Jays Centre Top 20 Prospects Update: Meet the New Additions

[Daniel Labude]

The June voting for the Jays Centre Top 20 Prospects list is complete, and we have some movement and a few new faces joining the rankings. The minor league system has taken a leap forward this season, with many great developmental stories and prospects rising from the depths of the organization. Let's first take a look at the prospects who made some notable moves within the rankings.

Risers

• Johnny King 12 to 7
• Gage Stanifer 13 to 10
• Juaron Watts-Brown 19 to 15

Fallers

• Jake Bloss 6 to 12

New Faces
11. Yohendrick Pinango, OF, 23, Buffalo
Yohendrick Pinango was acquired in 2024 from the Chicago Cubs in a deal that saw Nate Pearson go the other way. When he first took the field for Double-A New Hampshire last season, Pinango saw his numbers tumble compared to the ones he had with the Cubs' Double-A affiliate. His batting average over 33 games was just .179, to go with an OBP of just .244. It was a rough debut season for him, but he showed a good ability to hit the ball hard and displayed some solid plate discipline at times. This season, Pinango has made a night-and-day transformation in his statistical profile. Over 47 Double-A games, he had a 170 wRC+, which was one of the best in the minor leagues at the time he was promoted to Triple A. A big change he made was increasing his walk rate to 14.1%, pulling the ball more, and increasing the frequency with which he was hitting the ball in the air. Following his promotion to Triple-A Buffalo, he has maintained his plate discipline by continuing to walk close to 14% of the time and lowering his strikeout rate. He is even hitting more line drives, and his ISO is at a good mark of .239. His batting average has dropped to .239 as well, but the sample is still small, and his BABIP suggests some bad luck, down at .241. 

Pinango has been known for being a good hitter with high exit velocities, but one who hits the ball on the ground a lot. His continued success in limiting groundballs should help him take advantage of his good quality of contact. Power should develop more and more, especially if his average exit velocity remains in the 93 mph range that he has at Triple A and his launch angle stays around its current 15.1°. Look for him to push toward a major league debut around the end of the season or in 2026. 

Stats in graphic updated prior to games on June 24.

Find Pinango on our Top 20 Prospects list: 

17. RJ Schreck, OF, 24, Buffalo
RJ Schreck joined the Toronto Blue Jays organization in 2024 in the trade that sent Justin Turner to the Seattle Mariners. He is another prospect who displays great plate discipline, with high walk rates and good strikeout rates for a hitter. In 41 games at Double-A New Hampshire this season, the 24-year-old outfielder had a slash line of .266/.396/.518, to go with nine home runs, five stolen bases, and a 15.7% walk rate. Like Pinango, he was one of the better hitters in the minor leagues before his promotion to Triple A, hitting to a 166 wRC+. Through nine games at Triple-A Buffalo, he already has two home runs and nine hard-hit balls. 

Schreck doesn't have the high-end exit velocities of a Yohendrick Pinango, but he hits the ball in the air a lot. Schreck is in the 93rd percentile of the minor leagues for line drive plus fly ball rate. If he continues to display solid contact skills, great plate discipline, and power on pulled fly balls, he could be one of the next Blue Jays prospects to get a call to the big leagues late in the 2025 season. His outfield versatility will let him push for playing time in 2026. 

Stats in graphic updated prior to games on June 24.

Find Schreck on our Top 20 Prospects list: 

19. Sam Shaw, 2B/OF, 20, Dunedin
Sam Shaw was selected by the Blue Jays in the ninth round of the MLB draft in 2023. That year, as an 18-year-old, he would get into nine games in the FCL. He would only hit .207, but had an OBP of .425. This foreshadowed the type of hitter he would be: one who excels with high on-base rates and low strikeout rates, and whose hit tool is developing. In 2024, he repeated the FCL and managed to have a .361 OBP, despite only hitting .220. His plate discipline was superb, as he struck out just 10% of the time and walked at a 16.7% rate. He wasn't displaying much power though, only hitting two home runs on the season. In 2025, it appears the hit tool is coming around, even though he has moved on up to Single-A Dunedin. There, he has hit .266/.412/.441 with seven home runs, eight doubles, and a triple. He has similar strikeout and walk rates, at 18.6% and 19.5%, respectively. He has a 147 wRC+ on the season and is pushing towards a promotion to High-A Vancouver. 

Shaw isn't the biggest player, standing just 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, but he uses very good swing decisions paired with above-average launch angles to hit the ball in the air. He has the profile to be a Sean Keys, Alan Roden, and Spencer Horwitz type of hitter down the line. As mentioned, expect him to move up to High-A Vancouver in the near future, where he will look to continue to develop power, add better exit velocities to his game and work his way up the minor league ladder. 

Stats in graphic updated prior to games on June 24.

Find Shaw on our Top 20 Prospects list: 

20. Victor Arias,  OF, 21, Vancouver
The Toronto Blue Jays signed Victor Arias out of Venezuela as part of the 2019 international free agent class. He made his debut in the minor leagues as part of the 2021 Dominican Summer League. He would spend two years there before moving stateside and playing in the FCL for a season. In all three years, he was an on-base machine with walk rates above 16% and approaching 20%. A high strikeout rate between 24% and 30% was the nagging downside to his hitting profile. In 2024 and this year, he has improved in that area above all others, seeing his strikeout rate hover around 20%. His walk rates have remained high as well, in the 11% range, allowing for his top-level hands to generate some insane bat speeds and exit velocities. This season at High-A Vancouver, he has taken the next step and started putting everything together, including his approach at the plate and his swing decisions, patience, allowing him to destroy the baseball. He has a slash line of .307/.395/.458, with four home runs, 14 doubles, and three triples. 

Arias has a unique swing from the left side that sees him load up and unleash everything he has on the baseball. This has helped to fuel some of the best exit velocities in the minor leagues. According to Baseball America, as of May 16, he had a 93 mph average exit velocity on the season and a 90th percentile exit velocity of 110.1 mph. That's truly a double-plus raw power profile. He has a smaller frame at 5-foot-9 and a listed 150 pounds, but he gets all he can out of his swing. It can even look a little softball-like at times. He may need to tone down the viciousness of the swing and get it under control more as he moves up levels, but he is making it work right now. Expect him to move up to Double-A New Hampshire very shortly and get tested against more advanced pitchers. If he can start elevating the ball more, he should see his prospect status skyrocket, a little in the same manner and path Pinango has taken this year at the upper levels. Currently, Arias only has four home runs this season, but that number could rise quickly with some more adjustments, as he moves up in the minor leagues. 

Stats in graphic updated prior to games on June 24.

Find Arias on our Top 20 Prospects list: 

View full article