Who will be the next significant prospect to follow Vlad to the majors?

[dagger]

Simple question: Of the Jays legit prospects, as opposed to AAAA players who might be rotated through, or players who are secondary legit prospects like Urena or Gurriel Jr who who played significant innings now at the major league level, who will be the second significant prospect - Vlad being the first - to get promoted?

Obviously, positional needs including injuries can force some situations faster than others. Urena and Gurriel are down because there is no real place at 3B or SS for them, and Atkins isn't ready to DFA Hanson for one of them, although Urena might get a call when he has worked through his 10 day requirement as an optioned player. That's another issue - how fast would Atkins DFA (or otherwise move out) guys he acquired like Hanson and Brito - it's an admission of failure of sorts. (Brito can't be long for this roster. He's 0-21 so far this season)

But I am thinking of new names. The pitching at Buffalo contains no one of note, Patrick Murphy at New Hampshire is legit, but not seasoned enough at that level for a move any time soon. Hector Perez at NH had his first win last night, a scoreless five innings with his usual high K total but also four hits and four walks, and he was pitching around trouble in a few innings. His catcher, Alberto Mineo, threw out two runners in the third inning. Kevin Smith is warming up at NH, but he's a SS, so there's that positional issue, and they can keep developing him with a mid-season promotion to BUF. At Dunedin, you have Nate Pearson who might be a front of the rotation starter some day, but clearly, with his recent history, they will be cautious and use this season to build up his innings and refine his FB location and secondary pitches - there is no Alex Anthopoulos fast track here.

Positionally, Anthony Alford is a possibility as an outfielder, but the guy intriguing me most at Buffalo is Cavan Biggio, who is off to a fantastic start. His slash line right now is .432/.522./.676/1.197. In 37 ABs, he's struck out seven times and walked eight times. But he's a second baseman, although they worked him in the OF in Arizona last fall. He has also played two games at 1B so far this season. At age 24, there should be no maturity holdbacks, but obviously, he's part of a crowded infield picture, so no certainty to push through to the Jays, and there is no point promoting him unless he is profiling as the everyday 2B (or can offer decent outfield D).

[Trilogy]

It should be Biggio. He's the only one who's really been crushing the competition he's been facing in the minors dating back to last year. Everyone else in AAA has either only been good or scuffled to varying degrees.

Alford could be back before him since they have a lot more going on in the infield if he turns it up, but I sincerely hope the team doesn't hold Biggio down if he keeps destroying there just because of guys like Hansen/Drury. I still don't know why Hansen was even brought in and I think Drury is just not good.

[I_Like_Dirt]

It should be Biggio. He's the only one who's really been crushing the competition he's been facing in the minors dating back to last year. Everyone else in AAA has either only been good or scuffled to varying degrees.

Biggio hasn't been consistently crushing the minors, is the thing. He came out of the gates like gangbusters last year and was fantastic in April and May. Then he came back down to earth and was more in line with his career norms the rest of the way, being pretty good in July and August but not very good in June and September.

Before April and May of last season, he his numbers weren't nearly as good but the more interesting trend with him is that he has tailed off at the end of the season every single season he's played in the minors so far. Reading too much into how he starts the season is a bit of a dangerous game. Bo, by way of contrast, has been quite a bit more consistent with a degree of getting better as each season has moved along with the caveat of when he changed leagues mid-season. And Biggio worse from a positional defensive standpoint than a lot of the other guys he's competing with. The Jays will surely keep him at 2B for as long as they can but I very much doubt he stays there long term.

I still like Biggio and wouldn't mind seeing him called up at some point but I don't think it's fair to say he's been consistently crushing anything and given his tendency to fade as the season drags on, I'm not so sure a later call-up is necessarily in anyone's best interest. I'm not sure anyone is really ready for a call-up at this point. I'd say Bo might be later, though. He's better in the field and after an awful start to the season he's already starting to find his way in Buffalo - after going hitless in 4 of his first 5 games he is now on a 7 game hitting streak. Unless Biggio is called up right away, I'm thinking Bo is called up before him because calling Biggio up after he starts to come back down to earth isn't a great idea. Neither of them are really needed now but eventually Galvis is going to come back down to earth, too. And when he does, the team will be looking or options and once Bo figures out Buffalo, there will be a certain degree of temptation to call him up. That said, I doubt either guy is called up this season. I think the team will give Gurriel a bit more of a chance yet despite his early season struggles.

[dagger]

I don't have a timeframe for when the second next significant prospect gets promoted. It could be 2020 for all I know, but there certainly is flex potential. None of Drury, McKinney, Hanson and Brito have imposed themselves. At least Teoscar has his moments, as does Tellez.

[I_Like_Dirt]

I don't have a timeframe for when the second next significant prospect gets promoted. It could be 2020 for all I know, but there certainly is flex potential. None of Drury, McKinney, Hanson and Brito have imposed themselves. At least Teoscar has his moments, as does Tellez.

Yeah, they've all been varying degrees of uninspiring. Personally, I'm thinking it's going to be a pitcher that is called up first. Whether you want to call them prospects or not is up in the air, but Romano, Paulino, Morimando, Shafer and Waguespack are all guys who might get called up at some point this season and I think it's highly likely that at least one if not more aren't. And there are probably a couple guys I'm not thinking of that might be added to the list. I like some of those guys better than others and none of them is some amazing direction-changer of a prospect but the Jays' pitching isn't going to hold all season and I would be shocked if both Stroman and Sanchez made it through the season with no injuries. The Bullpen already looks relatively shallow thus far.

If we're looking at position players, I think Alford is probably the next guy called up. He doesn't look like his bat is ever going to be amazing but he's been functional in Buffalo so far and the Jays' OF isn't deep and is relying on some guys who aren't particularly reliable like Teoscar and McKinney. One injury to Grichuk and things look grim there. I'm not sure what Brito is but he doesn't look like a future major leaguer to me, let alone a present major leaguer and he doesn't even really have a strong record in the minors other than hitting well in AAA in a few small sample sizes and even if the Jays keep playing him, history suggests he will get hurt sooner than later.

[Tanner]

Vlad, Alford, Biggio. In that order.

I wouldn't mind Biggio coming up sooner, but he hasn't had many AAA ab's, and the only player blocking Alford is Socrates f'n Brito. Seems more likely that Alford is up next.

[Schad]

Up briefly or up to stick? I'll say Biggio, because -- while it's very early -- Alford is looking rather like the guy whose value tanked last season. A 38% K rate in his second shot at AAA is pretty damned concerning.

[bluerap23]

The next “significant” call-up will be Bo.

[manjusaka]

Vlady, Bo, Cavan and that is it for the position players. We need help in OF, maybe we can trade Stroman to SD for Renfroe and Cordero.