2025 Minor League/Prospects Discussion Thread

[vaff87]

I mean, Moreno is a catcher that only turned 21 earlier this year, that’s hitting .385 in AA. Guy has been impressive.

[-MetA4-]

There was more:

Josh Norris: "Without question the best reviews of any player I've gotten in the entire minor leagues this year, and probably in a while, has been Gabriel Moreno. That guy based on what I'm what I'm hearing from scouts has the word 'stud' written on him in 72 pt font all capitalized, underlined and bolded. I think right now he's the #1 prospect in the Blue Jays system. He can hit, he can hit for power, he has aptitude and attitude, and he can play on both sides of the ball. He can throw, he can defend. There are some fine points of his game that need to be ironed out. They're certainly minor at this point. But the scouts coming out of there (and these are not Blue Jays scouts) are extraordinarily high on this young man.

JJ Cooper: "So what is it that stands out?"

Josh Norris: "Everything. People are going in there and saying this is a major league ready product right now"

JJ Cooper: "So is he big league ready defensively"

Josh Norris: "Yeah. He can block, he can throw, he can receive. But right now he needs to work on commanding a pitching staff. That might be the biggest issue at this point but that will come with time. I bet you see him in the big leagues this year. We had him on the fringes of the Top 100 before. And he's all the way up in the 30s. And he'll probably make an even bigger jump in the next update"

[Schad]

Our last somewhat-successful catching prospect is now 58, so it's probably time we developed another one.

[Schad]

Moreno's 3 for 4 with a HR, 2B and walk. He's hitting nearly .400 with an OPS over 1.100. I can see why some might consider him our best prospect.

[vaff87]

Moreno's 3 for 4 with a HR, 2B and walk. He's hitting nearly .400 with an OPS over 1.100. I can see why some might consider him our best prospect.

He’s now hit a two run double in extra innings. Currently hitting .398.

[Schad]

Our top prospects thus far (not including the couple in the majors):

Nate Pearson - 18.2 IP in Buffalo, 5.30 ERA, 15.9 K/9, 4.3 BB/9. Gotten hit hard a couple times, but can clearly still get the ball past people.

Austin Martin - 124 PAs in NH, .277/.403/.406, 2 HRs, 32 Ks/17 BBs. The K rate and low slugging are modest concerns, though he's effectively jumping straight from college to AA. Walk rate's great though.

Gabriel Moreno - 106 PAs in NH, .398/.453/.667, 5 HRs, 20 Ks/8 BBs. I'm guessing that the club will be fairly cautious with him, particularly with the pileup in AAA once people are healthy. Increasing odds that he's our starting catcher next year, though.

SWR - 24 IP in NH, 2.25 ERA, 13.5 K/9, 3.8 BB/9. He was away with the US Olympic team for qualifying, has now returned. Doesn't seem to be having any great difficulty with AA.

Jordan Groshans - 89 PAs in NH, .238/.315/.350, 22 Ks/9 BBs. Groshans is off to a bad start, to put it gently. Not making a lot of hard contact.

Orelvis Martinez - 144 PAs in low A, .258/.319/.462, 42 Ks/11 BBs. The power is real; definitely some contact issues, but he's also 19.

[vaff87]

Our top prospects thus far (not including the couple in the majors):

Nate Pearson - 18.2 IP in Buffalo, 5.30 ERA, 15.9 K/9, 4.3 BB/9. Gotten hit hard a couple times, but can clearly still get the ball past people.

Austin Martin - 124 PAs in NH, .277/.403/.406, 2 HRs, 32 Ks/17 BBs. The K rate and low slugging are modest concerns, though he's effectively jumping straight from college to AA. Walk rate's great though.

Gabriel Moreno - 106 PAs in NH, .398/.453/.667, 5 HRs, 20 Ks/8 BBs. I'm guessing that the club will be fairly cautious with him, particularly with the pileup in AAA once people are healthy. Increasing odds that he's our starting catcher next year, though.

SWR - 24 IP in NH, 2.25 ERA, 13.5 K/9, 3.8 BB/9. He was away with the US Olympic team for qualifying, has now returned. Doesn't seem to be having any great difficulty with AA.

Jordan Groshans - 89 PAs in NH, .238/.315/.350, 22 Ks/9 BBs. Groshans is off to a bad start, to put it gently. Not making a lot of hard contact.

Orelvis Martinez - 144 PAs in low A, .258/.319/.462, 42 Ks/11 BBs. The power is real; definitely some contact issues, but he's also 19.

I think Pearson and Groshans are somewhat concerning. Even the fact that they can’t seem to stay healthy.

Moreno has obviously been the biggest positive development.

Austin Martin, the first 17 games his k% was over 30%. The last 11 it’s around 18% and he’s walking more than he’s striking out. I can certainly see the high k% in the first 17 games simply being him getting used to AA.

[dagger]

Now, let's do other prospects.

Nobody talks about Otto Lopez, our MLB Pipeline #11, but just keeps racking it and racking it season after season.

At worst, he's an interesting trade chip to get some bullpen help. At best, he's insurance if the team can't re-sign Semien in the off-season. He doesn't give you much power, but he has hit at every level. Some small market team with the usual budget squeeze could see him as a nice investment.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lopez-000ott

Born in Santo Domingo and raised for several years in Montreal after his father’s teaching job took the Lopez family to Canada, Otto signed with the Blue Jays back in 2016 and has quietly put up numbers ever since. Starting in the Gulf Coast League in ’17, Lopez posted a slash line of .275/.361/.360, then stepped into a little more power in ’18 with Vancouver. Lopez’s breakout came in ’19 with Lansing, where he won the Class A Midwest League batting title with a .325 average while playing second base, shortstop and the corner outfields.

