Toronto Blue Jays top 10 prospects for 2019

Though in the midst of a rebuild, the Toronto Blue Jays have some elite talent that should break through quickly.

We are in our third offseason at Call to the Pen of putting together top 10 prospect lists for every organization in baseball. Today’s list is the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Process

Our team prospect lists are compiled by Benjamin Chase, who has spent time doing plenty of watching via MiLB.tv of every organization in baseball along with talking to a very wide array of scouts who have seen players in person to hone his own opinion on players. That allows for a wide coverage on players from the Dominican Summer League all the way to the major leagues.

These lists are the opinion of Ben, and his process is heavily weighted on his own view, but also on trusted views of others. Typically, each system’s list of 10 is peeled down from a consideration list of 50-75 players. There will be some weight given to a player who is closer to the major leagues, but often these opinions will be different than some of the “major” lists out there. Feel free to comment at the end of the list with any questions you may have!

With that out of the way, let’s dig into today’s list:

Toronto Blue Jays system review

Blue Jays list for 2017
Blue Jays list for 2018
Blue Jays 2018 minors all-stars

After sitting in an odd position for a couple of seasons, where there was enough talent to compete but not enough to really break through to that upper echelon of competing for a World Series title, the Toronto Blue Jays chose to tear things down. Out went star names like Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki who had struggled to produce on the field for the last two seasons.

In comes a wave of young prospects that will quickly energize the Jays fan base. Already one of the top prospects on the list got his first taste of the big leagues, and he showed so well that the team was comfortable moving veteran Russell Martin to open up the catching position. Add in the top prospect in the game along with multiple prospects in the top 100, and the Blue Jays are set up well, it would appear.

However, what should really excite Toronto Blue Jays fans is that among many I’ve spoken with, and in my own personal opinion, the lower levels (below full-season ball) of the Toronto system are among the 2-3 most talented collections of players at that level of any organization in baseball.

Let’s start with the countdown, starting with a player that fell outside of the top 10, but was picked up in 2018 via the draft or international signing and is worthy of extra attention going into 2019…

10. Hector Perez, RHP

Birthday: 6/6/1996 (22)
Acquired: Trade with Houston, July 2018
Level(s): high-A Buies Creek, AA Corpus Christi, AA New Hampshire
Statistics: 3-5, 27 G, 18 GS, 115 IP, 2 SV, 3.76 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 13.3% BB, 27.7% K

Originally signed by the Houston Astros in the summer of 2014 as an “older” signee, already 18 when he first signed, Hector Perez, like many late signees had a lot of velocity, but not a lot of polish to go with it.

That was still the story for Perez as he opened the 2018 season in the Carolina League working in the Astros tandem system, with some thinking that Perez may end up shifting to the bullpen due to difficulties with his delivery. He was able to get his delivery smoothed and saw excellent results in AA as well.

Perez has plenty of walks on his tally sheet, but yet his WHIP stays reasonable simply because it is near-impossible to square up his lively mid-90s fastball that can touch upper-90s or his hard-breaking upper-80s slider. Obviously, long-term, he’ll have to polish his control and command to have a chance at starting, but there’s a formula already here for a dominant relief pitcher.

In fact, one big comparison that has been made is to the man that Perez was traded for, Roberto Osuna, who went from a starter in high-A, and one without a lot of success to his name yet, to big league closer (granted, Osuna was a couple years younger, but still). Perez could absolutely make that kind of jump in 2019 if the Toronto Blue Jays chose to push him into a bullpen role full-time.

If he’s not pushed into the bullpen, Perez could open in AA as a starter, with a bump to AAA midseason and a September call to Toronto in 2019.

9. Anthony Alford, OF

Birthday: 7/20/1994 (24)
Acquired: Draft, 3rd round, 2012
Level(s): high-A Dunedin, AAA Buffalo, MLB Toronto
Statistics: Majors: .105/.190/.105, 13 G, 21 PA, 2 2B, 1 SB, 2/9 BB/K; Minors: .238/.314/.339, 112 G, 442 PA, 23 2B, 5 HR, 17 SB, 7.5% BB, 27.1% K

The running story for Anthony Alford since he was drafted has been that if he would be healthy and playing baseball full-time, he would absolutely explode on the scene. He played a total of 25 games over his first three seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system after being drafted while he pursued college football in the fall.

After focusing his efforts on baseball in 2015, he did jump fast, bounding through both A-ball levels with ease. However, then the injuries began hitting, sapping his 2016 and 2017, playing a total of 92 games and 77 games the two seasons in the minor leagues, respectively.

