Blue Jays: Thanks, Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins — No, Seriously

Although some questionable Major League moves have given fans pause when considering the talent of the Toronto Blue Jays’ new leadership, this year’s prospect rankings serve as proof of Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins’ ability.

An 80 hit tool, the first of its kind given out by MLB Pipeline. A hit tool 20 higher than Bryce Harper, and 10 higher than Mike Trout, in 2012. A power tool on par with that of Trout.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is easily the best prospect that the Blue Jays have ever seen. His recent ranking as the third-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America puts him among highly-touted company. Coupled with it all, Guerrero is only 18 years old, and will be just 19 by the end of the 2018 season.

With Guerrero in the Blue Jays’ system is Bo Bichette, a similarly-touted shortstop who landed eighth on Baseball America’s list. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the third-best shortstop prospect in all of baseball, giving him a 70 hit tool, 55 power tool, and an overall grade of 60. Bichette will turn 20 before the 2018 season begins.

One might call the Blue Jays lucky to have this extreme talent; the last time Toronto had two prospects in the top ten at Baseball America was 1995, and given the recent looting of the farm system, the recent rebound comes as a surprise.

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Still, there must be some reason behind the recent success — it isn’t by chance that Toronto now has two of baseball’s top eight prospects.

So, thanks, Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins.

Yes, Alex Anthopoulos was still the general manager of the Blue Jays when Guerrero was signed for $3.9 million in July of 2015, and yes, it’s hard to fully measure the impact of a new leadership group in just two years at the helm. But all indications point to a successful process for developing prospects by Shapiro and Atkins.

Bo Bichette, for one, was drafted by the Blue Jays with Atkins as the general manager. He had slipped past in the first round in 2016, with the Blue Jays picking up Bichette only after many teams had passed him over (including Toronto, in all honesty). Additionally, Nate Pearson, listed as the #91 prospect in Baseball America’s rankings, was an Atkins pick in 2017.

But it isn’t so much the drafting of these players that Atkins, and by association Shapiro, have succeeded at. They’ve bolstered Toronto’s development department, hiring Ben Cherington at the end of the 2016 season to preside over Toronto’s farm system. Cherington, formerly the general manager of the Boston Red Sox, was responsible for the development of many current and future major league stars: Andrew Benintendi, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Yoan Moncada, to name a few.

While Cherington shined when managing the farm system, he occasionally faltered at the major league level despite leading the Red Sox to a World Series victory in 2013. Cherington signed Pablo Sandoval to his horrid contract during the 2014-2015 offseason, and was responsible for the addition of Rusney Castillo the same year.

Still, with the Blue Jays, Cherington has little, if any, impact on the decisions regarding the 25-man roster. His area of expertise is where he operates with the Blue Jays, and Toronto is reaping the rewards of his talents.

The Blue Jays have also added Eric Wedge in the role of player development adviser. Wedge, the 2007 American League Manager of the Year with the Cleveland Indians, spent five seasons as a minor-league manager with Cleveland and managed the Seattle Mariners from 2011-2013.

Next: Blue Jays have become sneaky good this offseason

While some questionable and frustrating major-league moves have left fans fuming at Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins, their development and handling of the minor-league system is second to none. They’ve taken the ravaged and looted farm of Alex Anthopoulos and accumulated both on-field and off-field talent, setting up the franchise nicely for years to come.