Blue Jays prospect LJ Talley pulls off historic feat for the Buffalo Bisons

In a day that was full of massive victories all around the Toronto Blue Jays' farm system, the Buffalo Bisons, the team LJ Talley started at second base for, pulled off an unheard of 21-9 victory over the Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.

Entering the day, infield prospect LJ Talley had been off to a, well, not so good start. In eight games, he had registered just one hit in 23 at-bats, good for a batting average of .044. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was decent, but not strong enough to blow anybody away.

In Sunday's game, Talley, 25, pulled off a historic feat that hasn't been done in 10 years. He went 6-for-6 in a 9 inning game. This is so rarely done in modern day baseball, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. actually being the last to pull it off in the big leagues in July of 2022. Before that, it had not been done since three years prior.

Talley's 6-hit performance was the first in the International League since 2013, when Moisés Sierra pulled it off. Coincidentally, he was also playing on the Buffalo Bisons at the time.

Talley has never been a highly-touted prospect in the Blue Jays' system. He was drafted in the 7th round of the 2019 MLB Draft and has made a gradual ascendance through the ranks. Entering the 2023 season, he is not even ranked on any lists by MLB.com, FanGraphs or Baseball America. His breakout performance in Sunday's game will do a lot to garner the attention of but he may not have a direct path to the big leagues for this team.

The lefty-swinging infielder plays first, second and third base all at around a league-average clip. He will not blow anyone away with his defensive play, but he is a passable fielder anywhere he lines up. With the bat, he is good for around 10-15 home runs a year and has a contact tool that is still very much in development.

Whether we see Talley on a big league diamond anytime soon or not, this game is one heck of a statement for a player doing what he can to elevate his game. Here's to the next Blue Jays farmhand to pull this feat off again in 2033.