Daniel Labude

Trey YesavageJohnny KingJoJo ParkerRicky TiedemannJuan SanchezGage StaniferArjun NimmalaYohendrick PinangoSean KeysBlaine BullardTim PiasentinDaniel GuerraDylan WattsNolan PerryLanden MaroudisBrandon BarrieraCharles McAdooSilvano HechavarriaJake CookAdrian Pinto

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (May 2-May 4) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees): 2-4 Season Record: 15-18 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 5-2 Season Record: 15-10 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks): 2-4 Season Record: 11-16 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs Jupiter Hammerheads (Miami Marlins): 2-4 Season Record: 11-16 FCL Blue Jays Week Record: 2-0 Season Record: 2-0 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 15-18 Series Opponent: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees) May 2: Saturday's game against the RailRiders was a true team win. All across the diamond, players did their part to take down one of the better Triple-A teams. The offense was paced by newly cemented lead-off hitter Ismael Munguia. He had two hits in the game, a double in the first and an RBI single in the third to get the scoring started for the Bisons. After a double by Rafael Lantigua to begin the sixth, Munguia laid down a sacrifice bunt to move him over to third base. Josh Kasevich cashed in the run with a single to left field, tying the game up at two. All eyes would turn to the bullpen when CJ Van Eyk exited in the sixth. Van Eyk pitched relatively well; he went five innings, gave up six hits and two earned runs, walked two, and struck out six. His only real blemish was giving up a home run to Yanquiel Fernandez in the bottom of the third. Once the bullpen came into the game, the arms were relentless, not surrendering a single run the rest of the game, and that included two extra frames. In the 11th, Munguia was the ghost runner that started at second base. He moved to third on a Kasevich single and then scored on an RJ Schreck sacrifice fly. The next batter, Willie MacIver, would knock in Kasevich with a single, giving the Bisons a 4-2 lead. That would eventually be the final score, as Tanner Andrews came into the game and recorded two groundouts and a strikeout to earn the save. May 3: José Berríos was on the mound, completing another rehab start. The outing had a lot of ups and downs to it, as Berríos started the game off by surrendering a monster blast to the second batter he faced, Spencer Jones. It had an exit velocity of 117.4 mph and went 422 feet to right field. From there, Berríos would work through the next 10 batters with relative ease, only giving up a single and three walks. In the bottom of the fourth, it all unraveled quickly for Berríos. He gave up a two-run home run to Seth Brown and then loaded the bases up for Jones. Berríos left a sinker over the middle of the plate, and Jones hammered it for his second home run of the game, this one a grand slam. In the fifth, Josh Fleming came into the game and pitched flawlessly, only giving up one walk, zero hits and striking out four. The lead was too much for Buffalo to come back from though, as they only recorded six hits on the day. Their lone run came on a Je'Von Ward RBI single in the top of the second, scoring Charles McAdoo. Buffalo fell 7-1 in a game that was decided by Berríos and his inability to keep the ball in the park. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 15-10 Series vs Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets) May 2: Suspended May 3, Game 1: New Hampshire and Binghamton started the day completing Saturday's game that had been suspended. New Hampshire had taken the lead in the bottom of the second inning with a two-run home run to left field by Nick Goodwin. In the fourth, a sacrifice fly by the Rumble Ponies brought the game within one. Eddie Micheletti Jr. changed that in the sixth though, with his fourth home run of the season. In the ninth inning, Binghamton made it close by scoring two runs on an RBI single and an RBI double. Conor Larkin finished the game by getting the last out on a line drive to right field. It was good for the save and the 4-3 win for the Fisher Cats. May 3, Game 2: In the Sunday finale and the second game of the doubleheader, New Hampshire never really got going. Adrian Pinto continued a good start to his season with New Hampshire by getting on base four times on two singles and two walks. Sean Keys had a single, and Cutter Coffey added a single as well, but neither of them brought in any runs. Jackson Wentworth pitched well, but surrendered two runs in the first inning. Binghamton would add a sacrifice fly in the seventh and go on to win. New Hampshire only managed four hits and four walks in this one and lost a pitching-dominant game, 3-0. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 11-16 Series vs Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks) May 2: It was a big comeback for the Canadians, as Vancouver went down early. With the bases loaded, Kendry Chirinos made a throwing error to home, allowing the first run to score. Slade Caldwell knocked in the second run for the hops on an RBI single off the wall, but got hung up in between first and second. Dub Gleed made a great tag to get Caldwell out, then threw out the runner at home for a crucial double play to stop the bleeding. Landen Maroudis pitched well heading into the fifth inning, but allowed a single and a walk before getting replaced by Gilberto Batista, who gave up a three-run homer. He then gave up a walk to Caldwell, and two wild pitches allowed him to score as well, giving the Hops a six-run lead. Gleed once again made a big play, this time with his first homer in the Jays organization, to get two runs. Arjun Nimmala added another run on an RBI double, bringing the Canadians within three runs. Batista gave up his second homer in the seventh inning, but the Canadians once again fired back in the bottom of the same inning, with Jacob Sharp hitting his first homer of the year to bring it within two. Vancouver was still down going into the ninth inning, but patient approaches prevailed, as four of the first batters walked, and Manuel Beltre hit a walk-off single to win the game after being down by six. May 3: The Canadians once again went down early after an error from Manuel Beltre allowed two runs to score in the first. Peyton Williams got a run back with an RBI single, and in the fifth inning, Dub Gleed tied it with an RBI single of his own. Vancouver’s bullpen woes continued with Juanmi Vasquez and Eminen Flores walking seven batters and allowing three runs to score. Matt Scannell was able to score on a balk in the seventh, but the Canadians couldn’t complete the comeback. