2024 Minor League/Prospects Discussion Thread

polo007 · Post #401 » by **polo007** » Thu Feb 3, 2022 4:44 am

polo007 · Post #402 » by **polo007** » Thu Feb 3, 2022 4:49 am

Blue Jays 19th In Baseball America's 2022 Farm System Rankings - Sports Illustrated

Graduating some of baseball's best young stars has taken a toll on Toronto's farm system.

In the latest Baseball America 2022 MLB Organization Talent Rankings, the Blue Jays' farm system ranked 19th in baseball.

The Blue Jays have three members of BA's Top 100 prospects, headlined by young Venezuelan catcher and No. 6 prospect Gabriel Moreno. The 21-year-old catcher posted a 1.060 OPS across three minor league levels in 2021, spending most of the season in Double A prior to a thumb injury. Moreno has since played in the Arizona Fall League and Venezuelan Winter Leagues, posting OPB over .390 at both stops.

After dealing multiple top prospects to acquire starter José Berríos, breakouts from some of Toronto's top prospects "softened the blow" to the farm, Baseball America noted. Moreno tops Toronto's system alongside SP Nate Pearson, INF Orelvis Martinez, SP Gunnar Hoglund, and INF Jordan Groshans. Six of Toronto's top 10 prospects on MLB Pipeline are currently 21 or younger, with rising infielder Manuel Beltre just 17 years old.

"The Blue Jays feature a young prospect group," BA's blurb said. "With a majority of their best talent having never played above High-A."

Though ranking as a middle-of-the-pack farm, the Blue Jays have the lowest-ranked system in the division, as Toronto's American League East division rivals rank as follows:

2. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
11. Boston Red Sox
13. New York Yankees

The Seattle Mariners topped the list as BA's top-ranked farm, while the Chicago White Sox ranked as the 30th minor league system.

bluerap23 · Post #403 » by **bluerap23** » Sat Feb 5, 2022 10:29 pm

polo007 wrote:Blue Jays 19th In Baseball America's 2022 Farm System Rankings - Sports Illustrated

Graduating some of baseball's best young stars has taken a toll on Toronto's farm system.

In the latest Baseball America 2022 MLB Organization Talent Rankings, the Blue Jays' farm system ranked 19th in baseball.

The Blue Jays have three members of BA's Top 100 prospects, headlined by young Venezuelan catcher and No. 6 prospect Gabriel Moreno. The 21-year-old catcher posted a 1.060 OPS across three minor league levels in 2021, spending most of the season in Double A prior to a thumb injury. Moreno has since played in the Arizona Fall League and Venezuelan Winter Leagues, posting OPB over .390 at both stops.

After dealing multiple top prospects to acquire starter José Berríos, breakouts from some of Toronto's top prospects "softened the blow" to the farm, Baseball America noted. Moreno tops Toronto's system alongside SP Nate Pearson, INF Orelvis Martinez, SP Gunnar Hoglund, and INF Jordan Groshans. Six of Toronto's top 10 prospects on MLB Pipeline are currently 21 or younger, with rising infielder Manuel Beltre just 17 years old.

"The Blue Jays feature a young prospect group," BA's blurb said. "With a majority of their best talent having never played above High-A."

Though ranking as a middle-of-the-pack farm, the Blue Jays have the lowest-ranked system in the division, as Toronto's American League East division rivals rank as follows:

2. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Baltimore Orioles
11. Boston Red Sox
13. New York Yankees

The Seattle Mariners topped the list as BA's top-ranked farm, while the Chicago White Sox ranked as the 30th minor league system.

Who is in charge of Tampa's scouting dept and how are they not the highest paid exec in baseball?

polo007 · Post #404 » by **polo007** » Tue Feb 22, 2022 2:00 pm

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polo007 · Post #405 » by **polo007** » Sat Feb 26, 2022 7:06 pm

Gunnar Hoglund on mend from TJ surgery, hungry to 'compete again' - MLB.com

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Gunnar Hoglund is starting to lean into that final turn of the Tommy John rehab process, the point where he can almost let it loose like he used to.

Hoglund, the Blue Jays' first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, underwent Tommy John surgery nine months and eight days ago on May 17, 2021. He’s worked through the less glamorous days of rehab, where gains are incremental and the daily exercises become repetitive for a pitcher accustomed to competing at the highest level. Now, throwing off flat ground at 120 feet, Hoglund is building up to get back on the mound.

“The first couple of months after I got here, I really couldn’t throw,” Hoglund explained Friday at the Blue Jays' Minor League camp. “I was just talking to people about throwing and getting to watch people go through the process. When I first picked up a baseball, I was pretty hesitant to do some things. It was an interesting first day of throwing.”

