With the absence of pitching prospects coming over in trades, Blue Jays fans are outraged that the team isn’t filling its depth needs. However, their pitching doesn’t seem to be as bad as many fans think.
Now I know what you’re thinking, “Are you kidding me? We have no pitching prospects in our system.” Well let me tell you something online reader, that is where you are wrong. If you look at Baseball America’s updated top 30 prospects in Toronto’s system you will find that 9/30 of them are pitchers within that list. Not only are they on the list, but they are pretty good and show some solid promise.
With that in mind we should go through some of what Toronto has to offer in their system, as well as what they currently have in the big leagues.
Marcus Stroman
Believe it or not, I fully believe Marcus Stroman has the ability to be a top-tier arm for the Blue Jays now, as well as in the future. Since he’s come back from injury he has been everything the Jays knew he had. In the last month he has gone 4-2 with an ERA of 3.38, as well as averaging a bit more than 6 innings per outing. That’s pretty good.
Aaron Sanchez
Aaron Sanchez has this major issue in which he keeps getting blisters and other hand ailments. If his hands toughen up soon, or he can figure out how to avoid getting sidelined frequently, he can be a great starter. He led the American League in ERA a few years ago, and this is before his prime. Like Stroman, Sanchez has the stuff to fool batters. He just needs to stay on the field and he will be a remarkable help to the Blue Jays’ future.
Aaron Sanchez will throw a bullpen session on Saturday. No injury updates on Donaldson/Tulo. Barnes begins rehab with Triple-A Buffalo tonight. #BlueJays
— Gregor Chisholm (@GregorChisholm) July 27, 2018
Ryan Borucki
Now I must admit, I have a bit of a man-crush on Ryan Borucki. He wasn’t a huge name in the Blue Jays system, but he has pitched remarkably well for someone who wasn’t expected to be a great major leaguer. He’s pretty well tested facing some of the best competition the MLB has to offer in the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. Not to mention he went seven innings against both of them and gave up very few runs. He’s started five games this season and has an ERA of 2.79. Now will he continue this? Probably not. But the future does look bright for him as a consistent mid-rotation guy.
Heck of an outing, kid. 👏👏@ryan_borucki has now tossed at least 6 innings in 4 of his 5 @MLB starts. pic.twitter.com/DvCsPehty1
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 25, 2018
Nate Pearson
Nate Pearson is Toronto’s #4 best prospect, and is ranked #92 on Baseball America’s top prospects. Drafted in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Pearson has an elite fastball that can reach 98 mph, as well as a tall, athletic frame to boot. Not only does he have a great fastball but according to scouts, his slider is the best in the Jays’ system. His command is an issue, but if he can get that worked out then he will have no problem fitting into Toronto’s rotation down the line.
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Eric Pardinho
The 17-year-old phenom may be one of the more promising prospects in Toronto’s system. He pitches for the Bluefield Blue Jays, and has done well so far. In six starts he has an ERA of 2.49. His pitches are all ranked to be very good by Baseball America, but his main two are a fastball, and curveball duo. Scouts say that Pardinho’s “arm action is clean and efficient, and an ability to repeat his delivery.” The #7 best prospect in Toronto’s system appears to have future, great potential.
Sean Reid-Foley
Looking at Sean Reid-Foley now, and even a few years ago, people knew he was destined to be a big league starter. He’s projected to come up sometime this season and for good reason. So far this year (Between Double-A and Triple-A) Reid-Foley has gone 12-2 with a combined ERA of 3.04. Those are good numbers. And at the tender age of 22, he appears to be ready to take on the big leagues. We will just have to see how he fares when put up to the challenge, but it looks promising.
Adam Kloffenstein
This is the last one I swear! Adam Kloffenstein hasn’t pitched yet this season, but shows plenty of promise already. He was drafted in the third round of the 2018 MLB Draft and has the size for pitching. Standing 6-foot-5-inches, and 220 pounds he has the body to last and endure. According to scouts, he has two fastballs a 2-seam and 4-seam. The 4-seam can reach up to 96 mph and the 2-seam has a great drop. He also has a great change-up that when he can control it, it is his best pitch. He also has plenty of breaking action to boot.
BASEBALL: Magnolia pitcher Adam Kloffenstein is The Courier’s Player of the Year https://t.co/GF6nWIZNTf
— The Courier Sports (@ConroeSports) June 30, 2018
I’m aware that the weakest point of the Blue Jays’ system is their pitching, but they still have pretty good pitchers. Maybe none of them are going to be the elite-arm that everybody wants, as finding those players are few and far between. The team is still set up to have a good future rotation, that may not have an ERA of 2.50, but can keep the team in the games. That should be good enough for how much offensive upside the team is going to offer in the future.
P.S. If you need any more reassurance, go look at how good Jordan Romano has been this season between Double-A and Triple-A.