Under-the-radar Blue Jays prospect gets glowing review from Arizona Fall League

While most Toronto Blue Jays fans cringe when they hear any suggestion of “internal improvement,” there may be an in-house solution to the bullpen problems emerging in the Arizona Fall League (AFL).

Baseball America recently took a look at five prospects with MLB potential flying under the radar (subscription required) this fall in the desert. 25-year-old righty T.J. Brock, the No. 22 prospect on Jays Journal’s latest Top 30 ranking, made the list.

Blue Jays prospect T.J. Brock gets glowing review while dominating the Arizona Fall League

After an injury-plagued 2024 season where he only pitched 11.1 innings, Brock was sent to the AFL to get in some extra work this offseason. What jumps off the stats page is a whopping 129 strikeouts in only 76.1 minor league innings (15.2 K/9) since he was a sixth-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2022. He also had 13 saves at Double-A New Hampshire in 2023, with three holds.

He’s continued that dominance of hitters with the Scottsdale Scorpions in Arizona: in five appearances covering five innings, he’s only allowed two hits and three walks against 10 strikeouts. Fellow New Hampshire Fisher Cats right-hander Lazaro Estrada leads the fall circuit with 19 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.

Baseball America’s Josh Norris profiles Brock as the type of player who may, “never come close to a Top 100 list or make an All-Star roster but nevertheless settle into long-term roles in the big leagues.”

He notes that Brock, “comes right at hitters with two pitches: a mid-90s fastball and a say-your-prayers slider.”

In an Oct. 17 outing against the Peoria Javelinas, Brock struck out the side in his inning of work, throwing 14 pitches and generating seven swings and misses. He took down prospects from the Padres, Braves and Marlins. Those whiffs are exactly what Toronto’s bullpen is missing.

T.J. Brock might be part of the solution to the Blue Jays' bullpen woes

For a Blue Jays front office that appears to be toying with the idea of non-tendering, or declining to offer a contract to their closer of the past four seasons, Jordan Romano, by the Nov. 22 deadline — to save an estimated $7.75M on his projected arbitration salary for 2025 — rebuilding the bullpen for next year is surely top of mind.

Romano has compiled a 2.66 ERA in 199 relief appearances since becoming the closer in 2021, with 103 saves and 243 strikeouts in 199.2 innings pitched. His struggles in a 2024 season cut short by injury (6.59 ERA in only 13.2 innings with eight saves) were emblematic of a terrible bullpen, that proved to be an Achilles’ heel for the team this year.

He had arthroscopic surgery to repair an impingement in his right elbow in early July, and was shut down for the rest of a forgettable season for both him and the Jays.

They could also non-tender other arbitration-eligible relievers like Zach Pop, Dillion Tate and even Erik Swanson. Those three are projected to earn a combined $6.1M in arbitration salaries for 2025. That would certainly create more additional spending room to go after some of the elite free-agent bullpen arms available for any team to sign as of 5 p.m. ET on Nov. 4th.

General manager Ross Atkins apparently isn’t limited by payroll in going after anybody this offseason. In terms of high-leverage relievers, anybody includes 30-year-old left-hander closer Tanner Scott (1.75 ERA and 22 saves with the Marlins and Padres), 32-year-old Carlos Estévez (2.45 ERA and 26 saves between the Angels and Phillies) and 32-year-old Clay Holmes, who went from the All-Star Game to losing his closer’s role with the Yankees in early September after blowing his 11th save of the season. Plus, 31-year-old former Jays farmhand Jeff Hoffman is also a free agent after posting a 2.28 ERA and 11 saves over 118.2 innings with 158 strikeouts for the Phillies in the past two seasons.

Even if the Blue Jays retool their bullpen with big MLB names, Brock might get a chance to show his stuff at some point next season, especially if he continues dominating in the AFL.