Moderator: JaysRule15
Schad wrote:vaff87 wrote:Austin Martin got hit by a pitch again. I wonder if this is a fluke, or if he’s Logan Forsythe?
I'm guessing it's at least partially a fluke. He takes up his stance on the plate-side part of the box, but he isn't hanging over home plate, either.
1. Gabriel Moreno, C
Age: 21. Team: Double-A New Hampshire
Moreno just keeps getting better. Signed out of Venezuela as an athletic catcher with good hand-eye coordination, Moreno made a lot of contact early in his career, but without much impact. He had a breakout season in 2019, then showed signs that the arrows were pointing up even more last year between the alternate training site and winter ball in Venezuela. In 2021, Moreno has developed into one of the game's premier prospects, behind only Baltimore's Adley Rutschman among the top catchers in the minors. A broken thumb sidelined Moreno at the end of June, but he has shown an exciting blend of hitting ability, power and athleticism behind the plate.
2. Alek Manoah, RHP
Age: 23. Team: Toronto
The 11th overall pick in 2019, Manoah pitched in short-season Vancouver after signing, then was solid but not spectacular last year at the alternate training site. Ever since he got on the mound in spring training this year, it's been a different story for Manoah, whose stuff and stock have soared. He's pounding the zone with a fastball that's sitting in the low-to-mid 90s, missing plenty of bats with a plus or better slider and a changeup that has been a solid offering. He’s pitching like a front-end starter already.
3. Nate Pearson, RHP
Age: 24. Team: Toronto
Pearson teases with his stuff and upside, but durability continues to be an issue. A first-round pick in 2017, Pearson threw 1.2 innings before a line drive broke his right forearm to end his season. The 101.2 innings he threw in 2019 with a carefully managed workload are his career high and probably will still be after the 2021 season, with an elbow injury last year and a sports hernia limiting him to just one big league game and six minor league appearances this year. Pearson still has the stuff to be a high-end pitcher when healthy, but his medical history is concerning.
4. Orelvis Martinez, SS/3B
Age: 19. Team: Low-A Dunedin
Martinez was one of the top international signings in the 2018 class and ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in his pro debut in 2019. The arrows have continued pointing up in 2021. Martinez hit for power before but he has started to tap into his plus raw juice even more this year. It has come at the expense of some extra strikeouts, but Martinez has shown advanced feel for hitting for his age, with a good chance he finds the right balance of contact and power as he matures. He's playing shortstop and third base now, projecting best at third.
5. Jordan Groshans, SS/3B
Age: 21. Team: Double-A New Hampshire
A first-round pick in 2018, Groshans hasn't played much since signing due to injuries and the pandemic. When he has been on the field, the results have been good. Despite playing just 23 games in Low-A in 2019, Groshans received an aggressive assignment by skipping High-A to become one of the top hitters in the Double-A Northeast. He has spent most of his time at shortstop, but he likely fits best long term at third base, where he has also gotten reps.
6. Alejandro Kirk, C
Age: 22. Team: Toronto
A left hip flexor strain sidelined Kirk for most of May and June, but when healthy he has continued to show the elite barrel skills that have been his trademark throughout his time in the minors. Kirk has good pitch recognition, strike-zone discipline and a short stroke that helps him square up both fastballs and breaking stuff with good plate coverage. While the emergence of Gabriel Moreno has given the Blue Jays a good problem to have regarding who is going to be their catcher of the future, Kirk has the skill set to be a regular behind the plate.
7. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP
Age: 21. Team: None
Hoglund looked on track to be a top 10 pick this year until he left his May 7 start for Mississippi and had Tommy John surgery. The Blue Jays snapped him up with the 19th overall pick. He won't pitch in games for them until next summer, but he has a promising three-pitch mix, throws strikes and has a good track record in the Southeastern Conference.
8. Otto Lopez, 2B/CF
Age: 22. Team: Double-A New Hampshire.
Lopez doesn't have big power or speed, but he's an instinctive baseball rat who continues to hit at a high level. He's an aggressive hitter who makes frequent contact with good bat control, winning a batting title in 2019 in the Low-A Midwest League and contending for another one in the Double-A Northeast this year.
9. Miguel Hiraldo, 2B/3B
Age: 19. Team: Low-A Dunedin.
Hiraldo has had a bat-driven profile since signing with the Blue Jays out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. He has good hand speed from a short, simple swing and uses his lower half well, though he hasn't shown a ton of power this year despite his bat speed and strength. Hiraldo split time between shortstop and second base last year, but he's now playing third and second base this year, with an offensive-minded profile at those spots.
10. Adam Kloffenstein, RHP
Age: 20. Team: High-A Vancouver.
Kloffenstein is one of Toronto's top pitching prospects, but he has had trouble syncing things up through the first few months of the season. Skipping a level to High-A Vancouver this year, the 6-foot-5 Kloffenstein has walked too many hitters, but he's still just 20 in High-A with an assortment of pitches that project to be 50-55 offerings on the 20-80 scale.
Orelvis Martinez, SS, Toronto Blue Jays: Everyone was asking the Blue Jays for Martinez, and the conversations started and stopped there. His 19 home runs are the most of any teenager in organized baseball, and his 68 RBIs rank second in the minor leagues. In a loaded Blue Jays system, he might be the best of the bunch, though now comes another test: Toronto just promoted the 19-year-old to high-A.
12. Alek Manoah, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
Manoah was another player like Alvarez for whom I just wanted to see a little more pro performance before I shot him up the list, and now he's a start away from losing his prospect eligibility with a 2.47 ERA in the majors and is only a little bit lucky
22. Nate Pearson, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays
Pearson is right there with Hunter Greene for the best raw stuff among starters in the minors. Pearson has been just OK in the big leagues and slowed this year by a sports hernia.
36. Gabriel Moreno, C, Toronto Blue Jays
Moreno is a solid defender who is 21 years old and performing at a career-best level in Double-A this year, flashing above-average contact and power upside.
38. Orelvis Martinez, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Martinez is a teenager who just got promoted to high-A and already has 20 homers this year, with easy plus raw power that's really showing up in games. He'll likely slide over to third base down the line. Contact is a bit of a question, but the bat speed is elite.
20 others who were considered
Roansy Contreras, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Cole Winn, RHP, Texas Rangers
George Kirby, RHP, Seattle Mariners
Sixto Sanchez, RHP, Miami Marlins
Quinn Priester, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Daniel Espino, RHP, Cleveland Indians
Edward Cabrera, RHP, Miami Marlins
Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto Blue Jays
Austin Wells, C, New York Yankees
Austin Martin, 2B, Minnesota Twins
Royce Lewis, SS, Minnesota Twins
Jordan Groshans, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Nick Yorke, SS, Boston Red Sox
Greg Jones, SS, Tampa Bay Rays
Jasson Dominguez, CF, Yankees
Garrett Mitchell, CF, Milwaukee Brewers
Josh Lowe, CF, Tampa Bay Rays
Jarren Duran, CF, Boston Red Sox
George Valera, RF, Cleveland Indians
Zac Veen, RF, Colorado Rockies
