Blue Jays: Prospect Zach Britton is tearing up the Arizona Fall League
The Toronto Blue Jays sent seven players to the Arizona Fall League to join the Salt River Rafters this offseason:
- RHP Anders Tolhurst
- RHP Hagen Danner
- RHP Troy Watson
- RHP Hunter Gregory
- INF Addison Barger
- INF Tanner Morris
- C/OF Zach Britton
While each player is having their own degree of success during this fall league action, Britton is quickly stealing the show, with the catcher/outfielder for the Blue Jays recently earning Hitter of the Week honours, going 9-13 (.692 AVG) with one double, one triple, one home run and 6 RBI to the tune of a 1.154 OPS.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft, Britton is putting on a showcase in the AFL, owning a league-leading .457 batting average while sitting second in terms of OPS (1.210) and third in OBS (.524). He has also added five extra-base hits (one home run) and 11 RBI while walking more than striking out at five free passes to four K’s.
Defensively, Britton has been moved to the corner outfield spots, has 20 total putouts through ten games in the field, and has yet to commit an error. The Indiana product also has one outing as the designated hitter.
Britton spent the 2021 campaign in Dunedin and began the 2022 season in High-A Vancouver, with a midseason promotion to AA New Hampshire seeing him finish the year with the Fisher Cats. Since being drafted out of the University of Louisville, Britton has split his time behind the plate and left field.
This year, the lefty-batter amassed a combined .238/.381/.444 slash line through 76 games and 252 at-bats, finishing the season with 10 home runs, 33 RBI, and a .826 OPS. He added 10 stolen bases and would have likely improved his numbers had he not been set back by multiple injuries to finish the season. Behind the plate, Britton threw out 7% and 14% of baserunners in High-A and AA respectively while committing three errors in left field this season between both levels of Minor League ball.
Overall, the former Cardinal is having a standout showing in the Arizona Fall League and will hopefully take that momentum heading into the 2023 season where he will look to try and make AAA by the end of the year while also potentially cracking the Blue Jays top prospect list this winter as well.