In 2018, though he did have some time missed, in general, Alford was healthy enough to play 112 minor league games and 12 major league games, yet for the first time, when he was healthy and on the field, he wasn’t productive, and he looked even worse when he was in the big leagues, with a swing that seemed incredibly feeble.

Alford is still arguably the most athletic player on any field he steps onto, and that will get him plenty of opportunities, but he is turning 25 midway through the 2019 season, so the time is now to earn his way into the Toronto Blue Jays future plans. Otherwise, he may be looking to ply his trade elsewhere.

8. Cavan Biggio, IF

Birthday: 4/11/1995 (23)
Acquired: Draft, 5th round, 2016
Level(s): AA New Hampshire
Statistics: .252/.388/.499, 132 G, 563 PA, 23 2B, 5 3B, 26 HR, 20 SB, 17.8% BB, 26.3% K

One of a collection of sons of former big league players in the Toronto Blue Jays system, Cavan Biggio came out of Notre Dame as a different type of player than his dad was on the field, but with the same grit and do-anything-for-the-team attitude about the game, the name on the back of the jersey certainly brings back memories.

Cavan is not Craig Biggio, however, and his play in 2018 certainly showed that. While Biggio is no hack at second base, he’s certainly not “pretty” at the position, and with the likelihood that better defenders in the system will need to move to the position, the team worked Biggio much more actively around the diamond both in the regular season and especially in the Arizona Fall League.

With the hands to handle second, the arm to handle third or the outfield corners, and enough thump to slot at first, Biggio can profile at a number of positions, so developing his bat is most important, and he certainly showed big signs in 2018, even if many will gloss over them with his low batting average.

Biggio does walk a significant amount, but that’s not due to being passive, as he’s not a guy who ends up with ridiculous strikeout numbers. In fact, in the Arizona Fall League, he maintained his walk rate at a nearly identical pace, but facing arguably the best pitchers he’d faced all season, Biggio cut down his strikeout rate to the same level. He has enough power and speed to be an impact in both departments offensively.

Moving him around the diamond should give the Toronto Blue Jays a clearer path to bring up Biggio at some point in 2019 as he could potentially fill any number of roles on the team or provide a valuable bat that plays 3-4 days per week at a host of positions.

7. Jordan Groshans, SS

Birthday: 11/10/1999 (19)
Acquired: Draft, 1st round, 2018
Level(s): GCL Blue Jays, advanced rookie Bluefield
Statistics: .296/.353/.446, 48 G, 207 PA, 13 2B, 5 HR, 7.2% BB, 17.9% K

The Toronto Blue Jays nabbed a pair of prospects from Magnolia High School in Magnolia, Texas this year, shortstop Jordan Groshans in the first round and righty Adam Kloffenstein in the third round. Kloffenstein tossed all of 2 innings in his pro debut, but he will almost certainly make this list going into the 2020 season.

Groshans was considered a questionable overdraft at the #12 slot in the 2018 draft, but he’s already more than shown that his draft slot was worthwhile. Groshans has a wide-shouldered 6’3″ build, so it’s likely he’ll outgrow his current 180ish-pound frame, but if he does, he’ll have a comfortable landing spot at third base.

His smooth moves and soft hands allow him to work either at short or third at a high level, though I could see him having a similar profile down the road to Manny Machado currently defensively – elite at third and passable at short.

Offensively, Groshans has great hands and a quick bat at the plate that allows for tremendous power off the bat when he makes contact, specifically pounding the gaps right now. He certainly generates impressive sound off the bat.

As he fills into his frame, those doubles will start turning more into home runs, and he could be a guy who hits for both a quality average and 25+ home runs.

Though he struggled with the Appy League to finish off his 2018 pro debut, it’s most likely that Groshans will open 2019 in the Midwest League, making his full-season debut, unless the Toronto Blue Jays see a reason that Groshans needs time at extended spring.

6. Kevin Smith, SS

Birthday: 7/4/1996 (22)
Acquired: Draft, 4th round, 2017
Level(s): low-A Lansing, high-A Dunedin
Statistics: .302/.358/.528, 129 G, 575 PA, 31 2B, 6 3B, 25 HR, 29 SB, 7% BB, 21% K

In the 2017 draft, the Toronto Blue Jays drafted a pair of college shortstops from long-standing solid baseball schools. Logan Warmoth came from North Carolina and really did nothing to terribly disappoint, but really did nothing to impress heavily either. Kevin Smith was taken three rounds later out of Maryland, and he leaped onto the national stage.

