Blue Jays: Organization’s future is with the sons of former MLB players
Over the last 5 years, the Toronto Blue Jays have used some of their top draft picks and international draft money on the sons of former major leaguers and Hall of Famers. With the team in a rebuild, the prospects are starting to make their presence known just like their fathers before them.
If a major league, like the Toronto Blue Jays, had players like Vladimir Guerrero, Craig Biggio, Dante Bichette, and Jeff Conine in their starting lineup, chances are that team would be hitting the ball… a lot.
With each player having a career batting average over .285, it is safe to say that these players were known to be great hitters.
Guerrero and Biggio are also in the Hall of Fame, meaning that their future sons who play baseball should also become HOF’s (that’s how it works right?).
Guerrero even hit a ball off the ground (the most impressive feat mentioned in this article).
For you fans of the Cuban National Series (highest level of baseball in Cuba), Lourdes Gurriel hit for .323 AVG, 247 HR, and 1077 RBI. He also is a gold medalist from the 1992 Olympics with the Cuban National Team.
And the Blue Jays now have his son!
Now with that kind of pedigree, one would imagine that their future offspring would be able to replicate the talent that their father’s had before them.
That is what the Toronto Blue Jays are hoping for with their latest draft results.
With the Blue Jays selecting multiple offspring from professional players within the amateur draft over the past 4 years, the organization didn’t just select these players based on their pedigree.
Many of these prospects earned their draft selection, with each player coming from established college programs or were heavily scouted in their respective countries.
From the last 5 years (not including the 2019 draft), the Blue Jays, within the first 10 rounds, have selected 4 players in the amateur draft and 2 players internationally with pedigrees in professional baseball leagues.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at three of the top Blue Jays prospects with pedigrees in baseball.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
In 2015, the Toronto Blue Jays signed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. through international free agency for $3.9 million dollars.
He was highly regarded for his hitting abilities, raw power, and eye at the plate before being signed out of the Dominican Republic.
Junior would rise through the Blue Jays farm system and would enter the 2019 season as the highest ranked prospect in all of baseball.
If it not for a miraculously (for Jays management) timed oblique injury during spring training, Vladdy could have possibly made the opening day roster to being the season.
Instead, Guerrero Jr. would make his debut on April 26, and would not have a great start to his rookie campaign.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has hit 4 batted balls with a 115+ mph exit velocity …
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) June 17, 2019
No other @MLB player has more than 2 this season. pic.twitter.com/fpgvTV4D2P
Through his first ten games, he would go 6 for 37 and would tally on 1 RBI and with 0 home runs. Not the start many fans and management were expecting for the #1 ranked prospect in all of baseball.
As the season would wear on, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would be to see his slash line climb and his currently sitting at .255/.322/.420 with 7 HR and 21 RBI.
He was also making some spectacular plays on the hot corner, showcasing his powerful arm.
One thing that Vladdy is experiencing for the first time in his career is his strikeouts.
Widely known for his eye at the plate, Jr. was being pitched on the corners and was expanding his strike zone, causing him to strike out more. MLB pitchers have a tendency to be tougher pitchers than in the MiLB.
You can also guess that his nerves were probably getting the best of him, but being that he is only 20 years old, there are still quite a few years ahead of him in the MLB.
Blue Jays fans are pretty excited about Guerrero and rightfully so, as he is starting to hit the ball more frequently and making consistent defensive plays at 3B (the errors are there, but he is doing better then many thought he would).
A big part of the future lies in the son of a HOF and Vladito seems to be ready for the challenge.
Bo Bichette
Son of former MLBer Dante, Bo Bichette is proving to be a pivotal part of the Blue Jays rebuild.
Drafted by the organization in 2016 in the 2nd round, Bichette would join the team’s farm system and would also climb through the rankings quite steadily. He would start 2019 as the #11 ranked prospect in all of baseball and currently sits at #8 with the updated 2019 rankings.
To begin 2019, Bichette would begin the season in AAA with the Buffalo Bisons, where he too would begin the season on a rough note.
He would only muster 2 hits through his first five games before going on a 7 game hitting streak, driving in 8 runs with 1 HR.
His season would get worse when he took a fastball off his left hand against the Syracuse Mets on April 22.
He would be diagnosed with a broken bone in his hand and would go on to miss roughly 1.5 months to recover. Given he broke a bone his glove hand, this is not a bad timetable to return for the shortstop.
Since his return to AAA from the IL, Bichette has been tearing the cover off the ball.
He has only failed to get a hit in 3 out of the 10 games he has played and has recorded multi-hit games in 5 of those games.