Lopez does a little bit of everything, and does most of it quite well. His offensive profile is certainly hit-over-power, but he’s added some strength over the past year and is starting to impact the baseball with more authority. With good speed and athleticism, Lopez can also be a threat on the bases and fill the gaps in the outfield. As one of the most versatile players in the organization, Lopez has super-utility potential, which opens up several different avenues for him to reach the Major Leagues. His arm plays well enough at infield and outfield positions, too.

Added to the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster this past winter to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, Lopez will test himself in the upper Minors this season and could put himself on track for a debut in 2022. His power tool is worth monitoring in ’21, but he’s a comfortable fit with the organization’s emphasis on positional versatility.

Then there is Samad Taylor, who hit his 9th homer yesterday and raised his average to .317. Also, a potential trade chip or an insurance policy for Semiem leaving. But while Lopez already is on the 40 man roster, one would expect Taylor to get to AAA to assess his potential a bit more before the Jays consider him for the 40 man roster.

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[SharoneWright]

Our last somewhat-successful catching prospect is now 58, so it's probably time we developed another one.

I remember being super excited about Guillermo Quiroz!

[raptorforlife88]

Is Kevin Smith becoming a real prospect again? Striking out less, walking more, hitting for a ton of power and he's still just 24. They've got him playing SS everyday.

[The_Hater]

Our last somewhat-successful catching prospect is now 58, so it's probably time we developed another one.

I would like to know how many catching prospects we’ve had in the BA top 100 over that time frame too? It has to be at least 8-10. The ones who did work out all seemed to switch positions, like Delgado and Werth.

[vaff87]

Samad Taylor continues to rake. Two HR tonight.

[Randle McMurphy]

Can’t ignore what Taylor is doing anymore. He’s a prospect.

[Schad]

If nothing else, we need to move him up to AAA pretty much immediately. Can't answer the question of whether he can make sufficient contact against better pitching until he faces better pitching.

[bluerap23]

Our top prospects thus far (not including the couple in the majors):

Nate Pearson - 18.2 IP in Buffalo, 5.30 ERA, 15.9 K/9, 4.3 BB/9. Gotten hit hard a couple times, but can clearly still get the ball past people.

Austin Martin - 124 PAs in NH, .277/.403/.406, 2 HRs, 32 Ks/17 BBs. The K rate and low slugging are modest concerns, though he's effectively jumping straight from college to AA. Walk rate's great though.

Gabriel Moreno - 106 PAs in NH, .398/.453/.667, 5 HRs, 20 Ks/8 BBs. I'm guessing that the club will be fairly cautious with him, particularly with the pileup in AAA once people are healthy. Increasing odds that he's our starting catcher next year, though.

SWR - 24 IP in NH, 2.25 ERA, 13.5 K/9, 3.8 BB/9. He was away with the US Olympic team for qualifying, has now returned. Doesn't seem to be having any great difficulty with AA.

Jordan Groshans - 89 PAs in NH, .238/.315/.350, 22 Ks/9 BBs. Groshans is off to a bad start, to put it gently. Not making a lot of hard contact.

Orelvis Martinez - 144 PAs in low A, .258/.319/.462, 42 Ks/11 BBs. The power is real; definitely some contact issues, but he's also 19.

I think Pearson and Groshans are somewhat concerning. Even the fact that they can’t seem to stay healthy.

Moreno has obviously been the biggest positive development.

Austin Martin, the first 17 games his k% was over 30%. The last 11 it’s around 18% and he’s walking more than he’s striking out. I can certainly see the high k% in the first 17 games simply being him getting used to AA.

Reverse jinx. Both guys starting to heat up!

[polo007]

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[vaff87]

Both of these players are in AA.

Player A
23 years old (Feb 6) 37 G 171 PA 10 HR 30 R 27 RBI 17.5% BB% 17.5% K% .287/.421/.544 .420 wOBA 163 wRC+

Player B
21 years old (Feb 14) 27 G 121 PA 6 HR 23 R 35 RBI 7.4% BB% 17.4% K% .374/.430/.636 .457 wOBA 186 wRC+

[Schad]

Without looking, guessing that's Rutschman and Moreno?

[vaff87]

Without looking, guessing that's Rutschman and Moreno?

It is. I was just pointing out how Moreno is doing in comparison with one of the elite prospects in the game. Two years younger, same level, and he’s out performing him. I don’t really know what to make of that.

[Schad]

It is. I was just pointing out how Moreno is doing in comparison with one of the elite prospects in the game. Two years younger, same level, and he’s out performing him. I don’t really know what to make of that.

I wouldn't be shocked if one of the more-aggressive outfits, like BA, has Moreno on the fringes of the top 10 by year-end, even if his numbers tail to less ridiculous levels. Rutschman probably belongs higher because he's more polished (see BB%), and has a longer track record of success, but Moreno hasn't exactly come out of nowhere here: he hit in rookie ball, hit in low-A, and now he's just hitting more in AA. He doesn't strike out too much, his walk rate's fine, he's athletic behind the plate. And while throwing out runners is hardly the be-all and end-all of being a modern catcher, his CS% is actually quite good.

It's harder to make the case against him being a top prospect at this point than it is to make the case in favour.