Keith Law of The Athletic reveals his Blue Jays top-20 prospects list for 2023

Every year, Keith Law, a senior baseball writer over at The Athletic, reveals his highly-coveted prospect rankings. He does a top-100 league-wide prospect ranking as well as top-20 lists for all 30 Major League Baseball teams.

Earlier on Tuesday, Law released the Blue Jays prospect ranking list (subscription required). Let's dive into it and see if there are any surprises.

No. 20: 1B Rainer Nunez

Starting things off with Nunez, a shortstop-turned-first baseman who, quite honestly, is going to need some work if he is going to stick around in the organization.

Nunez, 22, is a big dude who is likely going to either be a longterm first baseman or designated hitter, per Law. Last season, he hit 25 doubles with 19 home runs and 82 RBI in 120 games, posting a .304 batting average along the way.

However, Nunez strikes out entirely too much and doesn't have a lick of patience at the plate to draw walks. At the early stages of his career, he looks like a home run or bust type of player (think Mark Reynolds), but as he develops there could still be hope for him. With the serious lack of defense, he's going to need to really compensate with the bat.

No. 19: INF/OF Otto López

López is the lone representative on this list to have actually made his big league debut already, making appearances in each of the past two seasons for the Jays.

Law describes him as the "perfect utility man" thanks to his ability to play both shortstop and center field at an above-average rate, as well as pretty much any other position on the diamond.

He doesn't have a ton of power to speak of, but he's got the contact ability, the speed on the bases and the positional versatility to carve out a nice career as a guy who can bounce around wherever he's needed.

No. 18: INF Alex de Jesus

Acquired alongside Mitch White at the 2022 trade deadline, de Jesus did not get off to the best start with his new organization, but Law sees plenty to be excited about with him and his development.

Law points out that de Jesus has a "fantastic" swing from the right side, with good hand acceleration and a simple, direct path to the ball. The 20-year-old is a shortstop/third baseman who plays decent defense and has double-digit home run potential in his bat.

No. 17: INF Manuel Beltre

Per Law, Beltre took large enough strides defensively to perhaps remain at shortstop longterm, which would be ideal for him.

Beltre is still just 18-years-old and (obviously) has a lot of physical maturation in his future, so it will be interesting to see if he is able to add some pop as he grows. For now, he is a slick-fielding shortstop who, with growing patience at the plate, should become a high-walk, low-strikeout, high-contact guy for the Jays.

No. 16: INF/OF Adrian Pinto

After coming over to Toronto in the Randal Grichuk/Raimel Tapia deal, Pinto has quietly been a solid contributor in the Jays' system.

Standing at a whopping 5-foot-6, Pinto is pint-sized but has some decent pop in his bat paired with above-average patience at the plate and speed on the basepaths.

On defense, he has experience at second base, shortstop and center field but is best suited at second/center instead of shortstop, per Law.

No. 12: INF Josh Kasevich

Kasevich, 22, is "a lot like Angels infielder David Fletcher", as described by Law, in that he never strikes out, draws his fair share of walks and has little to no power in his bat.

There's nothing wrong with the profile though, as Fletcher has already proven. Kasevich made it into 25 games for A-Ball Dunedin last year, hitting eight double with no home runs, drawing 11 walks and striking out only nine times along the way.

On defense, he primarily plays shortstop but added third base to his repertoire last season as well.

No. 11: OF Dasan Brown

Brown, a 21-year-old native of Oakville, Canada, is an 80-grade baserunner and "no worse than" a 60-grade defender in center field, per Law.

He is still gathering time in the minors so there's a ton of room for improvement, but the talent level is there. In 84 games last season, he hit 20 doubles and six home runs, stole 24 bases and had a batting average of .283. If there's any cause for concern, it's the fact that he struck out a whopping 102 times in those 84 games.

Brown is one heck of an outfielder and there's nothing wrong with the majority of his value coming from his defense and wheels. He brings the speed while other batters like Martinez (Orelvis and Gabriel) and Barger bring the bats.

No. 10: INF Addison Barger

Barger, 23, is another prospect in the system nearing a big league debut. He hit 26 home runs in 124 games last year and drove in 91. He has a nice blend of power and speed that make him an intriguing player to watch.

On defense, he calls shortstop home but his cannon of a throwing arm and below-average range suggest a move to third base is coming. Law says that Barger could also make a seamless transition to second base if needed.

Law also mentions that Barger could be a regular player on a non-contending team but would fit better as a utility option on a club like the Blue Jays.

No. 9: INF Leo Jimenez

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Jimenez and his future with the club, as each of his two full non-Rookie Ball seasons have been polar opposites.

In 2021, he showed absolutely no power (hitting just one home run in 59 games), but drew 54 walks and struck out only 36 times, putting up a .320 batting average along the way.