It is notable that when Smith and Warmoth were both at Dunedin together, Smith did play a few positions, but he played the majority of the starts at shortstop while both were at the level, which says just how far he’s come just a year removed from college.

Smith made some small adjustments in his swing, but more than anything, he made a conscious effort to be aggressive with pitches he knew that he could handles in his first full season, and it resulted in significantly more power than he was certainly ever projected to have, with 25 home runs, 18 of which came in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League.

Defensively, Smith is the type of shortstop that does everything well but nothing outstanding. He does have a plus arm and a quick first step that would translate very well to third base, but he’s also comfortable around the second base bag if he’d need to move to second as well, but for now, he’s probably the most consistent of the shortstops in the Jays system with a glove on his hand, so it makes sense to give him the majority of his reps at that position.

Smith will likely open 2019 at AA, with a chance that the Blue Jays play with he and Warmoth in their placements to some degree so each can see some shortstop time, but it would not surprise me a bit if Smith ended up making his way up to AAA and even earning a September callup in 2019. To go out on a limb, I’ll wager that if he’s not in the majors in September, he’ll be a Jays representative in the Arizona Fall League.

5. Eric Pardinho, RHP

Birthday: 1/5/2001 (18)
Acquired: International free agent, July 2017
Level(s): advanced rookie Bluefield
Statistics: 4-3, 11 GS, 2.88 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 50 IP, 7.9%, 31.5%

Though he is small in stature, the Toronto Blue Jays had no reservations about giving Eric Pardinho a significant signing bonus out of Brazil in the summer of 2017. He’s certainly showed that to be a wise move thus far.

Just 17 the entire season, Pardinho was trusted with leaping over the GCL and going straight to advanced rookie Bluefield in the Appalachian League, where he was facing mostly hitters coming out of college or in their first full pro season after being drafted out of high school the previous summer. Yet, he never seemed phased, and he actually produced at an extremely high level all season.

Pardinho stands just 5’10” and he is listed at 155 pounds, though that could be more like 170ish now, but that’s still quite small. Still, his delivery shows minimal effort to generate mid-90s velocity, and on top of just pure velocity, he has the ability to manipulate and command his pitches already at just 17.

Someone asked me my impression of Pardinho’s season this year, and I very willingly compared the impression of his excellence to Wander Franco‘s with the bat in 2018. If Pardinho was a hitter showing the maturity and raw skills he did in 2018, he’d likely be a top 25 prospect.

The Toronto Blue Jays have no reason to rush Pardinho, but his own maturity on the mound may allow them to push him, likely going to full-season ball in 2019, perhaps even getting a taste of high-A by the end of the season.

4. Nate Pearson, RHP

Birthday: 8/20/1996 (22)
Acquired: Draft, 1st round, 2017
Level(s): high-A Dunedin
Statistics: 0-1, 1 GS, 1.2 IP, 10.80 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 0/1 BB/K

Coming out of high school in Florida, Nate Pearson didn’t draw a lot of pro interest as a long, gangly righty with potential in his fastball but not much else. He couldn’t break the Florida International rotation as a freshman and chose to transfer to Central Florida Community College.

Between his freshman and sophomore year, he added significant natural build and also got into significant shape, filling in his frame with muscle, allowing him to develop into an impressive power pitcher with a fastball that could top triple digits.

That made him a fast-riser in the 2017 draft, going with the 28th overall pick, Toronto’s second selection of the first round. He then came out and put together an unbelievable show in his pro debut in 2017, tossing 20 innings, with a 0.90 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and an insane 5/26 BB/K over 20 innings.

Then he was injured this season, and he simply could never get his feel right on the mound. At 6’6″, consistency in delivery will always be a concern for Pearson, especially with the energy he generates through the delivery. However, when he’s on, there are few with a more impressive trio of pitches in the entire game.

Pearson will need to stay healthy, and he’ll likely open in high-A Dunedin with the Toronto Blue Jays keeping him close to the team facility to watch him early on, but he could move quickly if he shows full health and a smooth delivery!

3. Danny Jansen, C

Birthday: 4/15/1995 (23)
Acquired: Draft, 16th round, 2013
Level(s): AAA Buffalo, MLB Toronto
Statistics: Minors: .275/.390/.473, 88 G, 360 PA, 21 2B, 12 HR, 5 SB, 12.2% BB, 13.6% K; Majors: .247/.347/.432, 31 G, 95 PA, 6 2B, 3 HR, 9.5% BB, 17.9% K

The Toronto Blue Jays saw their first major league action from Danny Jansen behind the plate in 2018, and it was enough of an impression that the team was willing to move veteran Russell Martin in the offseason to clear playing time for Jansen.

