Blue Jays 2025 Top 20 Prospect Rankings: Nos. 16-20

Here is the first segment of the Top 20 prospects. Prospects 20-16 will start us out based on the voting from the Jays Centre community. 

#20: Dahian Santos, RHP, 21, Double-A, New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The Toronto Blue Jays signed Dahian Santos out of Acarigua, Venezuela, in July 2019. It was a very slow progress through the minor leagues following his signing and he would not pitch in a minor league game until 2021 as an 18-year-old. When he was finally on the mound, he started most of the games he would play and showed a high propensity for striking out batters. In his first two seasons across the Complex League, Low-A, and High-A, he put up strikeout rates of 33.1% and 38.5%. He was beginning to show the potential to become a major league starting pitcher. Then the classic Blue Jays issue took hold: injuries.

Through the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Santos was hampered by injuries, cutting his time and development on the mound over crucial periods. He pitched only 12 games in 2023, with that number rising to 20 games this past season. Unfortunately, almost all those 20 games came out of the bullpen (18), as he managed only 35.2 innings pitched. The biggest positive from last season was he moved on up to Double-A New Hampshire, where he continued having some measure of success striking out mostly older hitters to the tune of a 25.6% strikeout rate. The biggest issue on the mound for him in 2024 and much of his minor league career has come from a high walk rate, topping out at 17% at Double-A. Where Santos is routinely succeeding in the minors has been his ability to limit hits. This past season, he was in the 82nd percentile at Double-A, giving up a batting average of only .175. 

Santos does not have the best fastball, but what truly stands out is his breaking ball and changeup. His repertoire is unique, consisting of a fastball routinely sitting in the 93 MPH range and can top out at 96 MPH. His dominant pitch is a slider in the 81-84 MPH range, which he can throw at times more than his fastball. The slider is the big whiff-inducing pitch with a sharp break. To cap things off, he throws a very solid changeup that can flash as a plus pitch at times, coming in at 83 MPH. 

Where Santos goes from here should be clearer in 2025. At the end of 2024, he started a few games again. This coming season, he could get back into the mix as a starting pitcher at Double-A and potentially become more of a factor as a prospect if he remains healthy, adds strength and increases his fastball velocity.

#19 Eddinson Paulino, INF, 22, Double-A, New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The Boston Red Sox signed Eddinson Paulino 2018 out of the Dominican Republic. Over the next four seasons, he would move up one level each year, ultimately finishing 2023 at High-A and starting this past season at Double-A. Midseason, the Toronto Blue Jays traded for Paulino in a deal that saw Danny Jansen go to the Red Sox. 

Paulino is an infielder who can play second base, shortstop, and third base while currently listed at 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds. That size wasn't much of a negative in the lower minors, as he would hit 25 home runs and swipe 53 bases combined over the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Red Sox minor league affiliates. This past year, however, saw him struggle in both areas, with him only hitting three home runs and swiping 11 bases combined between the Red Sox and Blue Jays Double-A teams. The two areas of his profile that saw the biggest change in 2024 were a nearly 10% increase in his whiff rate and a 12% drop in his swing rate. He was swinging less and missing a lot more in Double-A. Fixing those two issues going into 2025 could see him return to the prospect he was before this past season. 

The 2025 season could be an interesting one for Paulino. If he can add muscle to his small frame, he could see more power and better overall hitting numbers. He has a good approach at the plate, usually around 10% walk and 20% strikeout rates. That approach should lead to better contact rates than the 70.6% we saw in 2024. Given the Blue Jays' current log jam of infielders, we could see him back at Double-A to start 2025. This could give him the time he needs to get back on track and develop more in-game power. 

#18 Juaron Watts-Brown, RHP, 22, High-A, Vancouver Canadians
Juaron Watts-Brown was drafted out of Oklahoma State by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023. He is listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. When drafted, he was billed as a strikeout pitcher and didn't disappoint this past season on his way up to High-A. He began the year in Low-A and was pretty successful overall, as he managed a 3.43 ERA and a 3.60x FIP. His numbers were backed by a strikeout rate of 30.3% and a batting average against of .209. After 12 starts, he had shown enough to move up to High-A. 

High-A was where some issues crept in and caused his numbers to balloon over his final nine starts of the season. His strikeout rate remained solid at 27.3%, but unfortunately, his walk rate jumped to 14.8%. His ERA rose to 6.35, which didn't tell the whole story. His xFIP was much lower at 4.56, meaning he pitched better than the results. Ultimately, he finished the 2024 season as one of the best Blue Jays minor league pitchers in swinging strike rate, at 16.8%.

This past season, the four pitches Watts-Brown relied on the most were a four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup, and slider. The four-seam fastball doesn't have the best velocity but comes with an iVB of 18 inches and an above-average release extension of 6.8 feet. Both numbers let the fastball play up much more than the lower velocity. He did have a max fastball velocity of 96.1 MPH at Low-A, so there may still be room for improving the pitch with added strength. His cutter and slider are the strikeout pitches right now, and the changeup is developing into a usable pitch versus left-handed hitters. The cutter had a whiff rate at Low-A of 46%, the slider at 55.6%, and the changeup at 50.9%. The deep pitch mix, including a curveball, allows him to stay less predictable on the mound. 

The Blue Jays will look for Watts-Brown to continue developing his control and command while improving his pitch mix and getting stronger. Added velocity to his fastball could be a game changer given his iVB and release extension; however, it doesn't mean much if he continues to throw just 61% of his pitches for strikes. He should get another crack at High-A to start 2025, and where he goes from there will probably depend on his ability to throw strikes consistently, as he should continue striking batters out at a good rate. 

#17 Enmanuel Bonilla, OF, 19, Complex League
Enmanuel Bonilla was signed out of the Dominican Republic in January of 2023 for one of the top bonuses of the international J15 signing class, $4.1 million. This was larger than Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Orelvis Martinez. He was billed as having one of the top power-hitting potentials of the class with a projectable frame. Everything started very well, as he played in the Dominican Summer League in 2023 and was a very solid hitter. He hit .307/.407/.429 and reached base consistently in almost every game he played. He showed good exit velocities and came away with three home runs, three triples, and eight doubles. Things went backward, though, in 2024.

Last season, Bonilla struggled after a blazing hot start to the Complex League. He only hit .186/.257/.299, with four home runs. The biggest issue bringing down his results was strikeouts. He struck out 35.5% of the time, and his walk rate evaporated to 6.1%. 

2025, most assuredly, will be another go-around at the Complex League for Bonilla. He is still very young, and improvements could come quickly and overnight, even in the future. His contact rates and lowering his strikeout rate are the biggest things he needs to improve. The raw tools are there for a top prospect if he puts it together and starts rising levels again. 

#16 Brandon Barriera, LHP, 20, Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Brandon Barriera in the first round of the 2022 MLB draft. Injuries have completely derailed his 2.5 years with the team. He pitched just 20.1 innings in 2023, and after just 1.1 innings this past season, he needed Tommy John surgery like many in the system ended up having. In the grand total of 21.2 innings pitched over the two seasons, he did show the ability to minimize damage, limit contact,  and strike batters out. 

Barriera's fastball should be in the mid-90s and reach up to 97 MPH when healthy. He also has a big breaking slider and a changeup that is a work in progress. He is a very confident pitcher, but his pitches still have room for more projection. 

If Barriera pitches this season, expect his innings to be significantly controlled. When he is back, continued work on his command will be important. He showed a great ability to strike batters out to the tune of 31.3% in 2023. That strikeout ability should give him a good base on which to build if he can remain on the field consistently.

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!