Blue Jays 2025 Top 20 Prospect Rankings: Nos. 11-15

You can view prospects 20-16, as voted on by the Jays Centre community, here. The list in full so far:

20. Dahian Santos, RHP, 21, Double-A, New Hampshire Fisher Cats
19. Eddinson Paulino, INF, 22, Double-A, New Hampshire Fisher Cats
18. Juaron Watts-Brown, RHP, 22, High-A, Vancouver Canadians
17. Enmanuel Bonilla, OF, 19, Complex League
16. Brandon Barriera, LHP, 20, Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays

Without further ado, let's jump into the five best prospects in the Jays' system who just missed the cut on being in the top ten!

#15: LHP Johnny King, 18, Complex League

Johnny King was the third-round pick for the Jays in the 2024 draft, and has currently yet to throw a pitch in professional baseball. King was one of the youngest players selected in his class, being only ten days from turning 18 at the time on draft day. King was the 124th ranked draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline and the 120th to Baseball America. King is listed at 6ft 4in and 210 pounds, showing really good athleticism to go along with his big frame, having been the best hitter on his high school team. 

The big lefty throws from a lower three-quarters arm slot, and he currently throws 4 pitches. King sits in the 91-93 mph range with his fastball, but has topped out at 95 mph, with two high-spin breaking ball offerings being a mid-70s curveball and a tighter low-80s slurve. According to Baseball America, both breaking balls have spin rates in the 2,500-2,600 rpm range. He has a changeup that is still developing and that he doesn’t have the best feel for yet.

His arm action has been scrutinized, and there are some real concerns about whether his delivery is easily repeatable which currently puts a limit on his potential command and gives him ample reliever risk. He also throws with a lot of effort, which is also a possible limiting factor. But, if he is able to clean up his arm action and throw strikes at a reasonable rate, he’ll have mid-rotation potential. 

The Jays have found a good amount of success with young pitchers with a good feel for spin and that have projectability, solid athleticism, and funky arm angles, so they’re hoping to repeat that with King. He’ll hopefully add velocity and sharper stuff as he ages up, while trying to figure out a mechanical change that could help him throw strikes on a more consistent basis. As King is coming out of high school, he’ll start off the season in the Florida Complex League. 

#14: INF Will Wagner, 26, Toronto Blue Jays

The son of recently inducted Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner did not inherit his father's ability to strike people out, but instead has a knack for not striking out at all instead. Wagner was acquired in the 2024 trade deadline, along with Jake Bloss, and Joey Loperfido in the Yusei Kikuchi deal.

Wagner, quite simply put, can just flat out hit. He's been a solidly above-average hitter in each of his seasons as a professional baseball player, excelling in putting the ball in play while limiting strikeouts and drawing walks. He has a more passive approach, looking for pitches to hit without chasing much, as in Triple-A, he had a Swing% of only 39.9%, while chasing only 23.8% of the time. However, his ability to make contact when he did choose to swing was great, with a Zone-Contact% of 93.8%, which was in the 97th percentile. Interestingly, in his cup of coffee in the majors with the Jays (before he went down with a season ending hamstring injury), he was less patient, increasing his swing rate by 7%, as well as chasing 6.6% more. His contact rates for swings in the zone remained just as good, but he may have needed an adjustment to deal with more polished major league pitching and sequencing. Still, it didn’t stop him from being the first Blue Jays rookie to ever have a 5-hit game against the Twins in August.

Wagner has very limited in-game power, although he had respectable exit velocities with an 88.1 mph Average Exit Velocity in Triple-A, as well as a 103.7 mph (90th percentile) Max EV. It is worth noting that Wagner was hitting the ball harder in the majors, up to a 90.6 mph EV and a 104.6 mph (90th percentile) Max EV. The main issue regarding his power potential is that he rarely pulls or lifts the ball, with more of an all-fields approach while also running a 49.0% ground ball rate. His ability to make good, solid contact on swings in the zone, as well as his patented patient approach should still result in him being a good hitter, but may limit his offensive potential without too many extra-base hits or home runs.

Defensively, there are concerns about Wagner's defense, with the Astros playing him more at first base than they did at second base in 2024. In the limited sample size in the majors, Wagner had one Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and one Outs Above Average (OAA) in 172 innings played, but that's too small of a sample size to say that he can be an average defender at second. However, the Jays just traded for one of the best second base defenders in Andres Gimenez, so Wagner is unlikely to see much playing time at second.

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. occupying first base, Wagner may find it difficult to find a position on the field to play. He has had minor league experience at the hot corner, but his arm strength was only in the 18th percentile and his lack of range may prove difficult to contend with now that Bo Bichette is back after a lost season. It is more likely that Wagner sees more DH time. Wagner's limited defensive profile and lack of power is what's most likely going to prevent him from being a full-time starter, but the Jays are definitely going to try to find a way to add his bat to the lineup, especially against righties. 

#13: RHP Fernando Perez, 20, Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays

The 20-year old Nicaraguan had an excellent first season in full-season professional baseball, earning a spot in the MLB All-Star Futures Game as well as being named MLB Pipeline's Pitching Prospect of the Year for the Blue Jays, by virtue of being one of the only top pitching prospects in the organization that was able to stay healthy all year. Coming from humble beginnings, Perez only signed for a $10,000 signing bonus in 2022, and yet he's been one of the most surprising young arms in the Jays' farm system. He's had multiple feats already in his short career, pitching in a combined no-hitter against the Florida Complex League Phillies in 2023, as well as an immaculate inning against the Dayton Tortugas, the Cincinnati Reds Low-A affiliate. He pitched to a 4.06 ERA with a 3.47 FIP last season, but slowed down as the season drew to a close as he exceeded his career-high in innings by more than 30, and was shut down in early August. 

