The Toronto Blue Jays are next on our Players Likely to Debut series. In case you missed the previous three installments, the AL East is being rolled out this week. Here’s a look back at where it all started.
AL East: Red Sox — Yankees — Orioles
Below, you will find a list of three prospects from the respective organization. Each prospect will have a number score next to their name — this number will represent the estimated amount of time we anticipate that player seeing at the big-league level. Players that have already made their big-league debut will not be included on this list.
BREAKDOWN OF TIME ON ROSTER SCORES:
1 — September call-ups / guys that are likely to see less than 20-25 games on the roster
2 — 1/4 of the season (roughly 40 games on roster)
3 — 1/2 of the season (roughly 80 games on roster)
4 — 3/4 of the season (roughly 120 games on roster)
5 — Full season on the MLB roster
Toronto Blue Jays
Position — Name (Time on Roster Score)
The Blue Jays have one of the deeper systems in baseball with a good mix of draft and international signings. In 2020, we saw the debut of pitcher Nate Pearson. Who do we think is next to make their debut?
C—Riley Adams (3)
The Blue Jays have five catchers on their 40-man roster with Alejandro Kirk (jumped from High-A to MLB in 2020) Gabriel Moreno (added to the 40-man in the offseason) Danny Jansen, Reese McGuire, and Adams.
Adams spent time in the alternate training site in 2020 and reports say he continues to show growth behind the plate. Adams worked on improving his power numbers and it showed with 11 home runs in Double-A New Hampshire in 2019.
With the depth the Jays have at catcher, Adams could see his major league debut elsewhere as Toronto could trade Adams for pitching help.
RHP—Simeon Woods Richardson (2)
He just turned 20 in September but he spent time in Toronto’s alternate site in 2020. He handled his assignment in High-A smoothly and there is a reason why he was the centerpiece in Marcus Stroman deal. He features four pitches that show above-average control and command. A fastball that touches 97 with movement, a 12-6 hammer curve, and a changeup that the Jays have him working on during camp that flashes above average and a cutter.
While he may not be on Toronto’s 40-man roster, Richardson with a strong start at either Double-A could easily make his way into the Blue Jays rotation by July in a best case scenario.
RHP—Joey Murray (1)
Murray lead the organization in strikeouts in 2019 and was part of the 60-man camp in Toronto in 2020. Wherever Murray has gone since he was drafted in 2018, he has been missing his bats with a deceptive delivery that allows him to throw his low-velocity, high-spin fastball that elevates and gets batters to miss. Oh, he has a pretty good curve. Embracing analytics has helped him stand out from what was projected.
Just looking beyond the box score here, if Murray can throw his secondary pitches well early in the count to throw off batters with his fastball, Murray could be a good backend starter and spot start on a call up from Triple-A, where he is projected to start the season. Like Richardson, he is not on the 40-man roster so they would have to make room for him.
Notable
Gabriel Moreno, who I mentioned earlier, is another name to look out for to rise through the Jays’ system. Standing at 6-6, 250, Alek Manoah, the first-round pick out of West Virginia in 2019, is another power pitcher in the Jays have and a name that could rise quickly through the minors. He flashes a plus fastball and slider.