Junius Worth
David Kerr
Charlie Nehl
gawlowskib
Andrew Martin
Jonathan C. Mitchell
johnczech
Daniel Marino
Michael Schwartze
mlbdirtstaff
Spencer Schneier
William J. Tasker
The Toronto Blue Jays own the deepest prospect pitching depth in all of baseball. On top of that, they also sport some of the best centerfield prospects in the game and the best catching prospect in all of baseball. Not too bad for a team that had a fairly poor system just a handful of years ago.
Below are my top 16 prospects with 2012 opening day age, position, and comments on each player. Below the top 16 is a small list of additional notable names. Enjoy.
| Player | Comments | |
| 1 | Travis d’Arnaud (23-C) | After disappointing in 2009 and 2010 while battling injuries he busted out in a big way in Double-A in 2011 hitting .311/.371/.542 while displaying excellent defense behind the plate. He has plus power, hit tool, and arm but needs to work on plate discipline and throwing runners out. He has star potential. |
| 2 | Jake Marisnick (21-OF) | One of my favorite prospects had a breakout year in 2011 hitting .320/.392/.496 with 14 HR and 37 SB. He gets good backspin on the ball and drives it well to the gaps. His hit tool is plus and he should hit for plenty of doubles and triples and has the power for 15+ HR when he matures. He has a solid approach at the plate and has the tools for CF and the instincts to stay in CF. |
| 3 | Drew Hutchison (21-RHP) | His fastball sits low-90s but can touch 94-95 with good deception in his delivery. His change-up is plus and slider is above-average and has the chance to be more. He also has above-average-to-plus command and control. The only knock on him is size but I think the size concerns are overstated. I see a future potential #2 guy here. |
| 4 | Anthony Gose (21-OF) | Gose has a chance to be a Star but is still a work in progress. He is a plus runner with a plus arm and could possibly play CF right now. His hit tool is barely average but he has made progress and his power is improving. He strikes out a lot but he also walks a lot and his speed is a major asset on the bases with two seasons in the minors of 70 or more SB. |
| 5 | Justin Nicolino (20-LHP) | His fastball sits low-90s and he pairs it with a plus change-up and improving breaking ball that has the chance to be an above-average pitch. He still has projection left in his wiry frame so I wouldn’t be surprised to see his velocity tick up a notch. He repeats his delivery well and has well above-average control. |
| 6 | Noah Syndergaard (19-RHP) | Armed with the best fastball in the system, sitting 94-96 and reportedly hitting triple-digits. He commands it well and has good control overall. He has a big frame and holds his velocity deep into games. His secondary offerings need refinement but if he can improve those pitches he may find himself as the best pitching prospect in this system out side of Hutchison. |
| 7 | Daniel Norris (19-LHP) | He turns 19 in late April but has the maturity of someone much older. He has a low-90s fastball that can hit 94 to go with his curveball and change-up which both projet to be at least above-average. Not as much projection as Nicolino in his frame but I can’t wait to see what he does in pro ball. |
| 8 | Aaron Sanchez (19-RHP) | He has an ideal pitcher’s frame and he has room to add muscle and velocity, but his secondary offerings are a bit behind. He struggles with command but his fastball sits low-90s and he can touch 95 with an average breaking ball and developing change. He has time to figure it out and if he does he can be a solid #3 prospect. |
| 9 | Deck McGuire (22-RHP) | The big right-hander reminds me a bit of Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann. Both are tall, 1st round picks out of college, and both have nearly identical four-pitch mixes with fastballs that sit 89-91 and can touch 94. McGuire’s ceiling is probably a #4 starter but I think I can safely say that might also be his floor. He will eat innings at the back of Toronto’s rotation in the near future. |
| 10 | Adonys Cardona (18-RHP) | A high-bonus signing out of Venezuela and he brings with him an above-average fastball and some projection, although he does not have an ideal frame. He will pitch all of 2012 at age 18 and has plenty of time to develop his secondary pitches and work on his command and control. High ceiling but high risk. |
| 11 | A.J. Jimenez (21-C) | Not much power in his bat but he hits for average and can steal a few bases. His plate discipline is also a bit lacking but his defense should be enough to carry him to the Majors even if his bat never develops much sting. |
| 12 | Jacob Anderson (19-OF) | Big power that could provide 25-30 HR down the road. He has a strong arm and is a good athlete and should stick in RF and become above-average there defensively. Need more pro data on him and would love to see his power in person. |
| 13 | Asher Wojciechowski (23-RHP) | Big frame to eat innings but his mechanics are a bit out of whack and could lead him to a bullpen role, albeit one in high-leverage situations. The Jays will keep him as a starter, though, unitl they feel the need to move him quickly through the pen. |
| 14 | Christopher Hawkins (20-OF) | He has a strong arm and did well in the OF after being moved out of the infield. He runs well and showed an above-average hit tool with gap power and could be an above-average defender in a corner OF spot. Only question is whether or not he will hit for enough power to profile there. |
| 15 | Joe Musgrove (19-RHP) | Another big framed right-hander who has good fastball velocity to go with good control. He also as a breaking ball that has above-average potential and a developing change-up. |
| 16 | Adeiny Hechavarria (23-SS) | The defense is Gold Glove caliber but the bat is probably not suitable for a Major League lineup. If he learned some plate discipline and patience he might work at the bottom of the order by working his way on base and stealing some bags. |
A few more names to watch: Carlos Perez (C), Dwight Smith (OF), Matt Dean (3B)
-Jonathan C. Mitchell can be found writing about the Tampa Bay Rays at DRaysBay and the Florida Marlins at ESPN’s SweetSpot site Marlins Daily. You can follow him on twitter at @FigureFilbert. Be sure to follow MLBdirt at @MLBdirt
Filed under: On the Farm - Prospects Tagged: | 2012 Top Prospects, Aaron Sanchez, Adonys Cardona, Anthony Gose, Daniel Norris, Deck McGuire, Drew Hutchison, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino, Noah Syndergaard, Prospects, Toronto Blue Jays, Travis d'Arnaud
I tend to think that Gose’s hitting tool is a little above average with his ability to hit a long ball (16 in 500+ ABs last season) and this raw talent shown thus far.. His average is much to be desired though.
His swing is a bit too wild…right now. He has made strides each year to tone it down and trust his hands. I think he will make a better fantasy option than real life player. I am in the minority here, though, as most people ranks him either #1 or #2 in the Jays system.
I think your rank of Gose is just fine. Very high ceiling, but still way too raw to be ranked that high. d’Arnaud is easily #1 in my book. He’s pretty much been slated as the best catching prospect in all of baseball… I have no idea why I didn’t protect him in our franchise league. I knew he was at one time very early on, but I think he was one of my cuts to save another guy. Le sigh.
I was completely shocked when I found out he wasn’t protected. Imagine if you had him with the rest of your minor league players.
[...] MLB Dirt [...]
[...] 2012 Toronto Blue Jays Top 16 Prospects [...]
[...] Marlins received center field prospect Jake Marisnick, who ranked second in my 2012 Blue Jays prospect rankings, and is a true center fielder with plenty of range and arm. Marisnick, who turns 23 around Opening [...]