Jansen was originally drafted by the Jays out of high school in Wisconsin, and there are few more volatile draft stocks than a high school catcher, but Jansen worked through a very typical high school catcher maturation process, working on his defense for a few seasons before seeing his offense take off once he had gained the experience and skill enough that the defensive end of the game was more natural at the pro level for him.

Injuries also interjected in Jansen’s development, and he’s yet to play more than 104 games in any season, so that is something that the Jays will be keeping an eye on this year, but his bat exploded in the Arizona Fall League after the 2016 season and simply hasn’t stopped since.

After hitting .323/.400/.484 across three levels in 2017, Jansen hit very well in AAA in 2018 before getting a promotion to the major leagues. While he did not have the best batting average, his walk and strikeout rate in the majors showed that he was not overwhelmed at the level, which is a big thing.

Jansen should work as the primary catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, and while he will likely be more double power than home run power, he could be a legit .270+, 25+ doubles, 10+ home runs offensive producer, and at catcher, that’s fairly rare air in today’s game.

2. Bo Bichette, IF

Birthday: 3/5/1998 (20)
Acquired: Draft, 2nd round, 2016
Level(s): AA New Hampshire
Statistics: .286/.343/.453, 131 G, 595 PA, 43 2B, 7 3B, 11 HR, 32 SB, 8.1% BB, 17% K

Tagged with an awkward swing that made scouts back off him in high school, the Toronto Blue Jays jumped all over Bo Bichette when he made it to them in the 2nd round. He was able to quickly show that his swing may not look “traditional”, but it’s an incredibly productive swing.

In his first pro exposure in the Gulf Coast League after he was drafted, he hit .427, and he’s been hitting ever since. He has an impressive ability to make resounding contact that punishes the walls of a field when he comes to the plate, hitting 93 doubles in the equivalent of two full seasons of plate appearances.

Bichette’s glove was another question when he was drafted, yet the glove has not been an issue at all, more his arm working from shortstop, which has led to some thought that his future home may end up being at second base. Bichette has shown comfort on either side of the keystone, so it should not be an issue where he ends up down the road defensively. There’s also a legitimate option to have Bichette move to left field down the road, but his comfort and hands in the dirt

Much like the top prospect in the system, where Bichette ends up defensively is of less concern due to the impressive nature of his offensive skills, and if he continues performing at the level he has been, he should be able to leap to the majors at some point in 2019 with a certain full-time job in 2020.

1. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., 3B

Birthday: 3/16/1999 (19)
Acquired: International free agent, July 2015
Level(s): GCL Blue Jays, high-A Dunedin, AA New Hampshire, AAA Buffalo
Statistics: .381/.437/.636, 95 G, 408 PA, 29 2B, 20 HR, 9.1% BB, 9.3% K

The top overall prospect in our recently-done top 150 prospects list, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. is the Toronto Blue Jays next superstar player. Being the son of a Hall of Fame player, he’s been in the spotlight his entire life, but he’s ready now to take on the spotlight of the major leagues.

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Quite frankly, there is nothing at the plate that Vladdy cannot do. He has the best hit tool I’ve ever witnessed in a minor league player. Most players adjust their hit tool when facing big league pitching to get that final polish, but Vlad already shows that polish, leading me to believe he’ll be a .300+ hitter right off the bat.

Vladdy pounds the walls with hard contact, but often he hits things on such a hard line that they don’t end up going out simply because they don’t rise over 7-8 feet in the air the entire time. That could mean that Vladdy will spend a few years pounding out more like 30-40 doubles and 20 home runs, but as he matures into the league, he has the natural power to believe that he will be a perennial 30+ home run hitter as well.

Where he will play defensively with that kind of bat honestly doesn’t really matter, but he has worked hard to at least be passable at third base. His strong arm could eventually lead to an outfield spot, but where he plays defensively is of little consequence as long as his bat is in the lineup.

Toronto Blue Jays fans should see Vladdy by May 1st, though he’ll not be in the Opening Day lineup in order to get an extra year of control. While it stinks to wait, once he’s up, Vlad will be fun to watch.

The top prospect in all of the game and another in the top 10-15 give the Toronto Blue Jays plenty to look forward to this season, but there’s much more than just the top of this list to get excited about in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system.