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 11-16 Series vs Jupiter Hammerheads (Miami Marlins) May 2: The D-Jays took it to extra innings, with Troy Guthrie having another decent start, allowing only two runs in over four innings. The Jays got to an early lead off an Aldo Gaxiola RBI single and an error to put them up three. Guthrie did give up a two-run homer, but the Jays were still up one. In the seventh and eighth, things changed, as the bullpen would give up two more homers. Austin Smith hit a clutch homer to tie the game in the ninth, and in the 10th inning, Blaine Bullard hit a walk-off single for the first time in his career. May 3: Silvano Hechavarria finally made his return, working his way back in a rehab start in Dunedin, where he pitched four perfect innings before handing it off to the 'pen. Addison Barger also made his return to game action, hitting a two-run homer in the fourth, which helped Dunedin get out a bit earlier. The Jays bullpen could not hold on to the lead though, as shaky command led to 10 walks and eight runs scored against just the bullpen in five innings of work. Dunedin scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to make it interesting, but the Jays lost once again, along with the series. FCL Blue Jays Season Record: 2-0 May 2: The FCL Blue Jays kicked off their season on Saturday against the Phillies' Rookie ball team. The Phillies squad took the early lead on a wild pitch, but 2025 draftee Tim Piasentin brought home the tying run in the bottom of the first on a groundout. David Guzman put the Blue Jays team up two with an RBI double in the third, which was followed by a Piasentin RBI double. Franklin Rojas had an RBI groundout to put the Blue Jays up four. Angel Guzman singled home a run in the sixth, and again Piasentin drove in another run with a groundout. Andres Arias would cap off the scoring with an RBI single, giving the Blue Jays eight runs. The Phillies would make it close, scoring on a few singles and groundouts of their own in two three-run innings, but fell short, as the Blue Jays won this opener 8-7 May 4: The Rookie ball team was in action again on Monday afternoon and looked good for a second straight game to open the season. Giacomo Taschin was on the mound for the Jays, and he was lights out in his first professional start. He went four innings, struck out three, walked one, and only gave up two hits. He kept the opposing team off the scoreboard entirely after a rough first inning, in which he coughed up a single, a walk, and a double, but no one scored. He had three 1-2-3 innings after the trouble and handed it off to the bullpen with a 5-0 lead. The scoring for the Jays came off of an Angel Guzman RBI single in the second, before Owen Gray added a run on a balk. Gray drew a bases-loaded walk in the third, which was followed by Pascual Archila driving in a run on a fielder’s choice. Their fifth and final run came on a Guzman sacrifice fly. Tim Piasentin was hitless on the day, with two strikeouts. The Jays won 5-1 over the Phillies' Rookie ball team. View full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (April 25-April 26) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs. Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians): 3-3 Season Record: 13-14 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs. Reading Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies): 2-3 Season Record: 10-8 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs. Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels): 3-3 Season Record: 9-12 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Minnesota Twins): 1-5 Season Record: 9-12 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 13-14 Series Opponent: Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Guardians) April 25: Postponed April 26, Game 1: It was another doubleheader on tap for Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. The pitchers only needed to cover seven innings because of the shortened game, and they struggled to do so. They would end up walking eight Columbus batters, but were ultimately able to pitch around most of them. Josh Fleming, who started the game for Buffalo, had the most trouble of the pitchers; he walked three across his four innings of work. Two of his walks came in the first inning and aided the Clippers in getting a run across home plate. Buffalo answered quickly, getting a monster half inning of their own in the bottom of the second. It started with Josh Kasevich knocking in two runs on a single to right field. RJ Schreck followed up the single with a big three-run home run to right field. His third blast of the season had an exit velocity of 96 mph and went high in the air with a launch angle of 39°. Oddly enough, Riley Tirotta added on a run in the bottom of the fifth that had the same 39° launch angle, but a snail's pace of an exit velocity (90.1 mph). Brendon Little was one of the arms out of the bullpen and had a little bit of trouble. He walked two but was able to escape the jam, continuing his scoreless streak by getting Nolan Jones to line into a double play. Tanner Andrews closed the game out with a scoreless inning of his own in the ninth, his first save of the season. Buffalo pulled back to .500 with the 6-2 win. April 26 Game 2: Buffalo once again looked to finally break the .500 mark with a win in game two of this doubleheader. CJ Van Eyk went deep into the shortened game, almost making it through the fifth inning. He wasn't flawless, though, as he gave up three runs in the third inning on three straight RBI singles. The big inning for Columbus took the lead back from Buffalo, who had jumped out on top with a Charles McAdoo solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. He crushed the ball 422 feet to left field at an exit velocity of 104.7 mph. McAdoo had been in a slump recently, seeing his batting average fall to below .290. Down two runs in the bottom of the sixth, Josh Rivera launched a two-run home run to square things back up and ultimately send the game into extra innings. It was the closest Buffalo had come to breaking the .500 mark on the season, but it wasn't meant to be. In the eighth, Columbus got a two-run home run from Juan Benjamin off of Devereaux Harrison. Buffalo couldn't match them in the bottom half of the inning, and they lost 6-4. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 10-8 Series vs. Reading Fightin Phils (Philadelphia Phillies) April 25: Postponed April 26: The New Hampshire Fisher Cats had an uphill climb in this one, as they started in the hole when the Fightin Phils scored three in the third inning. Fisher Cats starter Fernando Perez gave up an RBI double to Bryan Rincon, and then Alex Binelas hit a two-run home run. Reading added another run on a groundout in the fourth, before Eddie Micheletti Jr. finally got New Hampshire on the board with a solo home run. Kehden Hettiger hit a solo homer of his own to put Reading back up four. Sean Keys brought the game to within three with an RBI single to center in the sixth, but again the Fightin Phils answered with an RBI double this time. New Hampshire would be hard-pressed for hits in this one and ultimately runs, as they fell short, losing 6-2. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 9-12 Series vs. Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels) April 25: The Vancouver Canadians once again got a solid start from Austin Cates, whose uptick in velocity has contributed very well to his effectiveness. He went five scoreless innings, leaving in line for the win, as the Canadians took the lead in the fourth on a Jacob Sharp single. The Canadians got an insurance run in the seventh inning despite Matt Scannell getting caught stealing at third base, as J.R. Freethy was still able to drive in Manuel Beltre at second. The Canadians were one out away from getting out of the eighth inning unscathed after Juanmi Vasquez got two quick outs, but he gave up a hit to Matt Coutney. Kelena Sauer came in to replace Vasquez and gave up a double to Ryan Nicholson, though Coutney was held at third. Sauer induced a grounder at third to Beltre, who couldn’t come up with it cleanly, which allowed a run to score. Unfortunately for the Canadians, they would allow two more runs to score on two more hits, relinquishing the lead. They got one more chance in the bottom of the ninth, and despite Dub Gleed striking out, Maddox Latta walked, then stole second base, Scanell walked, then Beltre got hit by a pitch to load the bases up. Freethy came up and struck out swinging, and the red-hot Carter Cunningham could not get it done, as he grounded out to first to end the game on a heartbreaker. April 26: The Canadians hoped to end the series on a win to clinch the series, but the Dust Devils had other plans. Landen Maroudis put up another scoreless outing, going 3.1 innings, finally showing the promise that people expected out of him before his injury. A solid fourth inning where a Carter Cunningham walk led to an Arjun Nimmala double to put runners on second and third. Peyton Williams hit a sac fly, then Alexis Hernandez drove in Nimmala with a single, which knocked out the starter Keythel Key. Tucker Toman walked, then Gleed reached on an error, loading the bases for Brennan Orf, who grounded into a force out but allowed a runner to score. Gilberto Batista once again followed Maroudis in relief, and the young Dominican pitched well through three innings before a disastrous seventh inning struck. After a leadoff double, Batista was able to induce two grounders, hopefully only allowing a single run to score, but his command faltered, walking the next two batters, then giving up a single to the third. Carson Pierce couldn’t stop the bleeding after he replaced Batista, walking the bases loaded, and then the Dust Devils took the lead on a Ryan Nicholson single. Pierce then gave up a three-run homer, making a comeback seem unlikely. The Canadians fought back a little in the eighth, getting two more runs, but Jonathan Todd gave them up right back in the ninth, stopping the comeback attempt there. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 9-12 Series vs. Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Minnesota Twins) April 25: The D-Jays really wanted to turn it around after going 1-3 in the first four games of the series. Starter Brandon Barriera’s velocity finally ticked up a bit; he touched 96 mph on his fastball and showed off his sharp slider, striking out four batters in two innings of work, giving up only an unearned run. Lluveres Severino replaced him and also went two scoreless, and Mussels’ pitcher Ramiro Villanueva went four shutout innings, as the game was close heading into the fifth inning. The fifth inning went horribly for the Jays, as the Mussels were all over Brayden Heidel, who gave up five hits and six runs, five of them being earned. The defense didn’t help either, as they gave up two errors, leading Carson Myers to also give up two unearned runs after he replaced Heidel. Yorman Licourt and Will Cresswell hit a couple of doubles to prevent the Jays from going scoreless, but the lead was insurmountable, making it so that the Jays lost their series against the Mussels. April 26: Victor Arias returned on rehab assignment after starting the season injured, but was one of only three Dunedin players to get on base, as the Jays were no-hit by the Mighty Mussels. The Jays got some solid pitching performances from Troy Guthrie, whose strong command has led to a great start, as well as Reece Wissinger, whose stuff has been lighting up the models with his high-riding fastball. Unfortunately for them, they each gave up a run, and Franly Urena gave up a run as well, leading to a 3-0 loss on a night where the Jays did not have it going offensively. View full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (April 18-April 19) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs. Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals): 3-3 Season Record: 10-11 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs. Chesapeake Baysox (Baltimore Orioles): 4-1 Season Record: 8-5 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs. Spokane (Colorado Rockies): 4-2 Season Record: 6-9 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs. Clearwater Threshers (Philadelphia Phillies): 3-3 Season Record: 8-7 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 10-11 Series Opponent: Rochester Red Wings (Washington Nationals) April 18: Saturday saw the bats for Buffalo come alive, and all at once it seemed. The team collected 11 hits in the game, and everyone in the lineup had at least one, except Josh Kasevich and Josh Rivera. In the top of the second inning, William Simoneit and Carlos Mendoza had RBI singles to give the Bisons the lead. In the third inning, Riley Tirotta finally got the first extra-base hit of the game for Buffalo, a big two-run home run that went 404 feet and 104.3 mph off the bat. Simoneit had himself a good game at the plate, adding an RBI double in the sixth inning. However, he wasn't done, notching another RBI double in the eighth. It capped off his 3-for-4 game, with three RBI, and brought his batting average up to .300 for the season. CJ Van Eyk worked hard on the mound to keep Buffalo in the lead. He worked around seven hits, giving up a run in the second and fifth innings. It would be the bullpen that saved the lead for Buffalo, going 4.2 innings and only surrendering one run. Hayden Juenger brought it home for Buffalo, pitching a solid ninth inning, striking out two, and earning the save. The win brought Buffalo back to .500, where they seem to continue to hover, though they cannot break the mark on the season. April 19: Sunday's finale against Rochester was a mixed bag of sorts. The teams combined for 20 hits, 28 strikeouts, and 10 runs scored. Lots of hits, lots of whiffs, and lots of fun. Carlos Mendoza led the offense for Buffalo, going 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. His two RBI came on a double in the seventh and a single in the ninth. Buffalo was still in a hole after that, and Rafael Lantigua knocked in Mendoza on a double to center. It brought the score to 4-6. Unfortunately, RJ Schreck grounded out to end the game. On the pitching side, things were good and bad. The Bisons struck out 14 Rochester hitters on the day, but gave up six runs, three of which were unearned due to three errors. Josh Rivera had the worst of it in the field, committing two of the errors on back-to-back plays in the sixth, allowing the winning runs to score. Brendon Little pitched out of the bullpen again and looked relatively good, despite allowing two unearned runs to cross the plate thanks to those errors. He would strike out three and only allow one hit. Buffalo again couldn't crack the .500 mark, as they fell 6-4. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 8-5 Series vs. Chesapeake Baysox (Baltimore Orioles) April 18: New Hampshire started the Saturday contest with the Baysox quickly in the hole, down one run in the top of the first by way of a Brandon Butterworth solo home run. The Fisher Cats quickly answered with a run of their own, this time from hot-hitting Sean Keys, who drove in the run with a single to the shortstop. New Hampshire took the lead in the second inning, when Alex Stone drove in Jackson Hornung with an RBI single. Frederick Bencosme changed things in the fourth, as he launched a grand slam into the right field seats. The Baysox would score three more runs, one each in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. New Hampshire made a comeback attempt in the eighth on the back of another Keys long home run, his fifth of the year. Keys added an RBI groundout in the ninth as well, but it wasn't enough this time, with New Hampshire losing 8-9. Hitter note: Keys and Hornung had five hits combined in this one, and both rank near the top of all Double-A hitters so far this season. Keys is hitting .356 with five home runs, while Hornung is hitting .397. April 19: Postponed High-A Vancouver Season Record: 6-9 Series vs. Spokane (Colorado Rockies) April 18: After homering in his first at-bat of the season, Arjun Nimmala slowed down quite a bit, but he turned it around in this one, as he once again homered on his first at-bat of the game. Johnny King’s strikeout stuff was also on display, and despite an unearned run in the first inning that resulted in a tie game, King cruised after that. He struck out seven batters in 3.1 innings, only allowing a single hit and two walks. The Canadians scored three more runs in the second off of two RBI knocks from Manuel Beltre and Brennan Orf, and Carter Cunningham hit his sixth homer of the season in the fourth to make it 5-1. Holden Wilkerson came on in the fifth inning and pitched just as well as King, as he went four innings with six strikeouts and only allowed two baserunners. The Canadians' offense continued to pile it on, and Tucker Toman hit his second homer of the season, as the former switch-hitter has started off hot after switching to just hitting left-handed. The Canadians ran away with this one, scoring 11 runs to Spokane’s one. April 19: The Canadians were positioned to win their first series of the season, and it took a strong performance from Arjun Nimmala to get it done. Austin Cates went five strong innings to start the game, and despite allowing the first run of the game in the fifth inning on a solo shot, he earned the win. Toman and Alexis Hernandez doubled up on RBI doubles to take the lead back in the bottom half of that inning, and one of Nimmala's three hits doubled the lead. Strong relief efforts from Carson Pierce, Jay Schueler and Eminen Flores kept Spokane to only one run, and Nimmala put the cherry on top with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to seal the series win. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 8-7 Series vs. Clearwater Threshers (Philadelphia Phillies) April 18: JoJo Parker has arrived, as after the Threshers got ahead early, Dariel Ramon and Parker went back to back to claim the lead. Dayne Pengelly, who graduated from New Mexico with a mechanical engineering degree, took the mound and despite walking four, allowed one run a little over three innings pitched. The Threshers brought it within one off of Carson Myers, but the Jays pulled ahead off of an Aldo Gaxiola single in the sixth. Jaxson West continued his scorching start with a three hit day, and Gaxiola went deep again with a 106.9-mph, 407-foot shot to center field to make it 8-3 for the Jays. The Threshers brought in a couple of unearned runs in the eighth, but Jack Eshleman got the save in the ninth to give the Jays the win. April 19: Brandon Barriera still isn’t finding his command, and although he only allowed one run, he walked four batters in only 2.1 innings. Juan Sanchez got his first RBI for Dunedin to tie it up in the bottom of the third inning, and a David Beckles sac fly gave the Jays the lead. The game remained in the Jays’ favour, as Luis Victorino made his first appearance of the year and pitched well. However, once he was replaced by Brayden Heidel, the lead was given up in the seventh, and in the eighth the Threshers took the lead on a solo shot from Nathan Humphreys. In the bottom of the ninth, the Jays threatened after Beckles walked. He was immediately pinch ran for with Dariel Ramon, who then stole second. An Eric Snow single put runners on the corners, with no outs, and it looked like the Jays would at least tie it up. However, after Snow stole second, Gaxiola, Yorman Licourt, and Will Cresswell left them stranded as all three struck out swinging, leading to a series draw. Transactions 04/19/26 Dunedin Blue Jays placed RHP Karson Ligon on the 7-day injured list. 04/19/26 LF David Beckles assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays. 04/19/26 C Juan Rosas assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays. 04/18/26 RHP Luis Victorino assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from DSL Blue Jays Red. 04/18/26 Dunedin Blue Jays placed C Charlie Saum on the 7-day injured list. 04/18/26 RHP Aiden Taggart assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays. 04/18/26 1B Peyton Williams assigned to Vancouver Canadians from Dunedin Blue Jays. View full article

Jays Centre is counting down the top 20 prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Check out prior entries in the series here: No. 20 to 16 No. 15 to 11 No. 10 No. 9 No. 8 No. 7 No. 6 No. 5 No. 4 No. 3 No. 2: SS JoJo Parker JoJo Parker was selected in the most recent major league draft by the Toronto Blue Jays in the first round, eighth overall. He is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound shortstop, and he oozes potential. Coming into the draft, he was billed as one of the safer high school bats. He wasn't necessarily a player who stood out in one area or another, but was consistently average or above average in all areas. He put on weight in the offseason after not getting into a minor league game following the draft. This year, he looks noticeably stronger and began the year at Dunedin, after playing in the Spring Breakout game. Over 61 PA in Single A this year, he is hitting .298/.459/.553, with two home runs, six doubles, and six stolen bases. His first home run came off the bat at 108.3 mph, showing his power potential already as a 19-year-old. He also has an average exit velocity of 96.1 mph on the season so far. He is even displaying solid plate discipline, with 13 strikeouts to 12 walks. Parker will look to continue putting up big swings and honing his all-around game in Single A. If he maintains his plate discipline and shows more in-game power, he could get a jump up to High A by the summer and will be making his way into industry-wide top 50 or even top 25 rankings if things go well. It has been a good start to the 2026 season for him, and Blue Jays fans will be following his progress closely, hoping he is the next Bo Bichette or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. View full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (April 11-April 12) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs. Syracuse Mets (New York Mets): 4-2 Season Record: 7-8 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox): 3-3 Season Record: 4-4 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs. Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants): 2-4 Season Record: 2-7 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs. St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets): 4-2 Season Record: 5-4 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 6-7 Series Opponent: Syracuse Mets(New York Mets) April 11: Josh Kasevich finally started to live up to his hype on Saturday, leading the Buffalo Bisons to a win. In the bottom of the first inning, Kasevich squared up a high changeup from Syracuse's starting pitcher, Carl Edwards Jr. and deposited the pitch over the fence in left field. The solo home run had an exit velocity of 100.5 mph, with a launch angle of 35°, and went 367 feet. In his second at-bat of the game during the third inning, he smoked a ball off the bat at 106.5 mph to center for an RBI double, scoring Yohendrick Pinango. The Bisons weren't done that inning, scoring another two runs on RBI singles from both Charles McAdoo and Riley Tirotta. Pinango capped off his big day at the plate as well, hitting an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning. For the game, Pinango reached base four times. In addition to his RBI double, he would walk three times. The run support from Buffalo's offense was more than enough for CJ Van Eyk, who had his best start of the season en route to the win. He pitched six innings of two-hit ball, didn't allow a run, and only walked two. The only thing missing from his dominance was strikeouts; he only managed to sit down one batter in that manner. Chase Lee and Jesse Hahn would come in and wrap up the game by combining for three innings of shutout baseball, as Buffalo won 5-0. April 12: Sunday was a bit of a coming out party for Charles McAdoo. He racked up three hits, including a double and an opposite-field home run, his first at Triple A. The three base knocks raised his average up to .325 for the season, but it wasn't enough to get the win, as the bullpen would falter late. McAdoo's home run would kick off the scoring in the fourth inning but would be all the Bisons would get until the ninth inning. Unfortunately for Buffalo, the bullpen could not hold on to the one-run lead. Brendon Little did his job out of the 'pen, pitching one inning and striking out three. It was Adam Macko that couldn't step up in the late innings, as he coughed up three extra-base hits and three runs, including a two-run home run to Nick Morabito. Buffalo made one last rally attempt in the bottom of the ninth, where they would load the bases with just one out, but only managed an RBI groundout by Josh Rivera. The next batter, Will Simoneit, struck out swinging to end the threat and the game, as Buffalo fell 3-2 and dropped back below .500 for the season. