Minor League Perspective: Blue Jays 2015 Top Prospects 1-11

Sep 8, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Daniel Norris (32) during batting practice before of a game against the Chicago Cubs at Rogers Centre. The Toronto Blue Jays won 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

After finishing our Top 20, we look at #1 through #11 on our top prospect countdown.  I will be providing the Jays Journal Top 11 Prospects and give you my opinion on each. The Blue Jays system has some budding stars and this will hopefully be a good glimpse of what our future may hold.

Jays Top 10 Prospects (according to Jays Journal)

1.    Daniel Norris – LHP

This man lives in a van down by the ballpark hopefully not living off a diet of government cheese. The young lefty made his debut at the MLB level last season by striking out David Ortiz. If that is not encouraging I have no idea about baseball anymore. Norris has a very clean delivery that reminds me of Jimmy Key‘s simple but effective mechanics. Throwing around the mid 90’s and having excellent secondary pitches will be his ticket to punching out major league hitters. His command and great mechanics could take him very far at the major league level. Great things are coming for this lefty that showed us his excellent work ethic last season.

(Full Jays Journal Daniel Norris)

2.    Aaron Sanchez – RHP

Sanchez will be 23 this year on July 1st and is just fun to watch. He has almost 2 much movement on his fastball. I had a real pleasure watching out of the pen last season but I do think he projects better as a starter. His curveball might be given the nickname the knee buckler. The amount of break on his curve is nothing short of ridiculous. The only thing that may possibly stand in his way is control. He has had a history of walking players often in the minors. I have yet to see that in his bullpen appearances last season but the risk is there. His control at the end of the season was very encouraging and I look forward to watching more of this young pitcher. I had the pleasure of watching him last spring training in Dunedin and it was just phenomenal watching him make a fool out of hitters.

Toronto Blue Jays

(Full Jays Journal Aaron Sanchez)

3.    Dalton Pompey – OF

Pompey has been getting tons or attention this offseason. Rightfully so seeing the organization has pretty much given him the center field job. I see great things coming from him also, I just hope that the organization has the patience to watch him struggle some if he gets off to a rough start. The defense he has shown at all levels should be enough to keep him patrolling center field. Having all 5 tools in his pocket places him in the breakout candidate conversation for this season. His speed could play really well in the top of our order allowing him to get protection from the everyday mashers in the Jays lineup. I love that he has some pop in his bat but I see him as a John Olerud type hitter. Crushing hard line drives off the carpet in Rogers Centre could lead to an obscene number of extra base hits with his speed.

(Full Jays Journal Dalton Pompey)

4.    Jeff Hoffman – RHP

I do not know what to think of ranking Hoffman this high on the list. The kid has a crazy level of talent but with no professional experience I would have ranked him lower on this list. Hoffman crushed the Cape Cod league with his dominant stuff. His plus fastball however did lead to Tommy John surgery and we hope to see him come back strong. It was nice to see him on instagram throwing from a mound this morning. All signs currently point to him fully recovering from the procedure and picking up where he left off. His tools need some refining but that’s what professional experience will bring to this highly talented individual.

(Full Jays Journal Jeff Hoffman)

5.    Max Pentecost – C

I found Pentecost to be a very interesting pick for the Jays. I can’t remember the last time the Jays drafted a catcher so high if every even. Pentecost projects to be an everyday catcher. He has a nice swing that is rather compact which gets him to the ball very quick. He generates a decent amount of power which hopefully will translate to 15-20 home runs. This would place him nicely around the 6 spot in a lineup. Watching some of the highlights of him was very uplifting. I am very excited to see more of him as spring inches closer. I could not believe the level of athleticism he has as a catcher. It will be interesting to see if he remains a catcher for the Jays or gets moved to another position.

(Full Jays Journal Max Pentecost)