So it's worth noting a couple of names in the system, both at Vancouver.
1. Dasan Brown, still just 20, not hitting with a tonne of power, but has raised his average over .300 and his OPS over .800. A third round draft pick in 2019, he started the season at Dunedin, seems a good bet to reach NH next year. What he is really known for is speed. He's perhaps the fastest player in the entire system, and is being groomed for CF. At the very least, he could assume a utility role like Zimmer or Bradley Jr. Currently the team's #30 prospect on MLB Pipeline.
Brown is an elite athlete. His speed is unmatched in the organization and is one of the best speed tools in Minor League Baseball. This also allows Brown to be one of the top defenders in the organization, covering any ground necessary with a natural, quick jump. Brown’s throwing arm had a unique motion when the Blue Jays drafted him, but he makes it work and has smoothed it out over the past two years. The exit velocity readings on Brown show that he can certainly be more than a slap-and-sprint hitter, so the Blue Jays are excited to see what he’s capable of if he can improve his pitch selection and contact rates.
If Brown can put the ball in play consistently, he becomes one of the highest-upside prospects in this entire organization. That’s no simple task, though, and Brown will be tested by more advanced pitching as he advances. He has done a better job of reaching base at Single-A and High-A in 2022, making it a little easier to see how he’ll squeeze out enough offensive value to help a Major League club someday.
2. Gabriel Martinez. Also just 20, a right fielder with more pop, he's the team's ninth ranked prospect on MLB pipeline, and has done exceedingly well at Vancouver so far after following Brown from DUN. As this profile notes, he has to be added to the 40 man roster this year, and I assume they will do so, just in case some truly crappy team like PIT wants to take a stab at a stash and wait. Small sample, but he's hitting .318 with an .858 OPS at Vancouver, with 15 K in 97 plate appearances.
Standing at 6-foot, 170 pounds, Martinez shows an impressive ability to put the bat on the ball, sometimes going outside the zone to do so. Even then, he posts lower swinging-strike rates than most teenagers, and when he does make contact, he’s maxed out at 108.8 mph exit velocity, right up there with some Major Leaguers already. He’s likely to settle into just average power in the end, but combine that with a decent hit tool and there’s a solid offensive profile in the making here.
Martinez has split time between left and right field with Dunedin, and he’ll only continue to project as a corner outfielder with average at best speed as he matures. Now that he’s established a base full-season level of performance in his age-19 season, Martinez’s bat could push him into Toronto’s outfield picture within the next few years. He needs to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, or else be risked in the Rule 5 Draft, so that could affect his timeline.