The 6ft 3in, 170 lbs righty makes use of a solid four-pitch mix, with his most used pitch being a fastball that sits 92-93 mph, topping out at 95 mph, with a 16.6 induced Vertical Break and a 2405 rpm spin rate. He also throws a low-80s slider that some have called a cutter, high-70s curveball, as well as a low-80s changeup that he threw as his main pitch against lefties. The changeup was his best pitch at generating whiffs by far, with a 42.2% whiff rate, but he still has inconsistencies with his delivery. None of his secondary offerings are standout at his current stage of development, as most of them need refinement, but the outlook for his arsenal is that they could have average potential. 

Perez's best trait is his pitchability, being able to command his pitches well, having a 100th percentile in-zone rate in Low-A Dunedin and a 74th percentile BB%. He's very capable of mixing his pitches and keeping hitters off-balanced despite his mediocre stuff due to having a strong feel for all of his pitches.

Being only 20, if Perez is able to add more strength to gain more velocity, or if there is further refinement of his arsenal, there is still a decent amount of projection to be had as he advances through the minors. If he manages to be able to do both, there's a very solid chance he can move up the rankings, but currently it seems more likely that he'll be a No. 5 starter at his full potential. If he stays healthy, that could even possibly be his floor. It’s likely that Perez will get promoted to Vancouver early in the 2025 season where he’ll hopefully continue to progress. 

#12: RHP Landen Maroudis, 20, Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays

Landen Maroudis was many people's breakout pick for the 2024 season, as the fourth-rounder out of Calvary Christian HS made some massive strides and turned a lot of heads in spring training. He had three excellent games to start off his first season in pro-ball, the best being his professional debut where he pitched four perfect innings against the Tigers’ A-ball team. However, in his third start, he went down with an elbow injury, which led to an internal brace surgery in late May. Maroudis will be looking to put this lost season behind him and showcase the talent that many people were excited for last season. Baseball America has stated that Maroudis will make his likely return in April, which means that he’s progressing well in his recovery. 

Maroudis is another young, athletic, projectable, low-slot starting pitching prospect with a good feel for spin. He sits in the 93-94 mph range on his fastball, being able to reach 96 mph, and with his lower slot release height he adds some additional deception as his fastball had a -4.5 Vertical Approach Angle last season, which resulted in a 23.1% Whiff Rate and a 29.6% chase rate. He pairs his fastball with a gyro-slider that he throws in the mid-80s, which he has great feel for, being able to locate it in the zone at will. He also has a second breaking ball in a slower curveball in the upper-70s, which had a 42.9% whiff rate and had an -11.4 iVB and a -11.0 Horizontal Break. Lastly, he also throws a changeup that had a 15.9 inch horizontal break to the arm side, but he struggled to locate it well. 

With a traditional four-pitch mix at 20 years old, as well as the pitchability and projectability you want in a top prospect, Maroudis has a decent chance of being a solid mid-rotation starter, but since he’s returning from internal brace surgery, he needs to showcase that he’s the prospect people expected him to be. Staying healthy enough to handle being a full-time starter will be the first big step on that journey. We’re likely to see him rocket up prospect lists if he does so. Maroudis is expected to start off the season in Dunedin again. 

#11: LHP Adam Macko, 24, Triple-A Buffalo Bisons

The Slovakian-Canadian came over in the controversial Teoscar Hernandez trade, but his performance in the minors since joining the Blue Jays is not one of the reasons for that controversy. The undersized lefty who attended Vauxhall Academy in Alberta has struggled with his health and his command ever since being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the seventh round of the 2019 draft. However, since joining the Blue Jays organization, Macko has steadily lowered his walk rate from about 12.0% with the Mariners, to 10.8% in 2023, and then in 2024 lowered it again to 9.0%. He also threw career highs in innings pitched with 86.0 in 2023 and then 93.1 in 2024. That being said, his command is still fringe-average at best, and he was shelved for six weeks for a forearm strain, showing that his injury issues weren’t fully behind him. 

Macko has been quite successful in his professional career at striking hitters out, with a greater than 25% strikeout rate at every level he’s pitched at (other than the three innings he pitched in his debut with the Buffalo Bisons). Macko is able to rack up those strikeouts with his solid secondary pitches, the best one being his big loopy curveball, which he throws in the mid-70s, which comes equipped with 14.8 inches of induced vertical break as well as 7.6 inches of arm side horizontal break that makes hitters look foolish swinging at it. However, hitters rarely did so because the pitch is easy to identify out of the hand with its shape and velocity.

The slider is the secondary pitch he throws the most, which he tosses in the low-80s. It's more of a pitch he can locate in the zone more often and helps bridge the gap between his fastball and slow curveball. Macko’s fastball velocity is pretty mediocre, actually regressing a bit since last year where he used to sit 93-95 mph (now in the 91-93 mph range), but he has a deceptive delivery and his fastball had a 15.3 iVB in his short appearance in Triple-A Buffalo. It also has 7.9 inches of run as well, which helps it play up. He still can touch up to 95 mph, but that comes fewer and farther between than years past. Lastly, his changeup has a nice shape as well, with 15.9 inches of fading action, but he isn’t as consistent with it compared to his other offerings. 

This will be Macko’s second year on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster, and now that he’s pitched decently in Double-A New Hampshire, he’s looking to continue his success in Triple-A Buffalo. His fringy velocity and average command probably limits his ceiling to a back-end rotation starter, but he’ll be a part of the limited starting pitching depth for the Jays in 2025, behind Jake Bloss and maybe even Easton Lucas and Adam Kloffenstein.

Interested in learning more about the Toronto Blue Jays' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!

Interested in learning more about the Toronto Blue Jays' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!