Blue Jays: How the 2022 top prospects ended up in the organization

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TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 03: Kevin Smith #66 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats during a MLB game against the Oakland Athletics at Rogers Centre on September 3, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /

Yesterday, Baseball America released their farm system rankings heading into the 2022 campaign and the Toronto Blue Jays ended up at 19th overall, last in the American League East that has some tough competition from the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays, who were both listed in within the top five.

It wasn’t a surprise that the Jays farm system took a bit of a step back after the trades and transactions that happened last season. Top prospects Austin Martin, Simeon Woods-Richardson, and Riley Adams were traded at the deadline and right-hander Patrick Murphy was designated for assignment, with all four players being ranked heading into the 2021 campaign. The club also saw Alek Manoah and Alejandro Kirk graduate from the list while Nate Pearson is no longer on the MLB Pipeline or Keith Law’s latest rankings but still featured in Baseball America’s latest update.

The current top 30 prospects via MLB Pipeline come from quite a few different backgrounds, a mix of the MLB Draft as well as international free agency. Let’s take a deeper look, shall we?

MLB Amateur Draft

3. Jordan Groshans (first round, 2018)

4. Gunnar Hoglund (first round, 2021)

7. Adam Kloffenstein (third round, 2018)

9. Kevin Smith (fourth round, 2017)

13. CJ Van Eyk (second round, 2020)

15. Irv Carter (fifth round, 2021)

16. Ricky Tiedemann (third round, 2021)

19. Dasan Brown (third round, 2019)

20. Chad Dallas (fourth round, 2012)

21. Josh Palacios (fourth round, 2016)

22. Will Robertson (fourth round, 2019)

25. Joey Murray (eighth round, 2018)

26. Tanner Morris (fifth round, 2019)

27. Zach Logue (ninth round, 2017)

29. Trent Palmer (third round, 2020)

30. Hagen Danner (second round, 2017)

One thing I will say about Ross Atkins and co. is that they have done a fantastic job drafting since they stepped into office (major kudos to the scouting department as well). Key players of the Blue Jays current core were drafted under Atkins and the club continues to churn out solid drafts that get players to sign on the dotted line, which compared to previous general manager Alex Anthopoulos, is a step in the right direction (AA was great at trading but faltered on some of the higher draft pick selections).

Jordan Groshans leads the charge amongst Blue Jays draft picks at #3 and should be close to knocking on the Major League doors this season, a ‘bat first’ player that could be taking on the third base role in the near future.

Four #BlueJays cracked Keith Law's top 100 prospect list:

#6 - Gabriel Moreno
#44 - Orelvis Martinez
#89 - Kevin Smith
#99 - Jordan Groshans https://t.co/CLKtwpZY6M
— Josh Goldberg (@JGoldberg12) January 31, 2022

Other potential candidates to make big-league debuts at some points this year are Joey Murray (if he is not taken in a Rule 5 Draft post CBA agreement) and Zach Logue, both of whom could find themselves in the bullpen. Kevin Smith and Josh Palacios are the only members of this group who have some experience at the Major League level but Smith stands a better shot at making the big league club come Opening Day mostly because of the crowded outfield situation potentially limiting Palacios spot on the 26 man roster.

Gunnar Hoglund, selected in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, will be on the shelf until the midway mark of the season since he is still recovering from Tommy John surgery while fans should get to see Irv Carter, Rickey Tiedemann, and Chad Dallas find some live game action this year (all three only pitched at the Jays complex last year after being drafted).

Hagen Danner slides in at #30 and is an interesting player to watch considering he made the switch to the mound last year, pitching to a 2.02 ERA through 25 relief appearances in High A ball. Right-hander Trent Palmer is another name to keep an eye on, as he could easily shoot up the draft rankings if he continues to pitch similar to his first year of professional baseball (two no-hitters anyone?).

Both CJ Van Eyk and Adam Kloffenstein will be looking to bounce back this season after somewhat disappointing 2021 campaigns but both pitchers provide a lot of upsides, especially since they are still a few years away from knocking on the big league doors and there is still room for development.

Dasan Brown is the lone ranked Canadian prospect, with the Oakville, Ontario product being heavily impacted by the 2020 shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and only appearing in 65 games since being drafted in 2019.

Robertson and Morris both fill out the list, with the outfielder most likely beginning the season in A ball and Morris heading to AA New Hampshire after an impressive first season with the Vancouver Canadians.

