Blue Jays: Examining the prospects Ross Atkins has traded away- Part 2

2020

Alberto Rodriguez – Outfielder

• Traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for RHP for Taijuan Walker on August 27, 2020 (officially on September 01, 2020)

Career MLB Stats: N/A

Signing a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in mid-2017 (as an international free agent), outfielder Alberto Rodriguez has spent the past two seasons in Rookie ball in both the Dominican Summer League and with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays. Through his two seasons, Rodriguez played in 108 games while slashing .274/.356/.392 with seven home runs, 63 RBI, and a .747 OPS.

Rodriguez would be traded to the Mariners and added to the organization’s alternate site where he joined the rest of the team’s prospects. He would be reunited with friend and Mariners top prospect Noelvi Marte, both of whom hail from the same area in the Dominican Republic. Look for Rodriguez to get some more work down in the Mariners Rookie League system next year with a possible promotion to the team’s A-ball system later in the year.

Kendall Williams – Pitcher

• Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers alongside a player to be named later in exchange for pitcher Ross Stripling on August 31, 2020 (announced on September 01, 2020)

Career MLB Stats: N/A

One of the highest picks to be both drafted (second round in 2019) and then traded by Ross Atkins, pitcher Kendall Williams was the Blue Jays #11 top prospect to begin the 2020 season. Signed out of the famed IMG Academy and spurning a commitment to Vanderbilt University, Williams would join the Rookie League Gulf Coast Blue Jays where he would pitch to a 1.13 ERA over 16.0 innings with 19 strikeouts and a 0.813 WHIP.

The right-hander would be left off the Blue Jays 60 man roster last year and would find himself traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers later that season. The Mississippi native stands at a towering 6’6 and has the frame for a starting pitcher but still has quite a bit of development ahead of him before any potential MLB debut. Scouts say that he will need to develop a more repeatable delivery in order to fend off better hitters, something that can easily be developed as he progresses through the Dodgers farm system. Look for the Dodgers #23 prospect Williams to be major league ready in 2023.

Griffin Conine – Outfielder

• Traded to the Miami Marlins in exchange for INF Jonathan Villar on August 31, 2020 (officially on September 18, 2020)

Career MLB Stats: N/A

Another high draft pick traded away by Atkins (second round in 2018), outfielder Griffin Conine comes with a baseball pedigree considering his father Jeff played 17 years in the MLB. Drafted out of Duke University, Conine spent the 2019 season with the Class A Lansing Lugnuts where he slashed .283/.371/.576 with 22 home runs, 64 RBI, and a .946 OPS in 348 plate appearances.

Entering the season as the Blue Jays #15 ranked prospect, Conine would be traded to the Miami Marlins and would finish the season at their alternate training site. Conine would be assigned to the Marlins AA affiliate at the end of the season and currently sits at #18 on the organization’s top prospect list.