The future success of every Major League team lies largely in its Minor League pipeline. With that in mind, MLB.com is looking at each team's farm system, from the Top 20 Prospects to those who are under the radar.
In recent seasons, the Blue Jays have not only found success in drafting and developing homegrown talent, they have also executed trades that have returned significant value to the farm system.
Travis d'Arnaud, the 2011 Eastern League Most Valuable Player and MLB.com's No. 25 prospect on the Top 100 Prospects list, is one of the payoffs of the club's Hot Stove decision-making. Acquired from the Phillies in a prized package for Roy Halladay, d'Arnaud enjoyed a truly breakout year in 2011 with Double-A New Hampshire. Following a season in which he hit .311 with 21 home runs, 78 RBIs and a .914 OPS, d'Arnaud -- who turns 23 on Friday -- is on the cusp of the bigs, with plenty more promising prospects likely to follow in the near future.
Top 20 Prospects
d'Arnaud enters the 2012 season not only as the Blue Jays' top prospect, but the third-ranked catching prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com. Behind d'Arnaud is a pair of dynamic outfielders -- Anthony Gose (No. 2) and Jake Marisnick (No. 3) -- who can hit for contact, power, defend and steal bases -- the two combined for 107 steals in 2011.
The rest of the top 10 spots are dominated by pitchers, including a pair of left-handers -- 2011 second-round pick Daniel Norris (No. 5) and Justin Nicolino (No. 6). Noah Syndergaard (No. 4), a 2010 first-round pick, and right-hander Drew Hutchison (No. 7) both pitched across three levels in '11, to a 1.83 ERA and 2.53 ERA, respectively. Right-handers Aaron Sanchez (No. 8) and Deck McGuire (No. 10) bookend the system's next catcher, Carlos Perez (No. 9).
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