Then in 2022, he hit six home runs with 40 RBI in 69 games but struck out two times more than he walked (58/27) and saw his average dip all the way down to .230. Law points out that he's not exactly an incredible defender so this upcoming season will tell a lot about Jimenez and where he is going in the near future for the Jays.

No. 8: OF Gabriel Martinez

The 20-year-old Martinez is strictly a corner outfielder who really blossomed at the plate last year, showing impressive power and patience at the plate.

In 96 games last season between three low minor league levels, Martinez hit 23 doubles, 14 home runs with 59 RBI and posted a .293/.355/.477 line with an OPS of .832.

Law mentions that Martinez is continuing to grow stronger as he ages and has a high probability of becoming a big league regular once he makes it to The Show.

No. 7: RHP Hayden Juenger

Juenger, 22, is an intriguing starting pitching prospect whose first full season in the minors was a good one. In 38 appearances (19 starts) split between Double-A and Triple-A, he posted a 3.76 ERA in 88+ innings, striking out 100 batters along the way.

Since 2023 is going to be just his second season as a starter, let's wait to pass any judgement on the fact that Juenger was extremely homer-prone last season.

Law points out that his fastball reaches up to 97mph and on the 80-grade scale, Juenger's changeup is at 55 and his slider is somewhere between 50/55.

No. 6: RHP Yosver Zulueta

Likely the closest prospect to the big leagues for the Jays, Zulueta is a 25-year-old starter who could excel either in a starting rotation or a bullpen. He comfortably sits in the high-90s with his fastball and regularly hits triple-digits. He's got the stuff, but the command just isn't there.

At one point last season, Zulueta walked 18 batters in 19 innings. That will need to be harnessed as he moves up the organizational totem pole. He also has missed significant time with injuries over the years.

He missed 2019 thanks to Tommy John surgery. Then the COVID-cancelled 2020 season happen. Then he tore an ACL facing the first batter of the season in 2021.

Law points out that Zulueta has the stuff to be a starter longterm, but he has an immediate path to the bullpen in the big leagues, even as early as this season.

No. 5: RHP Sem Robberse

Robberse, 21, is a tall and lean pitcher who Law says lost some weight entering the 2022 season, resulting in him losing some mileage on his fastball.

He is a command-first pitcher who doesn't strike out a ton of batters but also does a nice job of limiting walks and home runs. He has been in the Jays system since 2019 and has a combined 11-14 record in 48 appearances (44 starts) with a 3.59 ERA.

Law says that if Robberse is able to put some of the weight back on, his velocity should once again increase and that alone could propel him into the conversation of "top-10 pitching prospect in the sport".

No. 4: INF Tucker Toman

Another pick from the 2022 MLB Draft, Toman was selected by the Jays in the third-round and is an intriguing switch-hitter who is worth keeping an eye on.

Law mentions that he projects to hit for average and above-average power once he fills out. He goes on to say that there are some concerns about Toman's strikeouts as he sees more non-high school pitching, but he is still just 19-years-old so for now, we can push that off to the side.

Unlike Barriera, Toman got into some games last season in Rookie Ball, hitting .290 with seven walks in 11 games and 46 plate appearances.

No. 3: LHP Brandon Barriera

Barriera, the club's first-round pick in 2022, already has the stuff to make major waves in the Blue Jays farm system and is certainly a prospect to watch in the upcoming season.

Law points out that Barriera reaches up to 98mph with his fastball and has a plus-changeup and a high spin-rate curveball that make for a lethal repertoire. He needs to hone in on some control on these pitches but it's worth noting that he is just 18-years-old and has yet to make his professional debut.

No. 2: INF Orelvis Martinez (Top 100 ranking: Just-missed list)

Martinez, 21, made it up to Double-A last season and hit 30 home runs in 118 games, driving in 76 along the way. His patience at the plate is questionable and he struggled to hit above .200 last year, finishing the season at .203.

After he played just 27 games in High-A, the Blue Jays promoted him to Double-A and that move wound up being too aggressive. Law points out that Martinez was one of just three players to spend the entirety of last season in Double-A, with Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn of the Cardinals being the others.

Martinez is a shortstop/third base hybrid who projects to move to third long-term thanks to so-so defense at short.

No. 1: LHP Ricky Tiedemann (Top 100 ranking: 47)

Can't say you didn't see this one coming. Tiedemann was the lone Blue Jays representative on the top-100 and is arguably the best left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball. What makes him even more impressive is that he's gotten this much national attention after just one season in the minor leagues.

In 18 starts last season between A-ball, High-A and Double-A, Tiedemann went 5-4 with a sparkling 2.17 ERA and 117 strikeouts in just 78+ innings. He's had a limited workload but it is clear that he's the real deal. Law says that Tiedemann has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation starter down the line.