Blue Jays: Jays Journal Top 30 Prospects List

#5 – Lourdes Gurriel – SS

The brother of Yulieski Gurriel, Lourdes Gurriel was picked up by the Blue Jays as an International Free Agent out of Cuba. The Jays have great confidence in Gurriel to become a key cog in the future lineup in the middle of the big league diamond. He has all the right tools, and after fighting some injuries early on in 2017 he really settled in and showed why we should all be excited about the future.

He played with the Dunedin Blue Jays and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and had some solid power numbers to finish his shortened season. He finished with 11 doubles, five homers, and 36 RBI in just 64 games. He really shined in the Arizona Fall League and posted a .291 batting average in 21 games. This went along with seven doubles, three homers, and 11 RBI. He will look to impress in an extended audition this Spring Training, but is most likely going to be with the Bisons this year and will be looking to show off all of his talents all around the diamond.

Estimated 2018 starting point – Triple-A – Buffalo Bisons
Original post by Chris Henderson (@Baseball4brains)

#4 – Nate Pearson – P

Many have gone on record over this past offseason to say that Nate Pearson might be one of the most electric arms to come through the Blue Jays System in a long time. This is high praise when we have had Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman, and Roberto Osuna come up to the Jays over the past few seasons.

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Pearson was the Blue Jays 28th overall pick this past June and really stood out in his Pro Debut with the Canadians this past season. In his seven starts, he allowed just two runs in 19 innings. If that is not impressing you yet, he struck out twenty-four batters in those innings while walking just five. Still not impressed huh? He also allowed just seven hits. We hope you are now excited to see what Pearson can do this season with a full sample of work.

Estimated 2018 starting point – Single A+ – Dunedin Blue Jays
Original post by Clayton Richer (@ClaytonRicher)

#3 – Anthony Alford – OF

The former two-sport athlete has settled into a full-time baseball role and wow are we going to be happy he decided to play with the Blue Jays. Anthony Alford has everything you would want in his bag of baseball tricks. He has speed, he hits, plays solid defense, and is an all-around class act. He also showed off his athletic prowess this past season with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

He batted a mere .310 in 68 games with the club and was an all-around threat. He stole 18 bases along with 14 doubles and five home runs. This earned him a shot at the show, which was unfortunately cut short after getting his first Major League hit with a wrist injury. Alford is for real and is set up well for what could be a solid run in the Toronto outfield.

Estimated 2018 starting point – Triple-A – Buffalo Bisons
Original post by Kristen McKernan (@kmacandbaseball)

#2 – Bo Bichette - SS

The son of Dante Bichette was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft and has quickly jumped out of that shadow with monster numbers in the Minor Leagues. Bo Bichette has been the best hitter in all the levels he has played in thus far. Bo was named the Midwest League MVP this past season after dominating the league’s pitchers as a member of the Lansing Lugnuts.

This outlandish showing of talent earned him a chance to finish the season with the Dunedin Blue Jays and he proceeded to help push the team to a second-half Division Title and Championship. He hit .362 with a treasure trove of extra base hits in 110 games between both levels. He had 41 doubles, four triples, and 14 home runs. If that was not enough he posted 74 RBI and scored 88 runs while stealing 22 bases. Bo Bichette is the total package and definitely knows baseball.

Estimated 2018 starting point – Double-A – New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Original post by Brendan Panikkar (@Panikkar37)

#1 – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 3B

The second coming of Vlad the Impaler has all Toronto Blue Jays fans waiting eagerly with anticipation. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was signed as an International Free Agent in 2015, and has quickly risen through the ranks of the system. He raked alongside Bo Bichette this past season with the Lugnuts and D-Jays. He batted .323 with 13 home runs, 28 doubles, and 76 RBI. Baseball America has even gone on to rate Vlad’s hitting at an 80, a mark never before assigned. This is due to a great swing and a great eye at the plate. Vlad stuck out just 62 times in his 119 games this past season while walking 76 times at the age of just 18 years old. This advanced approach at the plate is going to make him a tough out for MLB pitchers sooner rather than later.

Estimated 2018 starting point – Double-A – New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Original post by Chris Henderson (@Baseball4brains)

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