Blue Jays positional prospect and MiLB stock watch: Week One

For prospect junkies like myself, the start of the MiLB season brings just as much excitement as the start of the MLB season. Players have been assigned to their individual levels, teams are starting to take shape, and the image of spending hot summer nights in welcoming ballparks watching minor league baseball is beginning to seem more and more clear.

The level a minor leaguer starts at isn’t often the level that they finish at. Players often get bounced around, whether it either be to fill holes created by injuries, through demotions, or to advance a level because the competition isn’t up to par.

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That’s what this column is for, to break down who’s hot, who’s not, and what this may mean for the upcoming weeks. It’s like the prospect stock report. Since players have yet to really settle in and may not be completely comfortable at the plate or in the field, these rankings will likely fluctuate quite a bit in the early weeks. Few players will be in midseason form yet. That’s acceptable, especially when we are talking about players still in their teens and early twenties who are still learning how to be professional baseball players.

However, there’s no time like the present to begin taking a look at the Jays’ minor leaguers whose early performance has them rising or falling. Let’s get started…

(Note: This column only looks at the position players in the Jays’ system. To see the pitching report, see yesterday’s article! For the purposes of these pieces, we’re considering a “prospect” to be any young player commonly considered under that classification and also some more experienced minor leaguers who still hold an untapped high-level potential.)

Who’s Hot

    Dalton Pompey, Outfielder – The current Blue Jays outfield better watch out, because Pompey has started the season tearing the cover off the baseball. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but through three games he is hitting .500 (5-for-10, 1 BB, 0 K) and has already stolen a base. Pompey is likely one of the first players that will be called up in the event of an injury, and he’s eager to prove that he belongs in The Show. Regardless of whether he gets the call sooner or later, Jays fans should be pleased with the progress Pompey is making at the plate.

Who’s Not

    Rowdy Tellez, First Base – The 21 year old first baseman was ranked by Jays Journal as the Jays’ third best prospect heading into the season, but he’s sputtered to just a slash line of just .143 / .269 / .381 in the early going. This is his first experience in double-A ball, and through five games he has been overmatched playing in a higher level. Tellez has shown over the past two years that he can hit (he’s flirted with an average around .300 for the past two years), and should be able to shake off his early slump soon. As previously mentioned, it’s early.

Risers

    Jesus Montero, First Baseman – The former top prospect (circa 2010, we’ll let him hold on to the classification) is hitting .333 through eight games. The talent has always been there; if he can stay focused all year the Jays may have something special.

Richard Urena, Shortstop – Urena has gotten off to a solid start, and is one of the few players on the Dunedin team who have found their stroke at the plate thus far (8-for-27, 1 HR, 6 RBI).

Lane Thomas, Outfielder – He was an honourable mention on our preseason Top 30, but if he continues to perform at his current pace you can bet his ranking will rise (7-for-17, HR, 5 BB). The entire Lansing lineup has gotten off to a very encouraging start.

Related Story: A look at the organization's top pitching prospects this past week

Fallers

    Dwight Smith Jr., Outfielder- The 23-year-old has just three hits in 24 at-bats (.125 AVG), and has yet to register an extra base hit.

Matt Dominguez, Third Baseman- He has never been a great (see: complete) hitter, but a .130 average isn’t going to get him called up any time soon. Fortunately, his glove is keeping him an option to be called up.

D.J. Davis, Outfielder- He’s only 21, but this will be his fifth year in the Blue Jays’s system. Davis has gotten off to a cold start in his first season with Dunedin (.188 AVG, 9 K). Prior to the season starting, we profiled the former first round pick as facing a make-or-break season.

Player to Watch This Week

    Anthony Alford, Outfielder – The Jays’ consensus top prospect has been sidelined since the 6th inning of Opening Day after he injured his leg sliding into home plate. The injury wasn’t believed to be serious, and Alford is expected to return to Dunedin very shortly. Alford is a freak athlete, and has the type of tools that allow him to easily change the complexion of a game at will. When he’s healthy again, he’s a must-watch.

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Note- All stats are taken prior to first pitch on April 15th