Future Blue Jays Newsletter

March 29, 2024

Last week, we looked at the Top 15 prospects in the Blue Jays system. Now it’s time for some quick sketches of the Next 15 (that sounds so much better than the Bottom 15). There are few potential impact players in this half, but there are some hidden gems, as minor league rosters are on the verge of being released.

16. Adam Macko, LHP

Being undersized and having something of an injury history has kept Macko from being ranked higher, but the Blue Jays have to be quite thrilled with the season Macko, acquired from the Mariners in the Teoscar Hernandez deal (and while Ross Atkins is pilloried by fans for previous deals, this one has proven to be a winner for Toronto by a considerable margin).

Macko has a unique background - he’s a product of Alberta, by way of Ireland and Slovakia. He was a very pleasant surprise last season, blowing by his previous high in IP, and was lights out for Vancouver down the stretch and in the playoffs. The Blue Jays saw enough to add him to the 40-man in advance of the Rule 5 draft last fall.

Macko has the four-pitch mix of a starter, with an electric fastball that sits 94-95 at the centre. He throws a sweeper and a slider that flash as plus. Macko’s command of this three primary pitches is exceptional.

2024 will be a development year for him. There is mid-rotation potential here. Macko will begin the season at AA.

  1.  Jauron Watts-Brown, RHP

Watts-Brown is an intriguing prospect. The 3rd round pick from last year’s draft is possibly the closest to big-league ready of all the draftees from the Blue Jays class. JWB is abelled “more athletic than physical,” by MLB Pipeline - which likely suggests he has an athletic build, but doesn’t necessarily have the athleticism you might expect (“he’s just tall and lanky” one of my sources told me) to go along with it. The strength and nutrition staffs have a challenge on their hands here, maybe.

Watts-Brown’s best pitch is said to be a gyro slider, a high spin rate pitch which has the ability to miss bats. His fastball - at least to this point - is average. But command is his biggest issue. He has a changeup but hasn’t shown a feel for yet. Just the same, if the player development folks can coax one of those pitches to get better, Watts-Brown could move quickly in a relief role. He probably starts in Vancouver, and possibly in a starting role to help build his arm up.

This guy is a project, who spells future reliever to me.

  1.  Dahian Santos, RHP

Santos is a slender wisp of a lad, a kid you want to fill up with a few milkshakes, although he’s wiry strong. Undersized, he has fairly big hands despite his smaller stature, and has an ability to spin a slider that is matched by few in the system.

Santos was put on the IL with what has been described as a forearm strain on Canada Day weekend last year, and did not pitch again in 2023. Maybe this was to give his arm some much needed rest and rehab (the organization has really been working with him to get stronger since he joined in 2018); it might have also been to shield him from tire-kicking scouts ahead of the Rule 5.

Whatever the case, Santos appears to be healthy, and should head to New Hampshire, although time in temperate Dunedin may be what the doctor orders until the Eastern League schedule passes meat locker temperatures. Santos profiles long term as a potential as a reliever, and one wonders when the Blue Jays will start to transition him to that role.

The Surrey, BC, native is the bat-first’s bat-first player. He’s limited defensively (although he has worked hard on that part of his game), is a below-average runner, and has been called a fringe-average contact hitter, but when he connects, everyone in the park knows it. He punishes mistakes.

Palmegiani will have trouble cracking this current Blue Jays lineup, and he could be part of a deadline deal. He doesn’t have to be added to the 40 man until after the season, so as far as he has come in such a relatively short period of time, the front office likely will be content with letting him to continue to develop his all-around game at Buffalo this year. J

After an up-and-down collegiate career, Bohrofen saved his best season for his draft year in 2023, and the Blue Jays selected him in the 6th round. Like most college hitters, he feasted on Florida State League pitching staffs. I had thought he might be on the move to Vancouver for the playoffs; I had been told he had some passport issues, but that was not confirmed.