That was four months ago. At this point, Hoglund’s next step is to throw at 150 feet off flat ground and then get back up on the mound. It’s a long journey to get back to 10 inches off the ground, but Hoglund says the process has gone “very smoothly” and without issue. That’s exactly what the Blue Jays bet on last July when they selected him 19th overall, believing his immense talent and polish were worth the wait. So far, so good.

“His trajectory along the year, he was pitching his way into being a top-10 pick,” director of amateur scouting Shane Farrell said at the time. “Unfortunately, the injury kind of derailed that a little bit. We’re extremely fortunate for him to be there when we selected.”

The Blue Jays have built a pipeline of big, strong right-handers with Nate Pearson, Alek Manoah, Adam Kloffenstein and others, which Hoglund slides right into. It was his ability to throw strikes and locate his pitches at such an advanced level that drew the Blue Jays to Hoglund, and a belief in the depth of his arsenal.

polo007 · Post #406 » by **polo007** » Sun Feb 27, 2022 9:11 pm

The latest on Blue Jays top prospects - MLB.com

Murray a bounce-back candidate in ’22 (Feb. 27)

Right-hander Joey Murray was one of the talks of camp in early 2021. Coming off the lost 2020 Minor League season, Murray made some noise in ’19 by posting a 2.75 ERA across three levels, topping out in Double-A, while using his trademark “invisiball” -- a fastball with an extremely high spin rate that was especially effective up in the zone.

Expected to push for a big league spot at some point last summer, Murray instead missed nearly the entire season dealing with elbow issues, appearing in just one rehab game before pitching later in instructional league play. He's now 25 and was left off the 40-man roster, exposing him to the Rule 5 Draft, and his path from here could fan out in a dozen different directions. There’s certainly value, though, especially if he’s able to maintain the slight velocity bump he carried into early ’21 that saw his fastball go from 90-91 mph to touching 93 mph.

Friday at the Blue Jays’ Minor League camp in Dunedin, Fla., Murray -- Toronto's No. 25 prospect -- threw live batting practice to a group of hitters, getting No. 3 prospect Jordan Groshans with a swinging strikeout, and is expected to have a full spring. If Murray sticks with the organization, he’s a name worth monitoring when we eventually get to Spring Training games.

Groshans a top name to watch in camp (Feb. 27)

Along with the live BP sessions and some time in the Blue Jays’ hitting lab -- one of the many wonders of technology tucked inside the main hub of the new player development complex -- No. 3 prospect Jordan Groshans ran through some in fielding drills on Saturday at camp.

Groshans hit .291 with seven home runs and an .817 OPS over 75 games in Double-A New Hampshire last season, so it’s time for his power numbers to take that jump. He’s built strong like a classic third baseman and was facing more advanced competition in 2021, so there’s optimism that some of his loud contact -- which there was plenty of in ’21 -- will start clearing the wall more consistently. Groshans should be on your short list of prospects to catch in Spring Training games eventually, or Minor League games when the season begins.

Infield drills here on Field 5 at #BlueJays Minor League camp including No. 3 prospect Jordan Groshans (left side, 3B). pic.twitter.com/W4ykT7RRHK
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 26, 2022

Robberse laying foundation for pivotal year (Feb. 27)

When the Blue Jays signed Sem Robberse as an international free agent in 2019, it didn’t exactly make waves. The young right-hander from the Netherlands has created his own, though, and he will enter the season as one of the club’s top pitching prospects and No. 12 prospect overall. In ’21, between Low-A Dunedin and High-A Vancouver, Robberse put up a 4.36 ERA over 88 2/3 innings with 90 strikeouts.

The Blue Jays like Robberse’s naturally athletic delivery and his feel for pitching, so his age-20 season will be an important one as he steps toward the upper Minors. On Saturday, Robberse had plenty of eyes on him at the Blue Jays’ player development complex as he threw live batting practice to a group of veteran Minor League hitters, including Mallex Smith and Gosuke Katoh. Robberse actually threw two sessions, simulating two quick innings, and opened his second with three consecutive strikeouts, all swinging.

s e n s i · Post #407 » by **s e n s i** » Tue Mar 1, 2022 5:04 pm

without having to sift through pages of this thread, what are our resident experts' thoughts on graham spraker? obviously he showed out in the AZ fall league but how seriously are we taking this kid and what's his projected ceiling?

polo007 · Post #408 » by **polo007** » Thu Mar 3, 2022 6:14 am

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polo007 · Post #409 » by **polo007** » Thu Mar 3, 2022 6:23 am

s e n s i wrote:without having to sift through pages of this thread, what are our resident experts' thoughts on graham spraker? obviously he showed out in the AZ fall league but how seriously are we taking this kid and what's his projected ceiling?