LAKELAND, FLORIDA – MARCH 19: Orelvis Martinez #95 of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on prior to the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Detroit Tigers during a spring training game at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium on March 19, 2021 in Lakeland, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

International Free Agency

1. Gabriel Moreno (Venezuala)

2. Orelvis Martinez (Domincian Republic)

5. Otto Lopez (Dominican Republic)

6. Miguel Hiraldo (Dominican Republic)

7. Estiven Machado (Venezuala)

10. Manuel Beltre (Dominican Republic)

11. Leo Jimenez (Panama)

12. Sem Robberse (Netherlands)

14. Rikelbin de Castro (Dominican Republic)

18. Victor Mesia (Venezuala)

23. Adrian Hernandez (Mexico)

24. Eric Pardinho (Brazil)

The Blue Jays top prospect heading into 2022 is catcher Gabriel Moreno, who was signed by the Blue Jays for $25,000 back in 2016. Moreno has pretty much hit at every level of the club’s minor league system and should be well on his way to making his Major League debut sometime in 2022. Some more time at AAA will not only help refine his skills after a thumb injury sidelined him for a few months last year but also gives the front office a chance to make some room for the Venezualan prospect, as the club currently features a pretty crowded catching scenario at the moment.

Following Moreno is infielder Orelvis Martinez, who is proving that he is worth every penny of the $3.5 million bonus the Jays shelled out in 2018. His raw power and advanced maturity at the plate should see the righty-batter find his way to AA and possibly AAA by the end of the season. Martinez is loved by the Jays organization, so much that the front office was unwilling to dangle him in any trades this past year. Has the mood changed since then?

Looking at the 2022 top prospects in the Blue Jays organization, the club has done a solid job picking up players via the MLB Draft and international free agency.

The Dominican Republic is featured the most on the Blue Jays’ top prospect list when it comes to international free agency, featuring Martinez, Otto Lopez, Miguel Hiraldo, Manuel Beltre, and Rikelbin de Castro. Lopez is the only member of this group who saw some MLB action last year (albeit limited to just one at-bat) but should be in the mix for a spot on the Jays Opening Day roster this year, most likely in a bench capacity. Hiraldo did have his fair share of struggles last season in Dunedin, so it will be interesting to see where he stacks up this year. de Casto will most likely make the jump to A ball after spending last season in the Florida Complex League while fellow countryman Beltre will most likely be making the jump stateside to play in the FCL this year after spending last season in the Dominican Summer League.

Jimenez impressed the Blue Jays staff enough that the club decided to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft while Brazilian-born Eric Pardinho was left exposed, mostly due to the battles he has faced over the past two seasons in terms of recovering from Tommy John surgery. Pardinho could bounce back in a big way this year but his overall health will be the biggest question mark.

Machado and Mesia join Moreno in hailing from Venezuela while the Blue Jays also have Hernandez (Mexico) and Robberse (Netherlands) in the mix.

BUFFALO, NEW YORK – JUNE 29: Baseballs in a pile on the field before the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners at Sahlen Field on June 29, 2021 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images) /

Trade

17. Samad Taylor (from the Cleveland Indians)

28. Bowden Francis (from the Milwaukee Brewers)

While most of the Blue Jays top prospect list is internally developed/drafted, the Blue Jays feature two ranked players who came from outside the organization.

Originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the tenth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, the Blue Jays acquired Samad Taylor and reliever Thomas Pannone at the 2017 trade deadline in exchange for right-hander Joe Smith.

While the 2018 and 2019 campaigns did not yield off-the-charts results, Taylor really impressed last year down in AA, slashing .294/.385/.503 with 16 home runs and a .888 OPS through 87 games. He also stole 30 bases and led the team in home runs and OPS (amongst qualified players). The only caveat to his game is the swing and misses, as he racked up 110 punchouts last year with the Fisher Cats. He was also left off the 40-man roster and could be picked up in the Rule 5 Draft.

Francis is one of the newer members on the top prospect list after he was acquired last season alongside reliever Trevor Richards from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for hard-hitting first baseman Rowdy Tellez.

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After being acquired by the Jays, Francis spent the rest of the season in AAA Buffalo and posted a 4.19 ERA with a 1.192 WHIP through 14 appearances and 73.0 innings of work. The command did lose him a bit after the trade to the tune of a 3.8 BB/9 but the makeup is solid and the right-hander could potentially see some Major League action next year if injuries befall the current roster.

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Looking at the 2022 top prospects in the Blue Jays organization, the club has done a solid job picking up players via the MLB Draft and international free agency.

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