His hit tool is power over contact for now, and while he gets on base and has shown pop in his brief pro career, how much contact he makes will determine his future path. Will he sacrifice some of that power to connect more often, or will he become better at judging spin in order to get to his barrel on a regular basis?

Bohrofen profiles as a corner OF, and shows signs of being a future impact bat, but there is still lots of minor league at bats ahead of him. He should open the season at Vancouver.

  1. Franklin Rojas, C

Five years ago, the Blue Jays signed a free agent catcher from Venezuela named Victor Mesia. A team official called him a “poor man’s Francisco Alvarez. Mesia proved to be less than that, and was released last year with a career OPS of only .570. To be fair, the organization did develop a Venezuelan receiver (signed three years earlier as an infielder), but dealt him to the Diamondbacks.

The Blue Jays feel more confident about Franklin Rojas, another catcher signed out of Venezuela. Rojas had a storied amateur career, representing his country at several international competitions. He is described as quick, agile, with a high baseball IQ and advanced game-calling skills, along with plus makeup. The hit tool is unknown at this very early point in his career. He is projected to remain behind the plate; so was Mesia.

Rojas will make his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League. It’s going to be a while before we get eyes on him.

Horwitz is on the verge of exhausting his prospect eligibility, having proven about all he can in the minors.

Horwitz is who he is - a contact over power guy with limited defensive skills. All he did in Buffalo last year was hit. He walked more than he struck out, put balls in play, and displayed that gap power that’s become his trademark.

Horwitz has potential as a bench bat, maybe even as a regular 1B/DH type for a second division team. Right now, his main value is as insurance, and trade potential.

  1.  Hagen Danner, RHP

Danner once again finds himself tantalizingly close to a full time big league job. He throws a 97-98 fastball that sets up his slider well, and tosses the odd curveball to keep hitters off balance. It seems like everything is there for Danner - except for durability. If he could stay healthy for a prolonged stretch, he could become a key 7th or 8th inning guy.

In case you don’t know his story, Danner was a two-way player who the Jays were committed to develop as a catcher after drafting him in the 2nd round in 2017. The following year, he was Short Season Bluefield’s primary catcher (backed up by Alejandro Kirk) before - in what was to become a recurring theme - injuries cut his season short. Danner showed some power potential, but a .170/.254/.369 line at Lansing in 2019 cause a recalibration in his development plan. Danner came back as a pitcher after COVID wiped out the 2020 season, and showed enough in one season of relief at Vancouver in 2021 to be added to the 40 man as R5 eligibility approached. But shoulder issues sidelined him for much of 2022, and missed the final six weeks of 2023 with an oblique strain.

One aspect of amateur scouting the Blue Jays have shown some success in is finding players from off-the-beaten-track places. Nicaraguan scout Daniel Sotelo found the tall, slender Perez in a remote area of the country. Perez’ signing was unheralded, but he might be one of the top under-the-radar prospects in the system.

Just turned 20, Perez already throws a fastball at 92-93, and touches 94 with his projectable frame. Reports suggest it’s his best pitch. Perez pitched stateside for the first time last year, and was part of a combined no-hitter for the Complex Blue Jays in August. Obviously, he is still far away, and the player development staff are bringing him along gradually. If he can continue to develop his secondaries, Perez could be something. He will begin the season in the Florida State League.

Brock is a power-arm, back-of-the-bullpen type. His fastball sits 96-97, and he can dial it up to triple digits. He pairs it with an excellent slider. His was a name that came up in conversations I had with people in the organization after the 2022 season; Blue Jays broadcaster Ben Shulman recently told Jeff Blair on the FAN 590 that Brock is a guy to keep an eye on. Brock fanned 87 hitters in 52 IP split between High A and AA last season.

But Brock needs to iron out his fastball command first. I wouldn’t say his development took a step backward last year (because it’s a linear process with only a handful of prospects), but he seemed to be behind a lot in the count when he got to New Hampshire, and gave up some contact as a result. But he adds to the stable of up-and-coming bullpen guys in the system. He’ll start in Buffalo.

