3 young Blue Jays who have answered the call so far and 2 who haven’t 

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a plethora of young prospects join their roster in recent years whether it be through the draft or via trade.

Some of those players have gone on to become major contributors at the major league level, whereas some others still need some work and development.

As a result, here we will take a look at three young Blue Jays who have answered the call and two others who are still progressing.

3 young Blue Jays who have answered the call so far and 2 who haven’t 

Answered the Call: Alejandro Kirk

When Kirk arrived during the COVID-shortened season in 2020 with the Jays, he did some with a reputation as a solid minor league hitter. But some wondered whether that hitting success would translate to the major league level and if his

Well, we're now six years into Kirk's tenure with the Blue Jays and he's proven to be up to the task on both offense and defense. has proven to be up to the task, whether both offensively and defensively.

Kirk's maintained a solid .266 average in his 768 games with the Blue Jayss while averaging double digits in home runs and 70 RBI per season over a full 162-game schedule. He was also an All-Star and Silver Slugger in 2022.

While he may not be a perennial Gold Glove candidate, he's Kirk developed into a reliable and trusted backstop. In addition to sporting a stellar .993 fielding percentage, he has compiled 30 DRS while catching more than 30% of would-be base stealers over the past two seasons. Kirk has also become one of the best framers in the game per Statcast.

The Blue Jays confirmed that Kirk was their catcher of the future when they inked him to an extension in spring training, and he hasn't done anything to dispel that notion so far this season.

Hasn't Answered the Call: Addison Barger

Barger's was a top 10 prospect in the Blue Jays' system in 2023 after a breakout 2022 season where he hit .308 with 26 home runs and 81 RBI across three minor league levels. That, coupled with his ability to play multiple positions, made him a prospect to watch.

He finally made his MLB debut with Toronto last season, albeit with mixed results. The 25-year-old struggled immensely, though he was a little more productive in his third stint when he became a fixture in the lineup down the stretch. In the end, Barger finished last year with a less-than-stellar .197 average with seven home runs and 28 RBI in 69 games.

This season, the promising utilityman upon being inittally called up before finding his groove later in the year.

But Barger has begun to turn a corner over the past, compiling an impressive .303 average, .870 OPS, even runs scored, right doubles, two home runs and eight RBI while playing primarily at third base thanks to Andrés Giménez's injury.

While it seems like finally having a fixed position has allowed Barger to get in a groove, he's still a bit of a work in progress after his rough start to his MLB career. But his recent performance is a step in the right direction.

Answered the Call: Bo Bichette

As the son of Dante Bichette (a former four-time All-Star and MVP finalist), Bo Bichette entered the Blue Jays' system with some high expectations.

And he's lived up to that and quickly become a huge force in the Blue Jays' lineup since his promotion in 2019.

A two-time All-Star himself, Bichette has also led the American League in hits twice and has had evolved to become one of the best hitters in the game. He possess a skillet that allows for him to easily touch 20 home runs and 90 RBI in a season, and is perhaps the Jays most potent homegrown shortstop in the history of the franchise.

Bichette may have had a nightmarish 2024 campaign that he would rather forget, but that doesn’t take away what he has already accomplished with the club in recent years.

The 27-year-old star shortstop has helped lead the Jays to a winning record in four of the past six seasons. Who knows what the future holds for Bichette as he enters free agency, but there's not denying that he's one of the best young players in franchise history.

Alan Roden

The Jays hadn't had an impact minor league prospect in a long time until Roden broke onto the scene at Triple-A last year.

The former third round pick int he 2022 MLB Draft, Roden was fast-tracked through their farm system, highlighted by a breakout 2024 season where he posted a .293 average with 72 runs scored, 26 doubles, 16 home runs, 75 RBI and 14 stolen bases over 126 games played in the minors.

That led to Roden making his MLB debut earlier this year after a strong spring. Things didn't go too well for him during that tenure, as he only hit .178 in 28 games before beingsent back down to Triple-A.

Roden has been tearing it up at Triple-A since that demotion, however, as he's hitting .350 with three home runs and 10 RBI in just 15 games.

It seems clear that the 25-year-old isn’t too far off, but he could use a little mre time inthe minors to help get him more MLB ready.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Finally, we have the biggest face of the franchise in Guerrero. He's carried a lot of weight on his shoulders since the moment he signed with the Blue Jays as an international free agent in 2015, and he's lived up to all that pressure.

Guerrero has been an All-Star four times along with recording two Silver Slugger wins and one Gold GLove win. He even finished second to Shohei Ohtani in the American League MVP race in 2021.  

Guerrero currently boasts a .287 batting average in 874 games with the Blue Jays to go along with 167 home runs and 530 RBI.

The Blue Jays also confirmed that Blue Jays fans will be able to enjoy Guerrero for plenty of years to come by signing him to a huge 14-year, $500 million extension that will go until the 2039 season. Guerrero will have plenty of chances to try to bring a championship to Toronto.