The 12 Days of Prospects

A look at some players who could play their way onto a Top 10 list near you next season.

Dasan Brown

Brown was a one-man wrecking crew for Vancouver in their Northwest League final series:

The 2019 3rd round pick is one of the toolsiest players in the system. As a ten year old, the Oakville native represented the Blue Jays as a ten year old at the 2012 All Star game in the Pitch, Hit, and Run competition. He’s one of the fastest players in all of MiLB, and if he can cut down on the K rate (29% in 2022), he profiles as a top of the order hitter. One of the youngest players in his draft class, Brown teased us with a glimpse into his considerable potential in September.

T.J. Brock

Brock burst onto the scene this summer after being drafted in the 6th round. The Ohio St product combines upper 90s velo with a slider that’s already one of the better ones in the system:

Brock should follow a developmental path this year similar to the one Hayden Juenger took last year: a challenging assignment to AA in a multi-inning opener role to start the season. A year from now we could be talking about him being in competition for a big league job.

Hagen Danner

Drafted as a catcher, Danner was a high-profile two-way player who had limited success as a pro, so he went back to the mound last year, and was electric for Vancouver. Placed on the 40 last November, Danner came into 2022 as a longshot for a spot in the Blue Jays bullpen, but elbow issues sidelined him in May. Danner came back for the Arizona Fall League season, and largely put himself back on the map.

Irv Carter

Considered by some to be the second-best high school pitcher in last year’s draft class, Carter made his debut in the Complex League last June, and ended the season in a playoff rotation with Dunedin.

There are concerns about his delivery and potential relief risk, but Carter features a 96-97 fastball with likely a bit more room, as well as a funky delivery-hitch slider. The Blue Jays will give him every opportunity to develop as a starter.

Tucker Toman IF

The Jays’ 2nd round pick was something of a divisive prospect, but most agree the switch hitter is a bat-first player. BA’s evaluation:

 Toman is a gifted switch-hitter with advanced plate discipline and a knack for contact. He's a pure hitter who displays plus bat speed and feel for the barrel from the left side and makes consistent hard contact. His righthanded swing lacks loft and doesn't have much power behind it, but his discerning eye and advanced command of the strike zone allow him to be a threat from both sides of the plate. He's at least an above-average hitter and could grow into average power with physical maturity.

Toman slashed .289/.391/.368 in a brief Complex League trial in August. Drafted as a SS, a move across the 2nd base bag seems likely. Farm Director Joe Sclafani was raved about Toman’s maturity, tools, and baseball instincts as Instructs wound down.

Eliander Alcalde

Alcalde is a Stroman-esque sized RHP who does not light up the radar gun, but he was one of the most talked about pitchers in the lower levels of the system. Alcalde commands three pitches (fastball, slider, change, with good separation and location) to all four quadrants of the strike zone, and missed a fair number of bats with a 20% whiff rate. He’s a dude who knows how to pitch; Alcalde should move up quickly next season depending on his role and performance.