  1.  Nolan Perry, RHP

Like Perez, Perry was a bit of an out-of-the-way prospect. Ranked the top HS player in New Mexico in 2022, the Blue Jays selected him in the 12th round, and have been content to let his development slowly simmer.

Like Perez, he’s already throwing in the low 90s, but his slider is reportedly his best pitch. He throws a decent curve, but is still in the “developing feel” as far as his changeup goes.

Perry has starter traits, and back-of-the-rotation projection. He will join Perez in Dunedin’s rotation to start the season.

Whenever I watch Fluhary pitch, I can’t help but think of Tim Mayza. There are a lot of similarities.

Fluharty’s repertoire consists of a sweeper, cutter, and four-seamer, in that order. He doesn’t throw hard, but has a deceptive delivery. He’ll begin the season at Buffalo, and could be a reliable situational guy down the road.

The sky seemed to be the limit for Juenger after the 2022 season. The 6th round pick in 2021 was given an aggressive assignment to AA to start the year. Put in a starting role to build up his innings, Juenger was a revelation, and seemed to be on the cusp of a big league job after a mid-season promotion to AAA. But 2023 was a bit of a speed bump in his development, as he posted a 6.33 ERA in 54 innings at Buffalo.

Juenger continued to miss bats at Buffalo (11 K/9) last year, but the strike zone proved to be a challenge (just over 4 walks/9). Command was the issue, and while there were some good outings, it seemed like whenever I saw him he was allowing baserunners and giving up contact.

Still, there is a good chance Juenger eats up some middle relief innings as a big leaguer.

Shaw is a 2024 draftee who we are anxious to see this season. The B.C. product is another of those bat-first prospects the Blue Jays covet. The front office thought enough of his to include Shaw in the Breakout game earlier this month.

Shaw’s hit profile is contact over power, but there’s always a chance a player of his age and bat skills can translate some of that into pop as he develops. He’s limited defensively. BA says he has “outlier approach and contact for his age and experience.” Not the biggest guy in the world (5’10”/170), Shaw has time in the weight room ahead of him.

Shaw got into 9 Complex League games last season, and figures to start at Dunedin. He could be a sleeper.

  1.  Tucker Toman, 3B/SS/2B

The Jays were ecstatic that Toman fell to them in the 2nd round; he has a well-known hit tool and baseball bloodlines.

Sent to Single A to start 2023, he was one of the youngest players in the league and it showed. The bigger FSL parks, older pitchers, and damp Florida air all conspired to make the first few months of the season challenging for the switch-hitting Toman. But he did show some promise - only 3 hitters in the system saw more pitches.

But despite that patient approach, Toman could not translate that into results at the plate. Breaking pitches seemed to give him the hardest time. He also seemed to wear down, hitting only .200 in July, .162 in August, and .147 in September.

A 3rd baseman for much of the season, there’s a chance his arm allows him to stick there. Toman should begin 2024 at Vancouver.

Update:

This doesn’t come as a big surprise. There’s always this kind of movement at the end of spring training, and there are just some guys who don’t quite fit for an organization. There is no doubt about Yosver Zulueta’s arm, but plenty about his command. Zulueta lost all of 2020 to Tommy John, and all but the first third of an inning in 2021, when he tore up his ACL fielding a ground ball. You can’t help but wonder if that lost development time is largely responsible. When he finally was healthy in 2022, the Blue Jays had to accelerate his timeline. Perhaps if he’d had more time to harness that fastball as a minor league starter, it would have been beneficial. But, as they say, that’s baseball.

Also no surprise:

I am not a betting man, but I would put the over/under on his number of starts for Ricky Tiedemann at Buffalo at about 8. Missing a bit of spring training time may have set him back a bit, and we’ll get a better idea of the timeline once we see his pitch count for his first outing.