Blue Jays Minor League Depth

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Andy Burns. Credit: Cody Smith//NH Fisher Cats/MiLB.com

To the hot corner we go on our list on the Blue Jays minor league depth. We will continue to go through MLB ready talent, minor league reserves, break out candidates, and long shots.

After an offseason of changes we hit a position that will be dominated by new acquisition Josh Donaldson for the foreseeable future. Having Donaldson brings some stability to the 3rb base position which has been in disarray the past few seasons. Brett Lawrie was part of the trade that brought Donaldson to the Jays. Me personally I loved the style of play Lawrie brought to the team but his inability to stay healthy hurt the ball club. Having Donaldson slide in as a result of the trade brings the same high energy player into the position but with a proven track record. The self appointed Bringer of Rain will bring his powerful bat and talented glove into our lineup everyday. Playing 158 games in his first 2 full seasons is the type of consistence we need.

Depth behind him consists of previously mentioned players like Danny Valencia, Steve Tolleson, Matt Hague, and Matthew Dean. The rest of the list shakes out with the remaining players with 3B experience. The list is rather thin because so many of our 3rd basemen in our system are mainly used in other positions first.

Toronto Blue Jays

MLB Ready Talent ?

–Andy Burns– Looking to figure it out

Burns has been an intriguing power hitter playing for New Hampshire the past season and a half. After having a stellar start to his 2013 season in Dunedin he crashed in his first half season with New Hampshire. In 2014 he played the entire season with New Hampshire hoping to continue his climb toward the majors. In that full season he had a rough time batting .255. Looking at his offensive stats shows some potential. His bat has good pop posting 32 doubles, 5 triples, and 15 home runs. Those hits helped him drive in 63 RBI. Burns also has some decent speed and stole 18 bases and scored 71 run. I think his batting average will climb if he can get his strikeout to walk ratio down. He is striking out double the amount of times he walks (99 k’s – 41 BB). Plate discipline appears to be the issue but I would guess he is a player with a Carlos Pena like ceiling as a hitter.

Mitch Nay takes a swing on July 18, 2013 in Bluefield, WV as a member of the Bluefield Blue Jays. Mandatory Credit: Jay Blue

Minor League Reserves

–Jake Fox– Non Roster Invitee

Invited to spring training Fox just hopes to make the club. He has bounced around the minors in all levels the past few years including some time in the independent league. He has not played in the Majors since a short stint in 2011 with the O’s. Last year at those various levels he played 140 games hitting .309 with 38 home runs, and 118 RBI’s. Looking at those numbers is encouraging just remember to keep in mind those are combined numbers for his time in AA, AAA and the independent league. Fox has always shown he has power potential but is he a diamond in the rough or minor league filler?

Toronto Blue Jays

Breakout Candidates

–Mitch Nay– Top Prospect

After an being named a mid season All-Star last season Nay looks to continue his upward trend. Playing for the Lansing Lugnuts he posted a .285 batting average and led the team in doubles with 34. He is projected to start this season with the Dunedin Blue Jays in the A+ Florida state league but has earned an invite to spring training with the big club. So far this spring he has a couple singles in 8 at bats with an RBI. Nay will need to keep squaring up the ball well to rise. His defense has been good enough at 3rd but gets hit for having tolerable range at the position. His plus arm and lack of other options have kept him at 3rd thus far. Watch for Nay’s bat to click this season and carry him through the organization. Hopefully some of those doubles will translate into homers as he continues to learn going into his age 21 season.

Mar 9, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (5) hits ground balls in the infield before the start of the spring training baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

Long Shots

–Alexis Maldonado– Keep on playing

After attending college at Holy Cross in Worcester, MA he joined the Jays organization. Playing solid defense and hitting at a good level last season for the Vancouver affiliate may have earned him a chance to start the season with Dunedin. In 46 games he posted a .303 batting average with 14 RBI and 5 steals. He also handled the hot corner well with a .927 fielding percentage. He will be turning 24 this June but has a ways to go before having a chance at the big league level.

Toronto Blue Jays

–Lane Thomas– Young blood

Last years 5th round pick had a nice debut in the rookie leagues. Playing in the Gulf Coast league and Appalachian leagues he made his way into 52 games. There he batted .281 with 19 RBI and 9 steals. Thomas is still very young but it encouraging to see such a young player have 12 doubles, 4 triples and a home run in 52 games. Thomas played 25 games at 3rd base where he had 12 errors in 76 chances. That is a little lower fielding percentage then I would want to see at the hot corner (.842 FLD%). It will be interesting to see if he sticks at 3rd or move to the OF where he also played 20 games.

All Statistic information provided by baseball-reference.com.

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