Baseball America Top 10 Blue Jays Prospects: No. 8, INF Cade Doughty

With the latest Baseball America prospect rankings out now, we can officially run through the top ten Blue Jays prospects heading into 2023 (subscription required).

We've covered No. 10 Nate Pearson and No. 9 Hayden Juenger, now for the first position player on the list.

21-year-old Cade Doughty hasn't even been a professional baseball player for all that long but he already finds himself in the top-ten Blue Jays prospect lists.

Doughty, a second-round draft pick in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Jays, is a right-handed hitter and thrower whose primary position is second base. Some scouts, including the ones over at Baseball America, believe that he is going to be just an average defender with an average arm.

However, it's what he can do on offense that has many in the organization excited for his future in baseball.

Doughty, a product of Louisiana State University, put up some impressive offensive numbers throughout his collegiate career. In 133 games, he hit 31 doubles and 30 home runs while driving in 124. He showed an impressive eye at the plate and posted a .301 batting average.

Upon joining the Blue Jays' organization, he immediately slotted into Single-A Dunedin, where he played in 26 games down the stretch last year. In 103 at bats, he registered five doubles, six home runs, 24 RBI and a .272/.370/.495 slash line paired with an .865 OPS.

Per Baseball America, Doughty is "an adept contact hitter who has progressively seen his power grow" and has above-average contact skills. While there are instances where he becomes a bit too aggressive at the plate and allows the strike zone to expand, his raw power has been increasing over time which is a good sign for the Jays.

While he may not possess any specific tools that will make him jump off the page more than others, Doughty is said to have a high baseball IQ and is a student of the game. If he is able to continue on the path he's on right now, he should be a reliable source of offense for the big league club in no time.