Blue Jays: 5 likeliest non-roster invitees to crack the roster

The Blue Jays have a mix of upside and experience among their non-roster spring training invitees, but a small group of names do have a realistic shot

Joining the Blue Jays 40-man roster for major league spring training in Dunedin, Florida will be a diverse group of non-roster invitees, the full list of which can be found here.

A large number of these names can be discounted from any level of serious competition fairly quickly. Among pitchers, a name like Wil Browning, who at 27-years-old has yet to pitch above double-A New Hampshire, seems to represent more of a classic “camp arm”.

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Others, like top prospects Conner Greene, Rowdy Tellez and Anthony Alford, will be brought in as an aid to their longterm development. With all three players conceivably being ready to make a consistent MLB impact by the 2017 season at the earliest, a taste of the highest level will serve them well before heading back to their respective minor league teams.

But in between those two groups lies a little bit of maybe. While the five players we’ll highlight here may not be able to simply play their way on to the 25-man roster, the depth of their positions and their own relative talent means that it is within the realm of possibility for them to surprise as we approach April. And yes, unfortunately, injuries to other players do fall under the umbrella term of “opportunity” here.

#5   –   P Scott Copeland

Copeland’s three starts and two relief appearances for the Blue Jays didn’t go as planned in 2015, but the decision to re-up with the right-hander on a minor league deal was a wise one.

There’s a rather crowded group forming around the fifth spot in the rotation and the long-man role in the bullpen, with the result of the first spot likely impacting the second. Copeland isn’t yet involved in that conversation, but a strong spring combined with a handful of injuries or underperformance around him could quickly change the conversation.

At the triple-A level over the past two seasons, Copeland has earned a 14-7 record over 150.0 innings with a 3.04 ERA and 1.213 WHIP. His peripheral stats aren’t bowling anyone over, but in a similar way to Todd Redmond, Copeland could potentially chew through a handful of innings without dealing any critical damage to the team around him.

Copeland is a couple unfortunate injuries away, but close enough to be somewhat realistic. As it stands, he’s lumped more into the group of Scott Diamond, Pat McCoy, Brad Penny and the next man on our list.

Next: #4: The artist formerly known as Fausto

#4   –   P Roberto Hernandez

The 35-year old Hernandez may even be close enough to a roster spot to earn one without an injury around him, specifically a final spot in the bullpen that would be tasked to handle lower-leverage innings from the outset.

Hernandez (then Fausto Carmona) pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 2006 until 2012, thus producing a logical link between himself, Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro. He sprinkled in the odd strong season along the way, but for the most part, he’s a 10-year veteran with a 4.58 ERA and an arm that’s leaking velocity.

Hernandez saw his average fastball velocity dip below 90.0 MPH for the first time in his career as a member of the Astros in 2015, though his changeup remained strong. He does seem to have lost his touch creating ground balls, however, which was a specialty of his early in his career.

The best-case scenario for Hernandez may be Jesse Chavez beating out both Aaron Sanchez and Drew Hutchison in spring training, unlikely as that may be looking at this point.

In that situation, Hutchison would likely return to triple-A Buffalo to refine his craft while Sanchez would return to the back end of the bullpen to pitch high-leverage situations. Chavez has the most similar role-profile to Hernandez in the bullpen, so his exclusion from the picture may be the veteran righty’s best bet.

Still, Hernandez would be a surprise addition to the 25-man without injuries elsewhere. His opt-out clause may help him in that regard, though, if the Blue Jays do fear losing him as opening day approaches.

Next: #3: Underrated and versatile depth on the brink

#3   –   IF Andy Burns

Andy Burns doesn’t get enough love, but I hope that 2016 is the year that changes. In Burns, we enter a group of names that appear to have a more black-and-white trip on to the roster. “If Player X or Y go down, this player goes in.”

With the limited organizational depth that Toronto holds in the upper minors at third base and second base, Burns could quickly be the fill-in if injuries hit one of Josh Donaldson, Ryan Goins or Darwin Barney (until the return of Devon Travis).

In 2015 with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, Burns played 50 games at third base, 46 at second, 13 at first, eight at shortstop and eight in the corner outfield. Yes, he’s versatile.

Burns has also shown the ability to hold his own with the bat, and I’m confident that he would handle the transition from triple-A to MLB pitching well enough to keep a position afloat.

In 126 games with the Bisons last season, Burns slashed .293 / .351 / .372 with 26 doubles and four home runs. The 25-year old certainly has the frame to produce more power, and if he’s able to do that, he could push for a utility roster spot a year from now even without an injury ahead of him.

For now, though, his value remains in being a well-rounded depth option that is just on the cusp. Given the variety of positions that he’s able to handle with relative skill, Burns will have several potential paths on to the MLB roster.

Next: #2: The veteran first baseman behind Smoak and Colabello

#2   –   1B Casey Kotchman

First baseman Casey Kotchman can be considered along the same lines as Dan Johnson in 2014. A grizzled vet that knows his way around a professional at-bat, and if called upon, should provide a valuable, albeit unspectacular, level of replacement.

Kotchman has been there before, and as a younger player with the Los Angeles Angels franchise, he looked destined to be one of the game’s more well-rounded hitters at the position.

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Like Hernandez, Kotchman also comes with a past link to Shapiro, Atkins and the Indians, where he played in 2012. It was a largely unsuccessful season, posting an OPS of just .612 over 142 games, but his season prior to that in Tampa Bay was excellent. In 146 games for the Rays in 2011, Kotchman slashed .306 / .378 / .422 with ten home runs and 48 RBI.

For Kotchman, as long as he can put together some quality at-bats this spring, his three tickets to a short-term spot on the 25-man roster will be Chris Colabello, Justin Smoak and Edwin Encarnacion.

As all three of those players are a strict 1B/DH type, Kotchman currently represents the best option for that role from the AAA Buffalo ranks.

That is, of course, unless the Blue Jays would decide to opt for versatility elsewhere on the roster instead. If, for example, Chris Colabello were to go down, would the Jays prefer to use Justin Smoak full-time and recall someone like Junior Lake, Ezequiel Carrera, Matt Dominguez or a third catcher? There are some balls in the air there.

But assuming that Kotchman’s bat plays this spring, he’s not entirely outside the conversation.

Next: #1: Toronto's lefty specialist in training