<\/span><\/h3>\n

It’s no surprise to see\u00a0<\/span>Alek Manoah assigned<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to Triple-A Buffalo. Manoah graduates from Class-A, bypassing three levels of minor league baseball: Low-A, High-A, and Double-A. The 23-year old will join a rotation that includes top prospect Nate Pearson, right-handers T.J. Zeuch and Jacob Waguespack, and Nick Allgeyer. On the mound, Manoah averages a 94 mph fastball with a high 90’s slider. Those pitches also come with an above-average changeup and a curveball he can throw for strikes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Providing that Manoah pitches well in Buffalo, the question of when he’ll get the call to the majors will begin to increase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jordan Groshans and His Lost Development Time<\/span><\/h3>\n

Jordan Groshans hasn’t seen a pitch in a real pro game since May 2019. Groshans spent time with injuries he suffered along with the pandemic wiping out the 2020 minor league season. But, he did spend all of last season at the Blue Jays alternate site, facing pitchers who were more advanced than himself. To continue his progression, the 21-year old must get as many at-bats as possible with playing time on the field. Those are what he needs to check off to have a healthy, productive season. If all goes well in Double-A, it’s easy to imagine the possibility of an MLB debut in 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Team With the Best Chance of Competing in its League<\/span><\/h3>\n

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats have a lot of talent. Buffalo has a good starting rotation, but that will remain until Pearson and Manoah are called up to the majors. The Fisher Cats have a\u00a0<\/span>team with prospects<\/span><\/a> from Austin Martin, Jordan Groshans, Simeon Woods Richardson, Gabriel Moreno, Chavez Young, and Otto Lopez. The 2021 roster is likely New Hampshire’s best team since 2018, when the team had Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerreo Jr., and Cavan Biggio.<\/span><\/p>\n

Us: Here’s all 16 Fisher Cats hits from tonight’s 11-2 win in 90 seconds \u2b07\ufe0f#Martin<\/a> #Lopez<\/a> #Groshans<\/a> #Moreno<\/a> #Young<\/a> #Orimoloye<\/a> #Lundquist<\/a> #Vicuna<\/a> #Taylor<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Yi4SSx8FW9<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 New Hampshire Fisher Cats (@FisherCats) May 5, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n