He has also driven in 9 runs with 2 HR’s since his return and currently has a slash line at .295/.352/.484 for the season.
While Bichette was not projected to make the roster at the beginning of the season, with the numbers he is currently producing, it will be difficult for Jays management to keep him in the minor leagues for much longer.
Bichette may have to wait until later in the season when the rosters expand in September, but if I were a betting man, I would say Bo will be North of the border before the end of the year (barring any more injuries).
Cavan Biggio
Cavan Biggio is a great example of how a strong start to the season in the MiLB may force management’s hand to promote you to the big leagues.
Son of HOF Craig Biggio, the University of Notre Dame product was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 5th round of the 2016 amateur draft (the same year as Bichette).
He would begin his minor league career in A ball and with each passing year, he would keep moving forward through the farm system.
To begin the 2019 season, Biggio would also find himself in the Buffalo Bisons AAA lineup, where he would start as hot as any minor league player could.
Through 43 games in Buffalo, Biggio would slash an incredible .312/.448/.514, driving in 27 RBI’s along with 6 HRs.
He would also walk more than he struck out, with 34 BB compared to 28 strikeouts.
The only issue with Biggio’s promotion to the MLB was where he would play on the diamond with the Blue Jays.
Primarily used as a second baseman or third baseman, the Blue Jays began to experiment with Cavan being in the outfield as well as first base.
The reason for this transition was that the Blue Jays possessed a handful of middle infielders and with Vladdy at 3B, Biggio had nowhere to play.
With less prospects and outfield depth, the organization began to experiment with Biggio playing in the corner outfield positions.
He has also been spending time at his natural position at 2nd base with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. entrenched in LF and Devon Travis on the IL.
While the results have been mixed in the outfield (he doesn’t have an error but does look uncomfortable sometimes), his plays in the middle infield have been consistent and his bat is starting to come around.
He is currently slashing .217/.353/.434 but does have 5 HR and 13 RBI in just 26 games.
As long as Biggio can keep getting on base, he will still get penciled into the Jays lineup.
He will keep receiving reps at 2nd base and in the outfield, and his bat will determine whether or not he stays with the Jays through the rebuild.
All signs are currently pointing to Biggio being a part of the Jays future plans, and I think he could be an impactful bat in the lineup with his eye at the plate and display of power.
Best of the Rest
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
As mentioned earlier, the Blue Jays possess quite a few prospects and players who have ties to professional baseball.
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Lourdes Gurriel Jr., son of Cuban baseball star Lourdes Gurriel, was signed as an international free agent in 2016 to a 7-year deal worth 22 million.
Hailing from Cuba, Gurriel Jr. had to defect to from the nation in order to become eligible to sign with an MLB team.
His time in the MLB has been up and down, with Lourdes making his debut with the Jays last year before making the opening roster this season.
He would begin the season terribly at the plate and in the field, committing multiple throwing errors before being demoted to the AAA Bisons in mid-April.
Gurriel Jr. would be promoted back to the squad in late May, where he has been crushing the ball and hitting monster home runs, as well as playing in a new position in LF. During his time back with the club, he has raised his batting average over .100 points.
He has been excelling at this position, making highlight reel catches and spectacular throws cumulating in 5 assists as well as contributing at the plate.
Look for Gurriel Jr. to be the future LF or the future utility player for the Jays moving forward.
Griffin Conine
Griffin Conine’s season got off to the roughest start out of all the other prospects, as he was suspended in the past offseason after testing positive for a banned substance. The suspension would last 50 games.
The Blue Jays 2nd round pick in 2018 would start the season with the Class A Lansing Lugnuts on May 29, where he has also been excelling at the plate.
His current slash line is .337/.415/.663 with 6 HR and 17 RBI.
With the delayed start to the season, we may see Griffin make the jump to Class A+ or AA ball by the end of the year, but that is a bit uncertain at the moment given how much time he missed.
Kacy Clemens
Son of major leaguer Roger Clemens, Kacy was the lowest drafted pedigree prospect of the group at the 8th round in 2017.
From the University of Texas (Austin), Kacy Clemens has slowly been chugging away in the MiLB. He is currently in Class A+ ball in Dunedin and has also had a rough season.
Through 31 games, Clemens has a slash line of .167/.252/.259 along with 41 strikeouts.
Next. The recent turmoil is why I was wrong about the New York Mets. dark
While there is lots of time to turn the season around, Clemens is the farthest away from the group to contribute at the MLB level.
He is also keeping his name in the headlines due to a current lawsuit against a bar in Texas, claiming he was assaulted by the staff members on New Year’s Eve.