2025 Minor League/Prospects Discussion Thread

[raptorforlife88]

Nimmala is one reason I don't want to give Bo Bichette a big extension. I'm not buying the media leaks that Bo wants out, he's a professional down on himself for a crappy season. But we have a lot of good SS prospect options. So I'd rather go with them, move his money to a big FA signing, say, an impact bat. Besides Nimmala, we have Leo Jimenez, but also Josh Kasevich hitting well at every level. He lacks the desired power, but as reliable contact hitter who can genuinely play SS (better than Bo), I'm all aboard with him as a possible placeholder until Nimmala gets to the majors.

https://www.milb.com/player/josh-kasevich-688460

Very small sample, but Kasevich's line at Buffalo is... .346 .382 .423 .805 He may be a better bet, hitting in the bottom third of the order, to get a rally started or to keep one going than some of the guys we have right now. He just has a knack for good contact.

Hitting well at every level is a bit of a stretch. He's been an average hitter at all three levels before his smaller sample size hot streak at AAA. That hotstreak is basically just him hitting a lot of singles.

He lacks the desired power understates the fact that he hasn't just shown below average power, but literally zero power at every level. His ISO has never ecliped .081, that is anemic. Even Ryan Goins showed more power at those levels. He'd have to be incredibly defensively elite to compensate for the lack of bat and be a starter.

The only way Kasevich works as a starter is if the team is completely remade so that many more of the other positions are strong at hitting and you can live with him as (again) elite defensively and a non-entity with the bat.

I just think the list of guys showing that little power in the minors and then succeeding as a starter in the majors is pretty low. Like less than .100 ISO every minor league season they had and then succeeded as a starter.

[-MetA4-]

One point on Kasevich: he actually has above-average EV's. His problem isn't that he is a noodle-bat hitter.

He hits for no power because he has a ground-ball heavy profile, on top of also being opposite-field dominant. Basically the worst batted ball profile for power hitting.

This is easier said than done, but there is still the potential for a swing-adjustment for him that allows him to elevate the ball more.

He hits the ball much harder than Ernie Clement, and has actually hit for higher ISO than Clement did in the minors. Clement has managed to unlock more power at the MLB level, so who knows for Kasevich.

[raptorforlife88]

He hits the ball much harder than Ernie Clement, and has actually hit for higher ISO than Clement did in the minors. Clement has managed to unlock more power at the MLB level, so who knows for Kasevich.

At the same age yes. It took Clement going back down to the minors and his Buffalo season to figure out the power aspect years later.

I think the idea that Kasevich could be a replacement for Bo in the near future is incredibly unlikely. Is it impossible he is an ok hitter? No, but like take a look at Barger and Schneider, both of whom were much much better hitters than Kasevich in the minors and Schneider is looking like a borderline utility guy, Barger cannot figure out MLB hitting at all yet.

And then consider Horwitz and Jimenez and Clement. Those guys have been decent to good hitters so far, but every single one of them is hitting much worse than they did in the minors because that happens normally. If you take Kasevich's overall numbers and knock it down a fair bit, you've got someone who's not playable unless they're Andrelton Simmons.

Kasevich being an average hitter in the majors is given his current output like a 95th percentile outcome of his profile.

[bluerap23]

He hits the ball much harder than Ernie Clement, and has actually hit for higher ISO than Clement did in the minors. Clement has managed to unlock more power at the MLB level, so who knows for Kasevich.

At the same age yes. It took Clement going back down to the minors and his Buffalo season to figure out the power aspect years later.

I think the idea that Kasevich could be a replacement for Bo in the near future is incredibly unlikely. Is it impossible he is an ok hitter? No, but like take a look at Barger and Schneider, both of whom were much much better hitters than Kasevich in the minors and Schneider is looking like a borderline utility guy, Barger cannot figure out MLB hitting at all yet.

And then consider Horwitz and Jimenez and Clement. Those guys have been decent to good hitters so far, but every single one of them is hitting much worse than they did in the minors because that happens normally. If you take Kasevich's overall numbers and knock it down a fair bit, you've got someone who's not playable unless they're Andrelton Simmons.

