8 Blue Jays prospects that will make their MLB debuts in 2024

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The Blue Jays have something of an underrated farm system. Most prospect evaluators believe their group is in the lower half of the league. Depending on how individual people view prospects, this can vary. With a handful of top-shelf pitching prospects in the high minors and quality position player depth, things look promising the deeper you look.

Today, we're going to check out 8 Blue Jays prospects whose MLB debuts should be coming sometime in the 2024 regular season.

Ricky Tiedemann (MLB Pipeline #1, JaysProspectus #1)

Tiedemann is a 21-year-old left-handed starting pitcher and the consensus top prospect in the Blue Jays system. He pitched primarily at Double-A but made one start at Triple-A and also pitched in the Arizona Fall League. The southpaw shot up the rankings after a dominant 2.17 ERA campaign in 2022 that spanned across three levels in the minor. The conventional results were not quite as impressive for him in 2023 (3.68 ERA) but his peripheral stats tell a different story. He struck out batters at an enormous rate (16.8 strikeouts per 9 innings) and prevented high quality contact as hitters had just a .237 SLG% and .540 OPS against him. He did struggle with giving out free passes but by all accounts his 2023 was an unlucky one.

The southpaw has an elite pitch mix that plays above the sum of it's parts thanks to tunneling and his deceptive low slot from the left side. He throws a mid-90s fastball with arm side run, a sweeping slider, and a dominant changeup. There's a whole lot more about Tiedemann's pitching profile here. He struggled with injuries this year as he dealt with shoulder soreness in Spring Training and also missed significant time due to a bicep issue. The injuries seem to have affected his strike-throwing ability and getting his mechanics synced up will be a point of emphasis heading into next year.

How far Tiedemann goes will depend on his strike throwing progression and how durable he proves to be but he has the make-up of a potential ace. He's unlikely to push for a rotation spot out of Spring Training but could be one of the first men up in the event of an injury or performance related change. Assuming good health, expect to see Tiedemann by summer 2024.

Orelvis Martinez (MLB Pipeline #2, JaysProspectus #3)

Martinez is a 22-year-old right-handed hitting infielder who spent his year at Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo. He has been a closely watched prospect in the Blue Jays system for years due to his home run power. He has hit 28+ home runs in three straight seasons and in 2023 his contact skills and plate discipline took a step forward. He started the year at Double-A and struggled mightily in April, slashing just .089/.159/.250 which was good for a 6 wRC+. From there, Martinez looked like a different player and slashed .265/.364/.531 across Double-A and Triple-A, a 129 wRC+ mark.

Martinez's ability to make high quality contact in the air has never been in question, his raw power is above-average and his feel for accessing it in games is elite. It was most impressive how he cut his strikeout rate and raised his walk rate by significant margins. He could always hit fastballs but he improved his swing and miss against soft stuff and benefited from an altered two-strike approach in which he changed his mechanics to solely focus on making contact knowing the power will be there. Put in combination with his improved plate discipline, Martinez's long-term hitting outlook has improved. He's an extreme flyball hitter who will likely never be a player who hits for a high batting average but he does not need to be if he can continue to manage strikeouts, draw walks, and access his home run power.

Martinez is still quite raw offensively and has a ways to go on defense so it's unlikely that he's an option for the 2024 Opening Day roster. As he continues to polish up his offensive game and finds a defensive home presumably at second or third base, it's expected that he'll earn a major league look sometime in the summer.

Addison Barger (MLB Pipeline #5, JaysProspectus #4)

Barger is a 24-year-old left-handed hitting third baseman and right fielder who plays at Triple-A Buffalo. His big breakout came in 2022 as he slashed .308/.378/.555 across 124 games. His 2023 campaign was a more difficult one as he struggled (72 wRC+) before hitting the injured list with elbow inflammation. When he returned to Triple-A he posted a 98 wRC+ over the remainder of the season and finished with a 91 wRC+ overall.

Barger's game power was noticeably worse as his home run total dropped from 26 to 9. Despite the difficult results, a lot of his under the hood numbers are very encouraging. There were plenty of concerns about his hit tool entering the year and he improved his swing decisions and contact skills, both were above average. He also consistently hits the ball hard and is capable of exit velocities up to 113 MPH. His issues this year appeared to be mostly mechanical but it's also fair to consider that his elbow may have been bothering him. Barger employs a big leg kick which may leave him vulnerable to gaps in his plate coverage and mishits. Additionally, his swing path is below average for a power hitter and he struggled to get his best contact up in the air.

Barger is naturally an infielder and his massive arm and below-average range suit him at third base. He also learned right field and looked the part of being a solid defender there. His added versatility and left-handed bat make him an interesting candidate for an Opening Day roster spot. He's knocking on the door and a strong spring may force the issue.

Leo Jimenez (MLB Pipeline #6, JaysProspectus #7)

Jimenez, 22, is a middle infielder who spent much of his year at Double-A before being promoted to Triple-A for the last month of the MiLB season. After an average offensive season in 2022, he bounced back in a big way with a 125 wRC+ at Double-A before briefly struggling at Triple-A.

