Blue Jays: Projecting the Buffalo Bisons 2022 Roster

If you are an avid reader of Jays Journal and are keeping up to date with Major League Baseball, it’s no secret that the lockout is still ongoing. Opening Day has been delayed and the cancelled games will, allegedly, not be made up. While the lockout puts a hold on the MLB season, the AAA MiLB season is set to get underway on April 5th. The AAA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Buffalo Bisons, will be taking on the Iowa Cubs at Sahlen Field to kick off the year.

The 2022 Bisons are set to feature a handful of both former major leaguers and promising minor league talents. Of course, there is some fine print prohibiting certain players taking part in this season.

Any player on the 40-man roster who was likely set to being in AAA, will not be able to. This most notably includes top prospect, Gabriel Moreno. However, this benefits a player like David Phelps. Phelps is a major league calibre arm, but due to his injury concern both the Blue Jays and Phelps came to a minor league agreement with an invite to Spring Training. Phelps will be able to begin 2022 relatively on time and take place in competitive games.

What follows is my interpretation of what Buffalo’s may look at, come April.

Rotation: Jose De Leon, Nick Allgeyer, Joey Murray, Elvis Luciano, Casey Lawrence

All but one of these starters have pitched in MLB. Lawrence, Luciano, and Allgeyer have all thrown innings for the Blue Jays, and seemingly should all be options for the big league club down the line. De Leon is a former top prospect and has spent time in the Rays, Dodgers, and Reds organization. The most interesting arm to keep an eye on however might be Elvis Luciano. The young right-hander was a curious case back in 2019, as he was selected in the Rule-5 Draft at just 19 years of age.

For a refresher on the Rule-5 rules, a player selected must remain on the big league club for the entire season, or else they’ll be returned to their former organization. If the players last the season in their new organization, then they can be optioned to the minors again. Luciano lasted 2019, and has since been pitching through various levels in the organization, with a considerable amount of success. This past season Luciano made 12 starts in AA New Hampshire, posting a 3.16 ERA. Now at 21 years old, he should get a chance to start in AAA and develop as a starting pitcher.

Joey Murray is another name in the mix. Known for throwing the infamous ‘invisiball’, Murray dealt with an injury plagued season last year. Murray’s invisiball comes from throwing a low 90’s fastball with a high spin rate, making it more difficult for hitters to follow. Given the chance to throw a full and healthy season, expect Murray to climb some prospect leader-boards and possibly contribute in the bigs at some point in 2022 if he is not selected in a potential Rule 5 Draft once the lockout is over.

Bullpen: David Phelps, Matt Gage, Abdiel Mendoza, Kyle Johnston, Jackson Rees, Fitz Stadler, Shaun Anderson, Graham Spraker

Predicting an MLB bullpen is difficult, let alone a AAA bullpen. Nevertheless, here are eight separate pitchers who could seem time in the Bisons arm barn. There’s obviously some MLB experience here, as David Phelps is the standout and has had the most success. Shaun Anderson threw some innings for Padres, Orioles, and Twins in 2021. While he couldn’t stick with a single organization, he thrived while pitching in AAA, posting a 2.70 ERA across 23.1 innings.

Stepping away from the Major League arms for a second, there are two right-handers who have yet to pitch a major league inning, but their time should come soon. Jackson Rees and Graham Spraker are two pitchers I’d imagine the Blue Jays plan on utilizing at some point in 2022. Rees’s hype comes from an other-worldly 2019 season across A and High A. Amassing a 0.73 ERA throughout 61.2 innings is truly spectacular, and he followed that up with a solid 8.1 innings in the Arizona Fall League. Unfortunately, the COVID season and an injury shortened 2021 has derailed his development. Continued health and innings for Rees would be huge in 2022.

Graham Spraker has been pitching in the minors since 2017. In 2021 he rode a breakout season in AA New Hampshire, where he pitched to a 2.74 ERA across 42.2 innings, to an appearance in the Arizona Fall League. He was borderline un-hittable in this premier league, as he didn’t allow a run in 11.1 innings while keeping a SO/9 north of 13.

Both of these young arms, plus the veteran additions, will all be available to help the Blue Jays down the line. Innings and health will be crucial for this group.

Infield: Kellin Deglan, Cullen Large, Gosuke Katoh, Samad Taylor, Jordan Groshans

As mentioned before, there’ll be no Gabriel Moreno here. Instead, there are five different, quality infield options at the Bisons’ disposal. Deglan, a Langley native, was re-signed to a minor league deal this past winter. He spent a handful of games in the Blue Jays organization last year, after previously being with the Yankees and Rangers. He’s slotted to be their starting catcher with Moreno still unable to play.

I have Cullen Large slotted at first-base, as he’s played a multitude of positions throughout his time in professional baseball. The Blue Jays don’t have much prototypical first-base prospects at this point in time. Guys like Rowdy Tellez, Matt Dean, and David Cooper have come and gone. Large is a capable bat and has experience across the diamond.

With the MLB lockout still going strong, the Blue Jays affiliate is set to begin on April 5th. Here’s a projection of the Buffalo Bisons roster for 2022.

A new signing in Gosuke Katoh should get most of the starts at second base. Katoh is a minor league veteran, and has split time between the Yankees and Padres organization since 2013. This past season, as a 26 year old in AAA El Paso, he hit to a .862 OPS while playing throughout the infield. Katoh is definitely a guy I feel will be an infield option at some point in 2022 for the Blue Jays.

The short-stop position sees the highest-ranked prospect on this roster. Jordan Groshans is looking to build off of his longest season in professional baseball, and will be given plenty of at bats at the highest level of the minor leagues in 2022. The former first round pick should split time on the infield between short and third as well. MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson reports that increased Groshans is showing increased increased velocity during batting practice. Groshans is no doubt in an interesting spot within the organization. On one hand he’s an interesting trade-chip if the Blue Jays were to pursue an upgrade to their major league roster. On the other hand, Groshan’s minor league success and strong athletic makeup could show that he’ll become a mainstay in this teams lineup in the next couple seasons. For now however, he’ll be getting regular reps in Buffalo.

Outfield: Vinny Capra, Mallex Smith, Nathan Lukes

I believe there to be many AAA quality outfielders within this organization, however these three have as good as shot as any to play the most games. Vinny Capra broke out in 2021 with AA New Hampshire. Splitting time between the infield and outfield, Capra posted a .945 OPS through 72 games in AA.

Mallex Smith might sound familiar to a lot of Blue Jays fans. The speedster spent some time in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, as well as Atlanta and Seattle. At one point last year he found is way onto the Bisons and had a torrid couple of games. Through seven games, he hit two homeruns and posted a 1.355 OPS. Smith also mixed in three stolen bases for good measure. This sample size is almost pointless to look at, but it might go to show that he’s comfortable in Buffalo, and good be a steady contributor for them as the year plays out.

Nathan Lukes, formerly of the Guardians and Rays organizations, signed a minor league deal this past winter. He’s carried a consistent bat through the minor leagues and hit  .303 last year in AAA Durham.