Kasevich being an average hitter in the majors is given his current output like a 95th percentile outcome of his profile.

All of these guys profile as 8 or 9 hitters at best. We can't look to replace Bo with one of them. Despite this FO attempt to double down on defence only players, you still need offence to win games.

In an ideal world Kirk is hitting 8th and Varsho is hitting 9th. These types are on the bench. If we are trading Bo it better be for someone that can hit in the middle of the order.

[-MetA4-]

At the same age yes. It took Clement going back down to the minors and his Buffalo season to figure out the power aspect years later.

I think the idea that Kasevich could be a replacement for Bo in the near future is incredibly unlikely. Is it impossible he is an ok hitter? No, but like take a look at Barger and Schneider, both of whom were much much better hitters than Kasevich in the minors and Schneider is looking like a borderline utility guy, Barger cannot figure out MLB hitting at all yet.

And then consider Horwitz and Jimenez and Clement. Those guys have been decent to good hitters so far, but every single one of them is hitting much worse than they did in the minors because that happens normally. If you take Kasevich's overall numbers and knock it down a fair bit, you've got someone who's not playable unless they're Andrelton Simmons.

Kasevich being an average hitter in the majors is given his current output like a 95th percentile outcome of his profile.

I'm not making any claims about Kasevich replacing Bo Bichette, or stating that he is a starting MLB SS. All I am doing is providing more context on his "lack of power".

Yes, his current lack of power makes it incredibly hard to imagine him as an MLB starter. However, his lack of power is not a result of him being so weak that he simply can't hit the ball hard. This would be an unfixable flaw. All I am pointing out is that he actually hits the ball hard, his "issue" is that his swing doesn't produce fly balls. This isn't an easy fix by any means, but it means he has the underlying tools to hit for much more power than he has shown in the minor leagues.

By the way, when comparing players (ie: Kasevich to Schneider, Barger) you need to look at hitting profiles and how they translate to the MLB level, and not just "stats". Both Schneider and Barger are low-contact, high strikeout hitters who are easy to expose at the MLB level. Yes, they have "better" minor league hitting stats because they can mash against MiLB pitchers, which means that they will have a much higher wRC+ than Kasevich who is currently hitting a bunch of groundball singles. But this doesn't mean that they are automatically "better hitters". Kasevich is an elite-contact hitter who doesn't strike out. A hitter like this can often times unlock much more production by way of swing adustmentments or swing decisions, and become a better MLB hitter than they ever were in the minors. Again, I'm not implying that this is going to happen or that it is easy, but hitters who make high contact (and better yet, make consistently hard contact) are 2/3rd's of the way there to unlocking significantly more in the tank. A guy who just can't hit pitches is hard to fix.

Also, Ernie Clement is starting to become a legitimately interesting player. Most people don't seem to have caught on yet, but since June 1st he is hitting .288/.313/.476 for a 120 wRC+ while playing pretty much every day. Combine that with the fact that his defense grades out as above average and he is a positive baserunner, and his current "form" is an easy MLB starter. And again, this was a guy who hit for zero power in the minors....but he has elite contact. Is it a fluke? Perhaps...or maybe he is starting to turn contact into MLB damage. Jose Ramirez is another guy who hit for no HR power in the minors, and magically turned into a ~30 HR hitter in the MLB.

[StringerBell]

RJ Schreck looks like he could be a legit power hitting corner outfielder

[dagger]

At the same age yes. It took Clement going back down to the minors and his Buffalo season to figure out the power aspect years later.

I think the idea that Kasevich could be a replacement for Bo in the near future is incredibly unlikely. Is it impossible he is an ok hitter? No, but like take a look at Barger and Schneider, both of whom were much much better hitters than Kasevich in the minors and Schneider is looking like a borderline utility guy, Barger cannot figure out MLB hitting at all yet.

And then consider Horwitz and Jimenez and Clement. Those guys have been decent to good hitters so far, but every single one of them is hitting much worse than they did in the minors because that happens normally. If you take Kasevich's overall numbers and knock it down a fair bit, you've got someone who's not playable unless they're Andrelton Simmons.