Despite a patient approach, Jimenez rarely strikes out thanks to impressive contact skills. He combines that with good swing decisions which allow him to reach base at a high clip. He's not a power hitter by nature as he hits far too many groundballs and has below average barrel feel. Despite this reputation, he does have some impact in his bat as his exit velocities are surprisingly average. He does project as a slightly below average hitter at the MLB level but he should add value as a defender which will make him a useful player.

Jimenez's ability to play a solid shortstop makes him a Bo Bichette back-up option in the future and he looks the part of a plus defender over at second base. He's very unlikely to be in consideration for the Opening Day roster given that he needs to prove himself at Triple-A but depending on the off-season he may end up as one of the top depth options on the infield. All things considered, it's expected that Jimenez makes his major league debut in 2024.

Alan Roden (MLB Pipeline #7, JaysProspectus #5)

Roden is a 23-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder who played at High-A and Double-A in 2023. A 2022 3rd round pick, he dominated in his first full professional season. Not a flashy hitter but impressive all the same, Roden had a 150 wRC+ at High-A and then went on to post a 147 wRC+ at Double-A.

He has an unorthodox stance in which he holds his hands extremely high, reminiscent of another elite contact hitter Nolan Schanuel. Roden is rarely beat to a spot but also rarely expands the zone which makes him a difficult at-bat for any pitcher. He's a natural line drive hitter who runs a high BABIP which in combination with his great plate skills is a 60 grade hit tool. He's capable of hitting the ball hard but is not a power hitter by trade and is unlikely to give the Jays anything more than 10-12 home runs annually. Roden is a pretty good athlete who stole 24 bases this year and plays an average to above-average corner outfield.

Hit over power corner outfielders are a difficult demographic but Roden is very advanced and has the advantage of batting left-handed. He has yet to play at Triple-A but given that he'll be 24 on Opening Day, it shouldn't be a surprise that we'll likely see Roden sooner rather than later.

Yosver Zulueta (MLB Pipeline #10, JaysProspectus #9)

Zulueta, a 25 year old right-hander, has stuff that has caught the interest of scouts for some time now but we're still waiting on him to put it all together. He had a 4.08 ERA at Triple-A with an alarming 6.33 walks per 9 innings. The implementation of an automatic balls and strikes challenge system at Triple-A has led to offense ballooning there so it's fair to assume that his ERA and walk rate partially suffered due to that. Despite this, Zulueta did an amazing job of keeping the ball on the ground and had an above average strikeout rate.

On August 15th, the Jays assigned Zulueta to the Complex League to work on a few things. In his 11.2 innings after returning from the Complex League he had a 2.31 ERA, 1.94 FIP, and a much improved 3.09 walks per 9 innings. In these appearances he was throwing his sinker a couple ticks softer (still around 95-96 MPH) and used his new sweeper more. His sinker and sweeper are both really strong offerings and play off each other very well. If he can focus on his command of these two pitches there's still a dominant MLB reliever in here even if he's getting up there in age.

With bullpen arms getting hurt with regularity, it's a fair assumption that we will see Zulueta in the big leagues at some point next year. There's no denying he has stuff to clean up but the upside remains tantalizing and he's established himself as one of the top depth options at Triple-A.

Damiano Palmegiani (MLB Pipeline #18, JaysProspectus #17)

Palmegiani, 23 is a power-hitting third baseman who split time across Double-A and Triple-A. All he has done as a minor leaguer is hit and he owns a .251/.358/.478 slash line across his 3 seasons. In 2023, he hit 19 home runs at Double-A before exploding onto the scene at Triple-A with a .981 OPS in 20 games. He followed that up with a .941 OPS in the Arizona Fall League across 22 games.

The righty does a great job of hitting his best contact in the air which will allow his power to play at the highest level. He's a patient hitter who is willing to work deep into counts and draw walks. This also comes with a fair amount of swing and miss and at times, a steep strike out rate. Palmegiani has been working hard to stick at third base defensively but he faces an uphill battle given his lacking tools for the position. His bat projects to be fringe average should he move to first base.

Palmegiani is one of many intriguing infield options at Triple-A. Regardless of where he ends up defensively, his bat will have him in Toronto before long.

Connor Cooke (MLB Pipeline #23, JaysProspectus #13)

Cooke is a 24-year-old high powered right-handed relief pitcher who pitched across three levels in 2023 before ultimately landing at Triple-A. His 4.06 ERA does not jump off a page but he finished 3rd in strikeout rate across all minor league relievers with 30+ appearances this year.

He primarily throws a dominant slider with huge spin rates and massive horizontal break. His mid 90s fastball with ride and arm side run plays well off his elite breaking ball and Cooke will also mix in a solid changeup. He did a good job throwing strikes this year but struggled with it at Triple-A like most pitchers. Commanding his pitches will be a point of emphasis for him next year but he has the stuff and athleticism to a great MLB reliever.

Like Zulueta, Cooke has some things to clean up but he's a name to watch at camp and projects to be one of the top reliever options at Triple-A for the 2024 season.

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