Blue Jays’ Top-30 prospect rankings get a shakeup, but the top four remain untouched

By now, most fans of the Toronto Blue Jays will know the names JoJo Parker and Arjun Nimmala. Those are the No. 1 and No. 2 respectively ranked prospects in Toronto's system. Nimmala, drafted in 2023, has moved up to Double-A New Hampshire this season, the highest level he has reached in his pro-ball career. Parker, is in his first year after being taken in the first round of the 2025 draft and is already getting compared to big league All-Stars like Trevor Story.

Some fans may know the names Nolan Perry and Johnny King. They are the No. 3 and No. 4 respectively ranked players in the system. King is arguably more notable due to the way he was lighting up the radar gun last season with Single-A Dunedin. He's continued to improve in 2026, playing with High-A Vancouver and pitching to a 3.30 ERA with a 12.17 K/9 rate in 71 innings pitched in 18 starts.

Perry is starting to gain more notoriety this season as he is climbing the ranks in the Blue Jays system. He also just played in the MLB Futures Game during All-Star weekend. After being drafted in the 12 round of the 2022 draft, Perry's showed great improvement from his first year in the system in 2023 to his second year. He had a 2.93 ERA with an 11.15 K/9 in 46 innings through 14 starts. But his season abruptly ended in August thanks to an elbow injury that lead to UCL surgery, and he missed the entire 2025 campaign as a result.

Having to basically start over in 2026, Perry has made up for lost time. For a guy that just barely made the Top-30 list at the beginning of the season, it's been an impressive, steady climb this season. Unfortunately, during the Futures Game, Perry took a come backer off the head and is now on the IL for a concussion protocol.

As MLB Pipeline updates it's Top-30 prospects lists for all 30 teams, those four names remain in the same spots they have occupied for the last few months. But there are some other recognizable names that have moved up and down the charts.

Sean Keys (up to No. 6) and Charles McAdoo (up to No. 12) made significant gains after starting the year hot and forcing their way onto the big league roster. While both players were only up with the Blue Jays for a short time, they both gave themselves a shot to earn their way back onto the team later this year, or, at the very least, should be on the inside track to earning a spot out of spring training in 2027.

There was some more shuffling within the top 16 of the list. A pair of right-handed pitchers, Danny Thompson Jr. and Daniel Guerra, made big gains. Thompson, who was drafted in the eight-round last year, is now the No. 15 prospect in the system. The 23-year-old began the year with High-A Vancouver and after pitching in 12 games (nine starts) he was moved up to Double-A New Hampshire where he has continued to find success. He currently owns a 2.70 ERA and 3.81 FIP in 26.2 innings pitched.

Guerra, a 22-year-old who was drafted in the 2022 draft, is currently pitching for High-A Vancouver, where he's posted a 3.00 ERA, 3.30 FIP and 12.30 K/9 in 60 innings pitched.

Not everyone is moving up in the latest shakeup

Two other pitchers have seen they stock fall slightly after season's that have been plagued by injuries. Ricky Tidemann (No. 10) and Jake Bloss (No. 11) have dropped in the rankings after finishing 2025 as the team's No. 4 and No. 6 prospects respectively.

Tiedemann, who was drafted in the third round of the 2021 draft, has pitched less than 20 innings combined over the last three years, including in 2026. He reached Triple-A at the end of 2023, and was with the Buffalo Bisons in 2024 when his season came to an end, undergoing Tommy John surgery that year. He missed all of 2025, and was looking to rebound in 2026, but more injuries have flared up, limiting him to two innings pitched in Rookie Ball.

Bloss was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline as part of the Yusei Kikuchi trade with the Houston Astros. He already had some big league experience under his belt, pitching in 11.2 innings with the Astros in 2024. But since then, he's also endured some injury trouble and was limited to 23.2 innings pitched in 2025 and has thrown 39.1 innings pitched in 2026. He's made five starts with Triple-A Buffalo, but was shutdown again just over a week ago to deal with a teres major injury in his right shoulder.

Other notable names include 18-year-old international free agent signing Juan Sanchez ranked No. 5. RHP Gage Stanifer is No. 7 and two outfielders, 19-year-old Blaine Bullard and 26-year-old RJ Schreck are No. 8 and No. 9 respectively.

Two infielders who have had made some noise this season, Josh Kasavich and Jay Harry are ranked No. 14 and No. 19 respectively, while 2022 first round pick, LHP Brandon Barriera, is ranked No. 30.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow