Blue Jays 2017 top prospects: #27, 1B Ryan McBroom

Blue Jays first base prospect Ryan McBroom had a breakout year with the Dunedin Blue Jays

The first few names on the Jays Journal top-30 prospects lists have represented Toronto’s young arms (Jordan Romano, Yennsy Diaz) and high-upside outfielders (Reggie Pruitt).  Where the past few picks have represented the Jays system racking in quality arms and athletes, Ryan McBroom represents a wild card.

The 15th round pick from the 2014 draft has shown solid upside as he has continued to develop.

Name: Ryan McBroom
Position: 1B        Age: 24
Height: 6’3”    Age: 230 lbs.
Throws: Left            Bats: Right
Acquired: 2014, 15th round draft pick

Since his debut in 2014 with the Vancouver Canadians McBroom has shown that he has a bat with plenty of pop.  In the short season North Western League that season, McBroom popped off 11 home runs and 59 RBI while batting .297.  He also added 23 doubles in those 70 games.

The following season with the Lansing Lugnuts saw McBroom become even more consistent at the plate.  His first full season in the Jays organization saw him bud into a true force within the Midwest League.  Through 127 games he was nothing short of impressive at the plate, batting .315 with 39 doubles, 12 home runs, and 90 RBI.

This past season McBroom seemed to put everything thing together in Dunedin.  He evolved into a stronger power hitter and continued to hit for a solid average.  With the Dunedin Blue Jays he hit 21 home runs and continued to hit plenty of doubles as well as he racked up 26.  With all this power he was able to drive in 83 runs and score 58 of his own.

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The breakout party in Dunedin gave him a brief promotion to Double A with the Fisher Cats in late July.  That debut may not have went as well as McBroom would have liked but there was not a ton of room for him on a talented team. McBroom only had a brief stint in double-A but was able to hit a home run during his 9 games with the team.

With the 2017 season rapidly approaching it looks like McBroom may get a shot to play in New Hampshire full time.  Rowdy Tellez was blocking him this past season but after he had an incredible season as well he will likely be moving up.

McBroom has all the talents that you would like in a first basemen.  He plays smooth defense and hits with some pop.   If McBroom can find a nice balance between power hitter and hitting for an average he is going to be a really tough out.  He has a solid approach at the plate but does not walk much.  In 119 games in Dunedin last season he walked just 34 times with 112 strikeouts.  He could benefit from being more selective at the plate.

McBroom does possess a pretty compact power stroke.  In the above video you will see McBroom’s first double-A home run.  He has a quick step into the pitch were his hips and hands explode into the baseball.  He uses a leg kick to really load up his body weight on his back leg.

With him throwing his weight into the pitch he just has to get his hands into place.  He has quick hands that flow through the zone with a slight upper cut.  He then wraps things up beautifully where he finishes high.

Ryan “McBoom” could be on a solid path toward the Majors.  The smooth-swinging first basemen will look to have another good season to keep building on the firm foundation that he has established.  He has improved every season thus far in the Jays system and he might be a safe bet for another strong campaign this coming season.  Look for him to become the everyday first basemen for the double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats once spring training closes.

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BLUE JAYS TOP PROSPECT LIST:

#30: RHP Jordan Romano     #29: RHP Yennsy Diaz     #28: CF Reggie Pruitt