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Kevin Ahrens, 3B: The Jays had seven picks in the first 88 slots of the 2007 Draft and used their first one, at No. 16, on the switch-hitting shortstop out of high school in Texas. Now making the transition to third base, which shouldn't be that hard with his plus arm, he continues to make strides on the defensive end. After hitting .259 with five homers and 42 RBIs at Class A Lansing in his first full season, he projects to have a little more power than that though perhaps not as much as one usually expects at the hot corner. He hits to all fields with good plate discipline and won't turn 20 until April.

J.P. Arencibia, C: Another 2007 first-rounder, the former Team USA standout out of Tennessee earned the Blue Jays' 2008 Minor League Player of the Year award in his first full season after hitting .298 with 27 homers and 105 RBIs between Class A Advanced Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire. His home run total tied him with Orioles prospect Matt Wieters for the most by a Minor League catcher, while his RBIs tied for 10th in the Minors. Known as an offensive catcher, Arencibia is working hard to bring his defense up to the same level. The clear heir apparent behind the plate in Toronto, that will determine his own timetable. He has power to all fields and also is bilingual as the U.S.-born son of Cuban parents.

Scott Campbell, 2B: A 2006 10th-round pick out of Gonzaga University, Campbell was born and raised in New Zealand and looks to be the first native of that country to make it to the Major Leagues (though he wouldn't be the first citizen -- that honor goes to teammate Scott Richmond, whose father hails from Auckland). Named Player of the Year at New Hampshire last summer, when he hit .302 with nine homers and 46 RBIs, he also earned nods to play in the All-Star Futures Game and Eastern League All-Star Game, which was held at his home stadium. His .398 on-base percentage ranked him in the top 10 in the league.

Brett Cecil, LHP: Yes, another member of that remarkable Class of '07 (there are four of them on this list), the 22-year-old former University of Maryland closer is making a rapid adjustment to a starting role and is one of the top contenders for the last open starting spot in the Majors this spring. Armed with an outstanding slider and a fastball in the low-90s, his 129 strikeouts in 2008 between Dunedin (1.74 ERA in four starts), New Hampshire (2.55 in 18 starts) and Triple-A Syracuse (4.11 in six starts), ranked fifth in the organization. The total would have been higher had he not been on a pitch limit. His 9.78 strikeouts-per-nine innings ranked ninth in the Minors among full-season starters as he combined for a 2.88 ERA over 118 2/3 innings.

David Cooper, 1B: The club's top pick last summer out of Cal-Berkeley, he is a polished young hitter who wasted no time getting on that ladder to the bigs as the first of the '08 first-rounders to sign. He combined to hit .333 with 29 doubles, five homers, 49 RBIs and a .502 slugging percentage at three levels, raking at short-season Auburn (.341), Lansing (.354) and Dunedin (.304) with left-handed line drive power to all fields. The 22-year-old is not a prototypical first base slugger but should project for decent power (think more John Olerud than Fred McGriff).

Justin Jackson, SS: The fourth member of the "Magnificent Seven" to grace the top 10, Jackson is the son of former Major League utilityman Chuck Jackson. Jackson, 20, was the club's supplemental first-round pick in '07 out of the same high school in Asheville, N.C., that produced Marlins outfield prospect Cameron Maybin. He's a pure shortstop and perhaps the best defensive infielder in the Jays system, turning in highlight reel plays on a regular basis. Though his hitting was streaky in his first full season at Lansing, he batted .238 with seven homers, 47 RBIs and 17 steals. He has the instincts of a legacy and continues to work on consistency and discipline.

Brad Mills, LHP: The Jays' 2008 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Mills may not qualify for repeat honors in 2009 because he could be in the big leagues. The savvy 24-year-old southpaw, who boasts the system's best changeup, combined at three levels (Lansing, Dunedin and New Hampshire) to go 13-6 and lead the system with a 1.95 ERA, fifth-best in the Minors. He also struck out 159 batters, eighth in the Minors, over 147 1/3 innings. A 2007 fourth-round pick, he was originally drafted by the Jays in the 22nd round in 2006 but opted to finish his degree in civil engineering. His '07 campaign was slowed by a sore arm and irregular heartbeat, but he more than made up for that in '08 as he won the organization's Triple Crown.

Ricky Romero, LHP: Will this finally be the year that the 2005 first-rounder out of Cal State-Fullerton lives up to his tantalizing upside? The Jays hope so. Beset by arm trouble that slowed him in 2006 and 2007, the southpaw with the terrific curveball has had trouble with consistency but seemed to come on strong down the stretch in '08. After spending most of the season at New Hampshire, he moved up to Syracuse and posted a 3.38 ERA in seven Triple-A starts, striking out 38 over 42 2/3 innings. He offsets his power curve with a fastball in the low-90s and a changeup.

Marc Rzepczynski, LHP: Lansing's Pitcher of the Year last season, the 2007 fifth-round pick out of Cal-Riverside posted a 2.83 ERA, third-best in the system, while striking out 124 over 121 innings. Drafted as a senior, Rzepczynski (pronounced 'zipSINsky') missed April with a broken hand, resulting in the limited inning total. He has four pitches, including a lively sinking fastball, a slider, changeup and curveball.

Travis Snider, OF: Last on our alphabetical list, the just-turned-21-year-old is anything but last on any prospect lists. He checked in at No. 7 on MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects list and factors heavily into the Jays' plans for 2009, especially after hitting .301 in a somewhat unexpected September call-up. The 5-foot-11, 245-pound fireplug projects as the best hitter for average and the best power prospect in the system -- he batted .275 with 23 homers and 91 RBIs at three levels (Dunedin, New Hampshire, Syracuse) in '08, despite a slow start due to a spring injury. A 2006 first-round pick out of high school in Washington, Snider was the Appalachian League MVP that summer and has done nothing but rake since turning pro

spykelee wrote:This thread highlights one of the reasons I'm actually excited for this season. I don't really think the jays are playing for a division crown per say, but I am excited to see what some of these younger guys can do. If we can find a couple people who can stick heading into our projected big seasons... we should be in good shape. I'm hoping to see a descent year from snider, by that I essentially mean no regressing. I don't want to see him sent back down to the minors and be a call up. He either makes the team outta the spring or he doesn't. Don't waiver with the kid. Also hoping to see either of Cecil, Mills, Romero or all 3 of them atleast get some time in and show they are legitimate prospects.

Anyways, hopefully this year can offer us a glimpse of our system and can manage to keep the jays relatively competitive this year.