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Blue Jays 2015 Year in Review: Dalton Pompey

By Spencer Redmond

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Ranked 30th in Baseball America Top Prospects for 2014, Dalton Pompey was set to make the Blue Jays roster out of spring training. Drafted in the 16th round by the Blue Jays in 2010, Pompey had finally cracked the roster as a September call up in 2014. Sporting some impressive defence, a .231/.302/.436 slash line (27.9 K%), and hitting his first career home run off none other than King Felix Hernandez. Pompey looked promising at the Major League level at such a young age.

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Entering 2015, there was a ton of speculation after Anthony Gose was dealt as to who would become the Blue Jays centre fielder. In the 2015 spring training, Pompey hit .290/.343/.452 and was a lock for the centre field position at the Major League level. Unfortunately, those numbers wouldn’t translate over to the regular season, as he would go on to hit .193 with a glaring .264 OBP out of the gates.

No matter how good your defence is , it’s hard to justify those numbers staying in the lineup. Pompey would be sent down on May 1st after a game he went 0-4 with two K’s. He would spend time in both AA and AAA. Although Dalton struggled in the early portion of his 2015 minor league stint, he would eventually put up some pretty decent numbers down the stretch of the season.

Pompey would be called back up in September to help the Blue Jays push towards the postseason. He would be inserted into the Jarrod Dyson role, pinch running, making every opposing pitcher on the mound uncomfortable, and with good reason.

The switch-hitter would show off his wheels in clutch situations during the second half and playoffs. Although it’s obviously a small sample size, Pompey’s bat would come back to life during his starts hitting .455 in 11AB, good enough to carry some momentum into the offseason

The Good

Pompey has shown signs of being the leadoff-hitting centre fielder of the future for the Blue Jays. Pompey was definitely hyped up entering the season, after a good 2014 and spring training. Although his stint as an everyday player didn’t last long, the potential for Pompey keeps rising. Showing off more tools each and every time he gets his opportunity at the Major League level, even if Pompey hasn’t lived up to his expected potential entering the season, the best part is that he’s only 22 years old! Pompey has tons of room for improvement over the next few seasons, even if his skills need further refining at the minor league level. Toronto does not need to rush him into becoming an everyday player.

The Bad

The Blue Jays, entering the 2016 season, have a ton of organizational depth in the outfield. Bautista, Revere, Pillar, and Saunders make up the Major League competition. Figuring out what will happen with the outfield on the Blue Jays is an entirely different conversation, and one we’ll be having throughout the next few months.

It might be tough for Pompey to crack the Majors at the beginning of the season. One of the keys for player development in the minors is consistency. We know how fast Pompey can be on both offence and defence, but getting on base a bit more and working the counts as a leadoff guy will prove crucial to his consistency. Pompey should continue to be looked at as a project in progress. His role on the 2016 roster will depend heavily on the moves made with players above him on the depth chart.

The Future

Pompey has already started being circled around as being a trade candidate for starting pitching entering free agency. Although Pompey is regarded very highly throughout the Blue Jays system, the Jays are built to win now. If a major league team comes calling offering proven starting pitchers, it could be difficult to say no. If Pompey is regarded as a must-keep prospect, however, and kept in the fold, then the sky is the limit for this kid. What’s not to love about Dalton Pompey; he’s fast, exciting, and home grown! This past offseason of Kevin Pillar improving his plate discipline and approach, is a great example of the potential jump Pompey could have in the upcoming years.

Stats Provided by Fangraphs

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