4 former Blue Jays top prospects who look like disasters after leaving Toronto 

Over the years, the Toronto Blue Jays have developed plenty of prospects who have gone on to become significant difference makers at the major league level. Obvious success stories in the past include stars such as Carlos Delgado, Roy Halladay and, more recently, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

And while there are plenty of Jays prospects who have gone on to have success, there are also plenty of prospects who failed to reach their full potential whether that be with the Jays or elsewhere. Let's take a look at four former Blue Jays prospects who have flamed out since leaving Toronto.

4 former Blue Jays top prospects who look like disasters after leaving Toronto 

INF Jordan Groshans 

Toronto selected Groshans in the 2018 MLB Draft, and he was once thought of as the Blue Jays' third baseman of the future. Groshans even drew comparisons to former Blue Jays MVP Josh Donaldson thanks to a profile based on his ability to get on base and hit for average and power.

However, he never got the chance to play for the Jays’ big league club, as he was traded to the Miami Marlins at the 2022 trade deadline in exchange for pitchers Anthony Bass, Zach Pop and minor league catcher Edward Duran.

Groshans hasn’t had much success since leaving the Jays’ organization, as he hit .262 with one home run and two RBI with the Marlins in 2022.

He failed to reach MLB with Miami in 2023 and was designated for assignment in February 2024. The Yankees acquired him on waivers but designated him for assignment less than a month later, where he settled with their Triple-A team. They then traded him to the Oakland Athletics, and he signed with the Royals as a minor league free agent in the offseason.

He's now 25 and is the prototypical Quad-A player; he's too good for the minors but not good enough to stick in MLB.

Groshans has been a huge flop given the high expectations that many teams had in him.

OF Anthony Alford

The Blue Jays drafted Alford in the third round of the 2012 MLB Draft, and his prospect ranking quickly grew in the years that followed. MLB Pipeline had him as a top-three prospect in the Jays' organization from 2016 to '18. There was even some buzz that he could become a five-tool player in MLB not dissimilar to Vernon Wells.

The promising outfielder made his MLB debut in 2017, and recorded his first MLB hit in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

However, a slew of injuries would rob him of much of that promise, as Alford only played in 46 games with the Blue Jays in four-and-a-half seasons before he was designated for assignment in 2020.

The Pirates scooped him up on the waiver wire, and he played in 56 games with the Pirates in 2020, '21 and '22.

He's since spent time in the minors with the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds, along with some time spent in the KBO and Mexican League.

He's currently a free agent.

OF/INF Austin Martin

Martin was considered best pure hitter in the 2020 MLB Draft class, and the Blue Jays were ecstatic when he fell to them in the No. 5 pick in the draft. It seemed like he'd be on the fast track due to the exceptional hitting skills he showed at during his college career at Vanderbilt.

Similar to Groshans, Martin never got his shot to shine for the Jays as the Blue Jays dealt him and Simeon Woods-Richardson to the Minnesota Twins at the 2021 trade deadline in exchange for José Berríos.

It took Martin some time to make his mark on the big leagues, as he finally made his MLB debut in 2024. That debut left a lot to be desired, however, as he hit just .253 with one home run and 16 RBI in 93 games played. 

That performance wasn’t enough for Martin to earn a spot with the Twins in 2025, as he's spent all of this year in the minors. That said, he has a 4.19 average in eight games with Triple-A St. Paul.

Fellow 2020 draftees Spencer Torkelson and Max Meyer have broken out this year, while the 26-year-old Martin is still working to make his way back to an MLB roster.

RHP Nate Pearson

At one point in time, Pearson was one of the best pitching prospects in al of baseball, and seemed like a can't-miss-ace in the same vein as Roy Halladay.

He flew threw the Blue Jays' minor league season, but his career was derailed by ill-timed injuries, which led to him shifting to the bullpen in the hopes of becoming a lights out reliever.

Pearson showed glimpses of brilliance during his four-year tenure with Toronto when he went 7-4 with an impressive 130 strikeouts in just 115 2/3 innings.

However, he finished his Blue Jays tenure with a less-than-stellar 5.21 ERA and 1.461 WHIP. In the end, Pearson was dealt to the Chicago Cubs at the 2024 trade deadline in a trade that helped the Blue Jays recoup some prospects.

The 28-year-old right-hander was impressive in the second half with the Cubs, as he posted a 2.73 ERA in 26 1/3 innings.

This year has been a complete disaster for him, however.

He's compiled an 0-1 record with an unsightly 10.38 ERA and 2.31 WHIP and has given up a whopping 10 earned runs on 13 hits in just 8 2/3 innings.

The Blue Jays optioned him to Triple-A in the middle of April in the hopes that he'd be able to figure things out, but he's posted an 8.31 ERA in 4 1/3 innings since being demoted.

While he may still turn things around in the end, it seems like time is starting to run out for the once-promising prospect.