Where do the Blue Jays' top prospects land on MLB Pipeline's updated Top 100?
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The Toronto Blue Jays farm system has been languishing near the bottom of the team prospect rankings for the last few years following the graduation of former top prospects like Nate Pearson, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Despite the low grade the collective minor league organizations have received, there have been success stories, and the Buffalo Bisons were recently named a Top 10 MILB team by MLB Pipeline.
This week represented another checkpoint as MLB Pipeline published an article updating MLB’s top 100 prospects. Predictably, the Jays' system fared near the bottom again with just two prospects, although there was some movement as far as where they were placed.
Ricky Tiedemann has been the organization’s highest-rated prospect for a couple of years but took a tumble from his preseason ranking of #25 back in January. The talented lefty fell 15 spots to #40, which reflects his lack of playing time more than anything else.
The 21-year-old has pitched only eight innings for the Bisons in 2024 and struggled with command with nine walks, three hit batters, and a 5.63 ERA. The focus is getting Tiedemann back on the mound, which hasn’t happened since April 11th, so his return is something many followers of the team are eagerly awaiting. A return to form a push towards his MLB debut could be the shot in the arm the Blue Jays desperately need this summer.
With Tiedemann on the shelf, Orelvis Martinez has found himself in the spotlight's glow and has proven himself worthy of a leading role. Although he’s cooled off lately, the powerful second baseman has 10 homers, 31 RBI, and a .852 OPS over 38 games. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #71 prospect in the update.
There’s never been much question of Martinez’s bat or power potential, his defense however remains a work in progress. He’s moved around the diamond, from shortstop to third base and now at second base, where he has appeared more comfortable but has still made 11 errors already this season.
To complicate a future call-up, the Jays’ have a bevy of middle infielders with Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Ernie Clement all on the roster. Martinez will need to continue to show strides in his glovework and, if called upon, could be the missing power punch the Blue Jays have been lacking.