Blue Jays power hitting prospect gets deserving bump up to Double-A

Carter Cunningham has earned a well-deserved promotion to Double-A, joining forces with second-ranked prospect Arjun Nimmala after a strong start to the season in Vancouver. It felt like only a matter of time before the 25-year-old moved on from High-A, as he had been tearing the cover off the ball with the Canadians. The Northwest League's April Player of the Month posted an .897 OPS with 10 home runs over his first 50 games, giving the Blue Jays every reason to bump him up the system.

The Blue Jays selected Cunningham in the 2024 MLB Draft out of East Carolina with the 307th overall pick, and he is already looking like another late-round find, making an early impact in the system. Before turning pro, Cunningham put together a decorated college career at East Carolina, the same program where Trey Yesavage also made his name.

Cunningham’s final season at East Carolina showed why the Blue Jays were willing to take a chance on him in the 2024 MLB Draft. He started all 63 games and hit .367 with 92 hits, 77 runs, 17 doubles, 17 home runs, 66 RBI, and 38 walks, all while finishing among the national leaders in runs, hits, and total bases.

He also led the American Athletic Conference in batting average, runs, hits, and total bases, earning himself AAC Player of the Year, All-AAC First Team honours, and multiple All-America recognitions. Cunningham opened the year on a 19-game hitting streak, produced 26 multi-hit games, and delivered in big moments throughout the season, including a strong NCAA Greenville Regional performance.

Cunningham's power swing has taken big steps within the Blue Jays' system

His knack for the power swing didn't come until his final and most explosive year at ECU, as mentioned on the Blue Jays Avenue Podcast. "It's a bit part of my game, and I didn't know that until my fifth year. I always thought I was a singles guy and had gap-to-gap power. The player that I am today, I have the ability to tap into the power, but I also can put up some good at-bats and take my singles when I need them."

After turning pro, he dealt with some struggles in Dunedin, hitting for a .197 average with a .697 OPS. That being said, the sample size of 26 games was quite minimal to draw a fair conclusion. During his bigger sample size in High-A during the following year, he showed his true colours, as he led the Canadians in both home runs and RBIs, displaying the pop that he discovered back in his final year at ECU.

The 6'4, 220-pound freight train has clear raw power from a smooth lefty swing, but his first professional seasons have been riddled with swing and miss, striking out 70 times across 180 at-bats in Vancouver. If he can cut down on his swing and miss, his legitimate pop will shine through. Cunningham’s most recent challenge will come against tougher pitching at the Double-A level, but he's already adjusted well, driving in two runs across six at-bats.

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