Toronto Blue Jays 2018 Top Prospects: #3 Anthony Alford

Anthony Alford has been a member of the Toronto Blue Jays since 2012. Born and raised in Columbia, Mississippi, Alford was signed by the Jays in the 3^rd round, 112^th overall of the Major League draft, right out of high school. He is currently ranked as the #3 prospect on our Jays Journal list.

After high school, Anthony went to the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Mississippi to play not only baseball but football as well. He was extremely successful in both endeavors but stopped pursuing football in 2014 to solely focus on baseball.

Name: Anthony Alford
Position: Outfielder Age: 23
Height: 6’1” Weight: 214 lbs
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Acquired: 3^rd round draft pick 2012

Alford started his professional career playing for the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in 2012. He played in five games and showcased his speed by stealing four bases in four attempts. In 2013 he played in six games and had a positive takeaway in that short experience with 5 H, 4 R, 6 BBs, 2 RBIs and an AVG of .227.

Alford joined the Appalachian League playing for the Bluefield Blue Jays in 2014. He ended up in nine games before being promoted to Single-A baseball as a member of the Lansing Lugnuts. In the five games he played with the Lugnuts (25 ABs), he ended up with .320 AVG, 8 H, 3 R, 3 RBI and 4 SB.

The next season started with Anthony as an everyday member of the Lugnuts. His speed, power, and agility soon caught the eye of his coaches who sent him to the Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays. While in Dunedin, Alford’s statistics steadily climbed. He played in 57 games and ended the season with stellar numbers, .302 AVG, 68 H, 42 R, 15 SB, and .825 OPS.

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Getting invited to Major League spring training camp is something minor league players can only dream about. Alford was one of the lucky ones who received an invite to the Jays camp in 2016. After spring training ended, Alford went back to play for the Dunedin Blue Jays. A few months into the 2016 season, a scary incident happened which saw this athlete being carried off the field on a stretcher. Alford was playing in the outfield and ended up colliding with a teammate. Thankfully, this accident didn’t cause significant damage in less than two weeks after it occurred, Alford was back in the field, suiting up for his next game.

2017 was a breakout season for Alford. It saw him sail through Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A and finally get his major league shot, on May 19, 2017. He played four games with the Jays and had a total of 8 ABs before he was put on the DL with a fractured wrist. On a positive note, his injury wasn’t season ending and he finished the season in Buffalo as a member of the Triple-A Bisons.

In the 77 games Alford played in the minor league system in 2017 (all three levels), he put up strong and powerful numbers, batting .299/.390/.406 while keeping up with his base stealing. In the 22 times he attempted to steal, he was successful in 19 of them, an 86% success rate!

Alford decided to spend the 2017 offseason playing in the Mexican Winter League where he gave everyone a scare in December with a sprained ankle. That alone doesn’t sound too severe but when a player is unable to walk on it and needs to be carted off the field, it raises concerns for that player and their future. Thankfully for all those worried, the prognosis turned out to be the best news possible as there appeared no permanent damage and Alford soon could put his weight on it.

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Alford has impressed players and coaches alike with his speed and athleticism. Not only that but his power, determination, and resilience have all combined to contribute to the success (albeit small) he has already achieved within the baseball world. If he stays healthy and keeps putting up strong and powerful numbers at the plate, I think it’s safe to say that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Anthony Alford at the Major League level in 2018.

Top-30 Blue Jays Prospect Rankings:

#30: OF Jonathan Davis #29: OF Harold Ramirez #28: OF Joshua Palacios

#27: 1B/OF Ryan Noda #26: SS Kevin Smith #25: OF Roemon Fields

#24: P Angel Perdomo #23: C Reese McGuire #22: OF Dwight Smith Jr.

#21: P Jordan Romano #20: P Jon Harris #19: P Tim Mayza

#18: C Riley Adams #17: P Thomas Pannone #16: P Justin Maese

#15: C Hagen Danner #14: C Max Pentecost #13: 1B Rowdy Tellez

#12: P Eric Pardinho #11: SS Richard Urena #10: P Ryan Borucki

#9: P Sean Reid-Foley #8: P T.J. Zeuch #7: C Danny Jansen

#6: SS Logan Warmoth #5: SS Lourdes Gurriel #4: P Nate Pearson