Which Blue Jays could be most impacted by shortened spring? - Sportsnet.ca

2022 Blue Jays example: Graham Spraker

One of the best things about a full spring training (even if it can drag for players, fans, and media members alike at times), is seeing an unexpected player or two come out of the woodwork and demand to be noticed with their play. Unfortunately, the lockout may rob us of that this year.

By the nature of this category, it’s hard to guess who that might’ve been for the Blue Jays under normal circumstances, but Spraker fits the bill. The 26-year-old was in the midst of a solid but relatively uneventful minor-league career until he moved away from a sinker-heavy approach and discovered a four-seam fastball capable of generating a massive whiff rate up in the zone. That adjustment, and a move to the bullpen, allowed the right-hander to record a solid campaign at Double-A before a dominant turn in the Arizona Fall League — where Spraker struck out 17 hitters in 11.1 scoreless innings with just seven base runners allowed.

There’s no guarantee the former 939th overall pick would’ve broken through in a full 2022 spring training, but the Blue Jays bullpen isn’t totally solidified and he could’ve had a shot. A shortened spring training won’t necessarily eliminate feel-good stories of unknowns breaking out, but they might be deferred until a little later in the season.

polo007 · Post #410 » by **polo007** » Fri Mar 18, 2022 1:00 am

vaff87 · Post #411 » by **vaff87** » Fri Mar 18, 2022 3:01 am

polo007 wrote:

They released their updated top 100 today.

7. Moreno
38. Martínez
80. Groshans

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2022/top100/

bluerap23 · Post #412 » by **bluerap23** » Fri Mar 18, 2022 2:20 pm

vaff87 wrote:
polo007 wrote:

They released their updated top 100 today.

7. Moreno
38. Martínez
80. Groshans

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2022/top100/

Holy short stops batman.

Fairview4Life · Post #413 » by **Fairview4Life** » Tue Mar 29, 2022 1:05 pm

bluerap23 wrote:
vaff87 wrote:
polo007 wrote:

They released their updated top 100 today.

7. Moreno
38. Martínez
80. Groshans

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2022/top100/

Holy short stops batman.

Everyone's a shortstop until they aren't.

DelAbbot · Post #414 » by **DelAbbot** » Sat Apr 2, 2022 5:50 pm

Groshans certainly is not a SS.

Anyone got a scouting report on Orelvis Martinez? Can he play SS at the Majors?

vaff87 · Post #415 » by **vaff87** » Sat Apr 2, 2022 6:51 pm

DelAbbot wrote:Groshans certainly is not a SS.

Anyone got a scouting report on Orelvis Martinez? Can he play SS at the Majors?

Most indications are he’ll end up at third. I think Groshans is actually a little bit more likely to stick at short than him.

Hottie McShotty · Post #416 » by **Hottie McShotty** » Mon Apr 4, 2022 10:49 am

They better not trade Moreno. He's a superstar catcher in the making! Martinez looks like a keeper too. Once Chapman's contract is done he should be ready for the majors and fit in nicely at 3B.

dagger · Post #417 » by **dagger** » Mon Apr 4, 2022 2:21 pm

MLB Pipeline provides capsules on one player per organization it is particularly interested in watching this season. This is not a listing of best prospects, but those who intrigue them.

For the Jays

Blue Jays: Ricky Tiedemann, LHP (No. 6)
Blue Jays camp was abuzz about the club's 2021 third-round pick after he added muscle in the offseason and was sitting 95-96 early in Dunedin. The southpaw also mixes in an above-average changeup and a slider that's already improved during his short stay in pro ball. Following Gunnar Hoglund's move to Oakland, Tiedemann has become Toronto's top pitching prospect and an arm the organization is excited to see take flight over a full season.

dagger · Post #418 » by **dagger** » Mon Apr 4, 2022 6:32 pm

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dagger · Post #419 » by **dagger** » Tue Apr 5, 2022 9:32 pm

Buffalo launched the minor leagues today with a televised home opener and over 10,000 in the stands.

Nick Allgeyer delivered a beauty.

https://www.milb.com/gameday/cubs-vs-bisons/2022/04/05/666415#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=box,game=666415

vaff87 · Post #420 » by **vaff87** » Tue Apr 5, 2022 11:55 pm

dagger wrote:Buffalo launched the minor leagues today with a televised home opener and over 10,000 in the stands.

Nick Allgeyer delivered a beauty.

https://www.milb.com/gameday/cubs-vs-bisons/2022/04/05/666415#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=box,game=666415

Why did Moreno get one at bat in the Jays spring training game today instead of playing in this game?