Toronto Blue Jays 2019 Top 30 MLB Prospects Midseason Update

Image credit: Bo Bichette (Photo by Ed Wolfstein)

UPDATE: The Blue Jays top 30 now includes all. moves made through the July 31 trade deadline.

The good news is that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in Toronto. Bo Bichette should join him soon, and along with Lourdes Gurriel Jr., the Blue Jays have the makings of a promising lineup for 2020 and beyond. Nate Pearson has the stuff to lead their rotation as soon as next season, but with Toronto’s starting pitching ranking among the worst in baseball, the Blue Jays are going to need a lot more help beyond them.

They should get some boost to the farm system later this month, with the Blue Jays looking to trade away big leaguers for prospects as the deadline approaches. Righthander Marcus Stroman should have a new home by the end of the month.

1. Bo Bichette, SS

A broken left hand slowed Bichette’s ascent, but he has been back since June and continues to show why he’s one of the game’s elite prospects. He has excellent bat speed, a knack for finding the barrel and has shown he can stick at shortstop where he has quick feet and good body control.

2. Nate Pearson, RHP

Pearson’s pure stuff ranks among the best in the minors, with a fastball that sits in the upper-90s and consistently reaches triple-digits, complemented by a swing-and-miss slider in the upper-80s. The caveat with Pearson is his workload—during the first half of the season every other start, the Blue Jays limited him to two innings—but if Pearson proves durable enough to handle a starter’s workload, he could anchor the front of a rotation.

3. Jordan Groshans, SS

Groshans hasn’t played since May 13 due to a foot injury. It’s been otherwise all arrows up for Groshans since signing as the 12th overall pick in last year’s draft, with Groshans showing an impressive combination of hitting ability and power.

4. Eric Pardinho, RHP

A sore right elbow prevented Pardinho from pitching until June 26, but his mix of stuff and feel for pitching remain well beyond his years, with Pardinho already in low Class A Lansing as an 18-year-old.

5. Alek Manoah, RHP

After getting a good return on an extra-large, power-armed first-round pick in Pearson, the Blue Jays went even bigger with another hard-throwing first-round pick this year, drafting the 6-foot-7, 275-pound Manoah at No. 11 overall. Manoah pairs a mid-to-upper 90s fastball with a hard slider that has plus potential.

6. Alejandro Kirk, C

Kirk is a polarizing prospect among scouts. Some are quickly turned off by his body type, but Kirk has improved defensively and he’s a natural hitter with good plate discipline and excellent hand-eye coordination.

7. Anthony Kay, LHP

A strong-bodied lefty with arm strength and a three-pitch mix, Kay dominated Double-A competition and reached Triple-A in June. That promotion proved he still had work to do before a callup, which could come this season.

8. Simeon Woods-Richardson, RHP

The 2018 second-rounder out of high school has premium stuff and mound demeanor to spare. Still just 18, he had carved up South Atlantic League competition but had fallen victim to shaky defense. Better days are ahead.

9. Gabriel Moreno, C

An athletic catcher with great bat-to-ball skills, Moreno started to show a little bit more power last year and has continued that upward trend this year with low Class A Lansing.

10. Sean Reid-Foley, RHP

The 2019 season has been a struggle for Reid-Foley, the latest in a career of zigs and zags for a pitcher who has shown promising stuff but has often battled fastball command. Those control troubles have continued to hurt Reid-Foley this season.

11. Miguel Hiraldo, SS

Hiraldo earned praise from scouts as an amateur as one of the top hitters in the 2017 international signing class, a reputation he lived up to last year and has continued to show this year in the Rookie-level Appalachian League.

12. Orelvis Martinez, 3B

Martinez signed with the Blue Jays last year for $3.51 million, the highest bonus for a 16-year-old international signing in the 2018 class. Making his pro debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, Martinez projects as a strong, physical player whose offensive tools are ahead of his defense, with Martinez likely to play third base.

13. Adam Kloffenstein, RHP

14. Griffin Conine, OF

15. Kendall Williams, RHP

16. Patrick Murphy, RHP

17. Anthony Alford, OF

18. Leonardo Jimenez, SS

19. Dasan Brown, OF

20. Kevin Smith, SS

21. Will Robertson, OF

22. Hector Perez, RHP

23. Yennsy Diaz, RHP

24. TJ Zeuch, RHP

25. Reese McGuire, C

26. Alberto Rodriguez, OF

27. Jhon Solarte, OF

28. Javier D’Orazio, C

29. Joey Murray, RHP

30. Ryan Noda, OF/1B

RISING

RHP Nate Pearson was a Top 100 prospect coming into the year, but after missing nearly the entire 2018 season, his stock has shot up into one of the game’s elite pitching prospects.

C Alejandro Kirk has climbed two levels this season and looks good enough offensively that he could finish the year as a 20-year-old in Double-A.

Gabriel Moreno is another catcher on the rise in Toronto’s farm system with excellent hand-eye coordination.

FALLING

SS Kevin Smith appeared to have a breakthrough season last year after changing his swing path last year, but this year his swing-and-miss rate has gone up and he seems to have hit a wall in Double-A.

A first-round pick two years ago, SS Logan Warmoth‘s stock continues to tumble, with little resembling a first-rounder in terms of either performance or tools.

GRADUATING

3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., C Danny Jansen, 2B/OF/1B Cavan Biggio, RHP Trent Thornton, 1B Rowdy Tellez and OF Billy McKinney have all graduated to the big leagues.

HURTING

A foot injury has kept SS Jordan Groshans out since May 13.

SS Bo Bichette (broken hand), RHP Eric Pardinho (sore elbow) and RHP T.J. Zeuch (strained lat) all missed time in the first half of the season but have returned to action.