Kasevich being an average hitter in the majors is given his current output like a 95th percentile outcome of his profile.

I'm not making any claims about Kasevich replacing Bo Bichette, or stating that he is a starting MLB SS. All I am doing is providing more context on his "lack of power".

Yes, his current lack of power makes it incredibly hard to imagine him as an MLB starter. However, his lack of power is not a result of him being so weak that he simply can't hit the ball hard. This would be an unfixable flaw. All I am pointing out is that he actually hits the ball hard, his "issue" is that his swing doesn't produce fly balls. This isn't an easy fix by any means, but it means he has the underlying tools to hit for much more power than he has shown in the minor leagues.

By the way, when comparing players (ie: Kasevich to Schneider, Barger) you need to look at hitting profiles and how they translate to the MLB level, and not just "stats". Both Schneider and Barger are low-contact, high strikeout hitters who are easy to expose at the MLB level. Yes, they have "better" minor league hitting stats because they can mash against MiLB pitchers, which means that they will have a much higher wRC+ than Kasevich who is currently hitting a bunch of groundball singles. But this doesn't mean that they are automatically "better hitters". Kasevich is an elite-contact hitter who doesn't strike out. A hitter like this can often times unlock much more production by way of swing adustmentments or swing decisions, and become a better MLB hitter than they ever were in the minors. Again, I'm not implying that this is going to happen or that it is easy, but hitters who make high contact (and better yet, make consistently hard contact) are 2/3rd's of the way there to unlocking significantly more in the tank. A guy who just can't hit pitches is hard to fix.

Also, Ernie Clement is starting to become a legitimately interesting player. Most people don't seem to have caught on yet, but since June 1st he is hitting .288/.313/.476 for a 120 wRC+ while playing pretty much every day. Combine that with the fact that his defense grades out as above average and he is a positive baserunner, and his current "form" is an easy MLB starter. And again, this was a guy who hit for zero power in the minors....but he has elite contact. Is it a fluke? Perhaps...or maybe he is starting to turn contact into MLB damage. Jose Ramirez is another guy who hit for no HR power in the minors, and magically turned into a ~30 HR hitter in the MLB.

I think that's a draft consideration with some of these guys. The Jays didn't draft Kasevich in the second round imagining him to be strictly a singles hitter at the major league level. They obviously feel they can unlock some power as well. Alan Roden is another high contact, occasional power type they are pushing to give up some low-K-rate to deliver more power. But the fact is, you need some cheap talent that can fill out the bottom of the order and do so effectively o turn over the lineup so you can focus free agent dollars on the most complementary star power. Ultimately, Nimmala might be that combination of great power at a premium position, but until he gets to the majors, and delivers that power, you focus on placeholders with whom you can win. Kasevich and Jimenez might be good placeholders because they profile as better defenders than Bo, and while peak Bo is a nice-to-have, he couldn't deliver this season and might never be the offensive player he was if he remains in Toronto with the extension issue hanging over him. What to do with Springer is another issue if the best impact bats in free agency are at 1B and LF. Can you find a team to take him off our hands, say, by paying 50% or 75% of his salary? He's not likely to be any better next season, and possibly worse, and it would be interesting to see if one of the young players, batting in the bottom third of the order, can deliver what he has been doing most of the season and even grow into something bigger.

In any case, I am not assessing these young players based on their potential as impact players. They are unlikely to ever impact players. The Jays will likely look in free agency to sign one or two impact bats to put around Vlad. But most good MLB teams still need a slew of guys in their lineup who don't hit 30 or 40 homers, but are useful contributors. You can't put an impact bat at every position, you can't have an impact arm at every slot in the rotation. Every team has to get more from less in order to be able to afford the top talents that can make the team serious contenders. It's great if you can draft and develop a kid to be an impact bat or arm, that's even better than signing a Springer as an FA and once upon a time Springer was just such a player for the Astros, but you also have to upgrade the output VALUE of every position and maybe that means a young guy hitting .250 with a dozen homers and decent D is a better move than signing an FA to provide the same. It may mean that swapping Bo for a couple of good pitching prospects and moving his $16.5 million salary into the FA budget is a better option than sticking with him. Same for eating much of Springer's money but maybe getting off, say, $6 million of it. Fans operate in a financial vacuum, teams do not

[bartron_44]

RJ Schreck looks like he could be a legit power hitting corner outfielder

Schreck may be my favourite piece added at the deadline. He is the favourite now imo to replace Springer in RF, which would give them an all left handed hitting projected starting outfield with loperfido and Varsho, with Clase as the 4th (or possibly Clase in CF and Varsho as the “4th Of” if his bat outperforms Varsho’s.

In 18 games with NH he is slashing a ridiculous 323/.417/.694 with 5 HRs, 6 2Bs and 15 RBI. Talk about making a great first impression…:)

[dagger]

RJ Schreck looks like he could be a legit power hitting corner outfielder

Schreck may be my favourite piece added at the deadline. He is the favourite now imo to replace Springer in RF, which would give them an all left handed hitting projected starting outfield with loperfido and Varsho, with Clase as the 4th (or possibly Clase in CF and Varsho as the “4th Of” if his bat outperforms Varsho’s.

In 18 games with NH he is slashing a ridiculous 323/.417/.694 with 5 HRs, 6 2Bs and 15 RBI. Talk about making a great first impression…:)

I'm thinking that when they move an outfielder from Buffalo to Toronto on Sept 1, he'd be a logical candidate to promote to BUF, since the latter's schedule runs longer than the AA schedule.

[dagger]

I'd also like to give a shoutout to #12 prospect Kendrys Rojas who is having a strong, almost dominant month of August.

12
Kendry
Rojas
LHP, Vancouver Canadians, A+

AGE 21


Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45

Signed out of Cuba for $215,000 in 2020, Rojas found immediate success in the Florida Complex League and has steadily crept up lists as he makes good on some of the physical projections the Blue Jays bet on. Pitching 84 innings for Single-A Dunedin in ‘23, Rojas posted a 3.75 ERA with 82 strikeouts and 32 walks.

Rojas was hovering around 90 mph in 2022 and jumped into the 92-93 range a year ago, leaving the Blue Jays optimistic there’s still more to come. He also showed a low-80s slider that generated promising whiff rates and a mid-80s changeup as an option against righties. The key for Rojas will be maintaining his stuff, though, not just flashing it early and fading. Rojas did lose some of the edge off his best stuff as the season went on, and the same could be said for some of his longer outings. This is all part of maturing into the routines of a starting pitcher as he continues to develop physically. The upside, if Rojas can find that final gear, is among the best in the system.

There should be a path to 100 innings for Rojas this season and some time in High-A Vancouver, where he'll see the same hitters over and over, will be a good challenge for him. There’s still some room for Rojas to take the next step physically, but he has quietly become one of the more exciting development stories in this system, and some believe he can remain a starter long term.

[dagger]

https://www.milb.com/vancouver/news/jace-bohrofen-named-nwl-player-of-the-week

[dagger]

Watching the bullpen implode last night, I couldn't help but wonder about the Jays' failure to develop relievers internally. This winter, priority No. 1 has to be rebuilding the bullpen through trades and free agency. Injuries have played into the development question - Connor Cooke and TJ Brock looked like possibilities but both have basically been shut down for months now. Hagen Danner is unreliable thanks to injuries, although I was surprised he didn't get a chance to pitch this month in Toronto, since he is on the 40 man roster and currently healthy.

Also, I am intrigued by what might be happening with Ryan Jennings. The Jays fourth round pick in 2022, Jennings was a college reliever who received a well under slot signing bonus of $75,000, which helped sign comp picks for overslot money in the earlier rounds. Jennings started at DUN as a reliever, but when he reached Vancouver they turned him into a starter. He wasn't bad either, reaching a peak on June 23 when he rang up 10 strikeouts in a six inning run. A few days later, he went on the injured list and missed a month. (I don't know what the injury was). As soon as he was healthy, without so much of a rehab outing, he was promoted to NH. Since then he has had eight one inning appearances, all but one in relief. I don't know if they are managing his innings or if they made a decision to focus on him as a reliever. He has yet to give up a run at New Hampshire. He's had 10 strikeouts in those eight innings. The book on him is that he has a mid-90s FB but in short stints, he can touch 99. I'm intrigued to see where this takes him.

https://www.milb.com/player/ryan-jennings-688214?stats=splits-r-pitching-mlb&year=2024

[dagger]

MLB pipeline did a little blurb on the hottest current hitter in each MLB farm system.

Blue Jays: Alan Roden, OF (No. 13)
Roden first joined Triple-A Buffalo in mid-June and entered August with just a .234 average and .684 OPS through his first 30 games with the Bisons. He’s been a menace in the box ever since with a .386/.460/.670 line and as many extra-base hits (13) as he has strikeouts over 100 plate appearances in the last 30 days. Toronto has struggled to develop a homegrown outfielder in recent years, but Roden is playing his way into MLB consideration by next spring.

[JTT]

MLB pipeline did a little blurb on the hottest current hitter in each MLB farm system.

Blue Jays: Alan Roden, OF (No. 13)
Roden first joined Triple-A Buffalo in mid-June and entered August with just a .234 average and .684 OPS through his first 30 games with the Bisons. He’s been a menace in the box ever since with a .386/.460/.670 line and as many extra-base hits (13) as he has strikeouts over 100 plate appearances in the last 30 days. Toronto has struggled to develop a homegrown outfielder in recent years, but Roden is playing his way into MLB consideration by next spring.

Would you bring up either he or Clase when Buffalo’s season ends? I tend to think no, as they’re already struggling to find at bats for everyone, but it definitely would be an option and they should both be in the mix along with Loperfido and Schneider for two? (left fielder and fourth outfielder) Outfield spots next year.

And as I don’t see that anyone has mentioned it, both Rodan and Nimmala were named players of the month for their respective leagues.

[dagger]

MLB pipeline did a little blurb on the hottest current hitter in each MLB farm system.

Blue Jays: Alan Roden, OF (No. 13)
Roden first joined Triple-A Buffalo in mid-June and entered August with just a .234 average and .684 OPS through his first 30 games with the Bisons. He’s been a menace in the box ever since with a .386/.460/.670 line and as many extra-base hits (13) as he has strikeouts over 100 plate appearances in the last 30 days. Toronto has struggled to develop a homegrown outfielder in recent years, but Roden is playing his way into MLB consideration by next spring.

Would you bring up either he or Clase when Buffalo’s season ends? I tend to think no, as they’re already struggling to find at bats for everyone, but it definitely would be an option and they should both be in the mix along with Loperfido and Schneider for two? (left fielder and fourth outfielder) Outfield spots next year.

And as I don’t see that anyone has mentioned it, both Rodan and Nimmala were named players of the month for their respective leagues.

Barring injury probably not. Clase is starting slowly, and Roden isn't on the 40 man roster so no need to protect him this winter, or least not until the Rule 5 draft is over. The Jays seem to be holding a spot on the (currently) 27 man roster for the return of Bo Bichette. I'm a bit more perplexed at the crap they keep bringing up for the bullpen, rather than giving Hagen Danner or Mason Fluharty a chance. I do wonder who is headed for the Arizona Fall League, maybe Adam Macko who is rehabbing and look very good, or Ryan Jennings.

[JTT]

I wonder if they’re just going through the guys who have previously been released by other teams to see if they can come up with some “found gold.”

Would love to see Orelvis in the Arizona league

[bluerap23]

MLB pipeline did a little blurb on the hottest current hitter in each MLB farm system.

Blue Jays: Alan Roden, OF (No. 13)
Roden first joined Triple-A Buffalo in mid-June and entered August with just a .234 average and .684 OPS through his first 30 games with the Bisons. He’s been a menace in the box ever since with a .386/.460/.670 line and as many extra-base hits (13) as he has strikeouts over 100 plate appearances in the last 30 days. Toronto has struggled to develop homegrown PLAYERS in recent years, but Roden is playing his way into MLB consideration by next spring.

Fixed that for them

[polo007]

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[Jerry Lucas]

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