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 4-4 Series vs. Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) April 11: Richard Gallardo took the mound for New Hampshire and was one of the few bright spots for them on the day. He went four innings, gave up two hits, zero earned runs, and struck out three batters. Alex Amalfi went the other four innings for the Fisher Cats, but he did surrender two runs, while striking out six hitters. New Hampshire scored first, taking the lead by one in the third inning on an Ismael Munguia RBI single. An RBI double and sacrifice fly for Portland would put them up for good in the fourth inning. New Hampshire would only manage five singles and a double in the game and lose 2-1. April 12: New Hampshire had the bats going tonight in a win over the Portland Sea Dogs. Portland took the early lead by one run on a Ronald Rosario double in the first. In the next half inning, the Fisher Cats took the lead on a Geovanny Planchart RBI single to first base and Cade Doughty's run-scoring double play groundout. Portland would add five more to take control of the game. In the sixth inning, that would change, though. Sean Keys blasted a two-run home run to get the scoring started. Later in the inning, three RBI singles brought in four runs, and Jace Bohrofen hit a two-run homer as well. An RBI groundout and Planchart's second RBI single of the inning would cap off the scoring, only once nine runs had crossed the plate in the frame. Jackson Hornung would homer in the ninth inning to go with a Nick Goodwin RBI triple to finish the scoring for New Hampshire, as they won big, 15-9. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 2-7 Series vs. Eugene Emeralds (San Francisco Giants) April 11: The Canadians' struggles continued, as Colby Holcombe took the bump for them. Holcombe was wild, walking four batters in less than three innings. He was able to escape relatively unscathed after some big jams, with an unassisted double play from Manny Beltre in the top of the second and a strikeout with runners on the corners to end the inning. He did give up a run in the top of the third, which brought Eminen Flores, who kept the Emeralds to one with 3.1 scoreless innings. J.R. Freethy scored the first run for Vancouver on a throwing error, but the game held firm until Jonathan Todd replaced Flores and gave up a sac fly in the eighth, and then he gave up another run in the ninth. The Canadians had a chance to tie it up after Tucker Toman brought it within one on an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth but were unable to get him to cross the plate. April 12: With a series loss confirmed, the Canadians wanted to get back on track to end the series, and Johnny King set the tone, giving up only one hit and a walk while striking out five. The offense got out to an early lead as well, with a patient Arjun Nimmala walking on a wild pitch, leading to a run scoring, and Carter Cunningham’s hot start continued with an RBI single that same inning to score another runner. After a couple of sac flies, Kendry Chirinos solidified the lead with a two-RBI triple. Holden Wilkerson again followed King, and although he faced some trouble in the sixth inning, where he allowed two runs to score, he was able to keep the Emeralds at bay. Carter Cunningham hit his third homer of the season for extra insurance. Aaron Munson gave up three runs in the ninth, but with such a commanding lead, the Canadians were able to win the last game of the series at least. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 5-4 Series vs. St. Lucie Mets (New York Mets) April 11, Game 1: In the first game of the doubleheader, Eric Snow followed a lead-off JoJo Parker double by driving him in on a sac fly. Dayne Pengelly got the start and induced a couple of double plays to keep the Mets scoreless for the first two innings. Aldo Gaxiola had his first homer of the season in the second to double the lead. Some bad BABIP and stolen bases given up resulted in two runs scoring to even the game up in the third for the Mets, but another extra base hit from Gaxiola, this time hit 110.7 mph scored another two runs to take the lead right back. 2025 13th-rounder Trace Baker pitched two scoreless innings in relief, and the Jays had a big top of the fifth inning scoring five runs thanks to a Peyton Williams double and Enmanuel Bonilla’s first homer for Dunedin. Carson Myers pitched well after Baker came out, with two more scoreless innings while striking out three for a dominant game one of the doubleheader. April 11, Game 2: The second game of the doubleheader was a makeup game for the postponed game on the April 8. The Jays came out swinging with a P-Willy RBI double and Yorman Licourt swatting his third homer of the season to score Williams, but Karson Ligon struggled after his awesome debut. His stuff looked good, as he sat 96 mph with his fastball, but only 20 of his 47 pitches were strikes, leading to three walks and four runs, three of them being earned. The Mets were able to get solid production out of their bullpen, but the Jays bullpen struggled, allowing seven more runs, preventing the Jays from coming back in the game. April 12: As the Jays hoped to win the last game of the series to get a series win, Brandon Barriera started off very slowly. His stuff ticked up a bit, but his command really lost him. After getting two quick outs, a hit, a passed ball, and two walks led to an RBI single to put the Jays down early. Parker could not be denied, as after two Jays were hit by pitches and Dariel Ramon walked, Parker tied the game with a two-run RBI single. Blaine Bullard followed that up with a homer to break the game open at 5-2 for the Jays. Barriera still struggled to throw strikes, but his stuff was good enough to get clean innings. The Jays continued to tack on runs in the fourth inning, as poor command from the Mets bullpen led to the Jays one-upping their second inning with six runs scored. Diego Dominguez pitched three shutout innings in relief, and 2025 16th-rounder Jaxson West has had a really strong start to the season, hitting a two-run homer to give the Jays 13 runs unanswered. Jack Eshleman gave up four runs in a poor outing, but that was all for both teams, giving the Jays their first series win. View full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (April 2 – April 5) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals): 1-3 Season Record: 3-6 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets): 1-1 Season Record: 1-1 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs. Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels): 0-3 Season Record: 0-3 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs. Bradenton Marauders (Pittsburgh Pirates): 1-2 Season Record: 1-2 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 3-6 Series Opponent: Omaha Storm Chasers (Kansas City Royals) April 2: The Buffalo Bisons started the back half of their week-long series against the Omaha Storm Chasers with hopes of surpassing the .500 mark on the season. In a rough game for Bisons pitching, their offense gave them every opportunity to take home a win, but it was just not meant to be. With a rough outing from Grant Rogers, one which saw him only last four innings while giving up four runs, the Bisons offense was playing catch-up all day long. In the second inning, recently promoted Brandon Valenzuela launched his first home run of the season to right field off of Ethan Bosacker, a 104.3 mph blast. Eloy Jiménez continued his smoking hot stretch to open the season with his first home run in the third, a two-run shot to right center. Jiménez had himself another good day at the plate, going 2-for-3 and before being taken down for a pinch-runner in the eighth, as the Bisons mounted another comeback attempt. The comeback would fall short, but not before Jonatan Clase drove in two runs with a single to center field, bringing the score to 7-9. A valiant effort to mount a comeback, but it just wasn't enough on the day. April 3: Postponed April 4, Game 1: The Bisons faced a familiar foe on the mound for Omaha, Aaron Sanchez, and used their intimate knowledge of him to ride a power surge to the winner's circle in the shortened game. Rafael Lantigua and Yohendrick Pinango each smacked their first home runs of the season. Pinango's blast was off a changeup down and had an exit velocity of 103.3 mph, flying 411 feet over the right center fence. Eloy Jiménez collected two hits, bringing his hit streak to five games to open the season. Lantigua put the game out of reach with another RBI, this time a two-RBI single in the sixth. The scoring was more than enough for the Bisons pitching staff, as Chad Dallas got his second start of the season and continued to look impressive on the mound. He pitched 3.1 innings, only gave up two hits, and struck out two. He relied heavily on three pitches: his cutter, then his curveball to lefties and sweeper to righties. Jesse Hahn and Michael Plassmeyer came on in relief and held the Omaha bats down from there, and the Bisons took this game easily, 8-0. April 4 Game 2: In game two of the doubleheader, the Bisons spent the game playing from behind once again, this time due to Devereaux Harrison coughing up three runs in the first inning and another run in the third. Eloy Jiménez's hit streak was snapped at five, but he was still able to be productive at the plate, knocking in a run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth. The Bisons again tried to make a late comeback in the seventh and final inning of the shortened game. Josh Rivera hit a two-run home run off of Shane Panzini, but Carlos Mendoza flew out to center to end the game, with the Bisons falling 4-6. April 5: It was a rough game for Buffalo as they took the loss in a close one on Sunday. CJ Van Eyk was the starter for the Bisons, and he got hit around to the tune of four runs on six hits and a walk. He did strike out four batters, but it wasn't enough. Buffalo jumped out to a two-run lead in the first inning on an RJ Schreck RBI walk and a Charles McAdoo RBI single. Buffalo would only add one more run the rest of the game, an Eloy Jimenez RBI single in the fifth inning. The biggest hit for the Bisons was a Yohendrick Pinango 95 mph double. Other than that, it was mostly soft contact for Buffalo as they would struggle to find runs and lost this one 4-3. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 1-1 Series vs. Binghamton Rumble Ponies (New York Mets) April 2: No Game April 3: New Hampshire kicked off their season Thursday with one of the Toronto Blue Jays’ best pitching prospects on the mound, Gage Stanifer. Everything was looking great for the first two innings, as Stanifer was dotting his mid-90s fastball and painting it at the knees for multiple strikeouts with the batters just looking. It was a good shift in his pitching approach, with him using the lower part of the zone. Unfortunately, after a long bottom of the second inning waiting on the offense, Stanifer came out in the third a bit off with his command. He was just missing the zone at times, but not by much. He ended up allowing a walk, then a groundball double down the line for a run. He almost stranded two more hard-fought walks, but, he left a fastball over the plate, missing the bottom of the zone, and Chris Suero hit an opposite-field grand slam. It was really the only bad pitch of the day for Stanifer, but it hurt. His slider was a bit off, which made him rely heavily on his fastball. Eddie Micheletti Jr. launched a home run to bring the score closer for the Fisher Cats, and the game was back and forth until the ninth inning. Sean Keys crushed a pitch to right field for a game-tying two-run home run. The game would be decided in the 13th inning, after a New Hampshire error let up a run. They couldn't answer in their half and ended up losing a close battle, 10-9. April 4: In their second straight back-and-forth battle, New Hampshire would come out on top. Richard Gallardo and Alex Amalfi combined for 7.2 innings, only allowing one hit and zero runs. They would each strike out four batters as well. Eddie Micheletti Jr. hit a home run in his second straight game to power New Hampshire. Caleb Freeman would go on to shut the door for the save. Both teams struggled offensively in the game, with only seven hits combined. It was just enough for the New Hampshire win, 2-1. April 5: Postponed High-A Vancouver Season Record: 0-3 Series vs. Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels) April 2: No Game April 3: It was a back-and-forth game for each team, as Arjun Nimmala started it off with a homer in his first at-bat of the season. Landen Maroudis impressed after an aggressive promotion to Vancouver, sitting in the mid 90s with his fastball and without walking a batter in three innings. Gilberto Bastista could not find the zone, however, and did not get out of the inning after walking in two runs. Nimmala took the lead back on his second extra-base hit of the night, but the bullpen continued to struggle. Austin Marozas and Kelena Sauer gave up more runs, which ended with a Canadians loss. April 4: Daniel Guerra and 2025 second-overall pick Tyler Bremner had a pitching duel in which both starters struck out six batters. Unfortunately for the Canadians, Guerra was the one to falter, as he gave up the only run of the game on a solo homer given up to Juan Flores. Danny Thompson Jr. excelled in relief, as he pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless ball with five strikeouts, but the offense sputtered against the Dust Devils pitching, striking out 17 times on the night. April 5: Colby Holcombe took the bump for the Canadians in the last game of the series, but got hit around, as he gave up three runs in just 2.2 innings of work. The Canadians could not get to Yeferson Vargas, as he struck out six batters without allowing a run in four and a third innings. Mason Olson relieved Holcombe and pitched well, giving up only one run to keep it close, and the Canadians broke through against Max Gieg and Keythel Key, scoring five runs, including Manuel Beltre’s first homer in Vancouver. Carson Pierce returned to the mound for the first time since 2024 and threw a scoreless inning, but Juanmi Vasquez took the loss as he gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth, leading to three straight losses for Vancouver. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 1-2 Series vs. Bradenton Marauders (Pittsburgh Pirates) April 2: Postponed April 3: It was a battle between two of the best pitching prospects in baseball, as Trey Yesavage had his first rehab start and Seth Hernandez made his professional debut. Blaine Bullard immediately hit a triple on the first pitch of the game, and was scored on a single by a rehabbing Peyton Williams. However, Hernandez then began to dominate as he struck out eight in only three innings of work. Yesavage was also excellent, sitting in the mid 90s with his fastball, with his only blemish being an inside-the-park homer that was misplayed by Enmanuel Bonilla. The best pitcher from the 2025 FCL champion Blue Jays team, Troy Guthrie, made his debut for the Dunedin Blue Jays and did not disappoint, showing off his brand new slider to pair with a high-riding fastball, which led to three no-hit innings. Unfortunately for Dunedin, Dylan Watts struggled in his pro debut, which broke the tie in the seventh as he gave up three runs. A big inning after the Jays loaded the bases tied the game up in the bottom of the seventh, but Carson Myers took the loss as he gave up an additional two earned runs, and the Jays could not get those runs back. April 4: Recently signed Patrick Corbin made his first start in the Jays organization, as he looks to replace Cody Ponce in the big league rotation. Matt Scannell made a fielding error that allowed a run to score in the first, but the veteran went up to 74 pitches in five innings, striking out the young hitters nearly half his age. The Jays fired back in the bottom of the second, with Yorman Licourt tying it up with a solo homer at 109.4 mph, and then Austin Smith scored another on an RBI groundout. The inning after, Licourt had himself another homer at 100 mph, showing off his raw power, which scored two runners this time. Blaine Bullard hit a sac fly after Dariel Ramon tripled to cap off the scoring, and Trace Baker earned the save in the first game of the doubleheader. In game two of the doubleheader, Nolan Perry and Karson Ligon both took turns with pitching excellence. Both sat in the mid 90s with their fastballs, showing great stuff. Perry did get tagged on a solo homer by Samuel Escudero in the third, and in extras, Ligon gave up an unearned run in extra innings on a wild pitch and a throwing error from Charlie Saum, but they combined for 12 strikeouts. The offense could not support the excellent pitching, and the Jays lost in the ninth inning after Mason Davenport gave up a two-run double. JoJo Parker did get his first professional hit and steal of his career, and walked two times as well. April 5: No Game View full article

Jays Centre is counting down the top 20 prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Check out prior entries in the series here: No. 20 to 16 No. 15 to 11 No. 10 No. 9 No. 8 No. 7 No. 6 The minor league season is finally here, and we have reached the final five of our top 20 prospects. It has been a windy and interesting road from #20-16, #15-11, and then into our top 10 with Jake Bloss, Yohendrick Pinango, Victor Arias, Juan Sanchez, and Gage Stanifer. Now we come to one of the fastest-rising Toronto Blue Jays prospects: Johnny King. No. 5: SP Johnny King – FCL, Dunedin (2025), Vancouver (2026) table.stats { border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; } table.stats th, table.stats td { border: 1px solid #333; padding: 8px 12px; } table.stats th { font-weight: bold; background-color: #f2f2f2; } IP G GS ERA FIP xFIP K% BB% 61.2 18 15 2.48 3.18 2.88 39.5% 13.9% At just 19 years old, Johnny King is the epitome of a starting pitcher in stature, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 210 pounds. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2024 MLB draft in the third round, 95th overall. He kicked off his minor league career with a stellar performance in the Florida Complex League last season. He completely dominated hitters across seven games and 24 innings. His ERA was 1.13, with his FIP and xFIP equally standing out at 1.53 and 1.83, respectively. What should be highlighted above all was his propensity to strike batters out. He was one of the best strikeout pitchers in Rookie ball, ending his time there with a 41.8% strikeout rate. He was able to pair that with solid command as well, only walking 7.1% of the batters he faced. King was quickly promoted to Single-A Dunedin and continued to show a top-notch ability to generate whiffs. Over 11 games and 37.2 innings to finish the season, he struck out 38.1% of hitters as an 18-year-old facing mostly more advanced batters. He didn't give up many hits either, only seeing his batting average against rise from .195 at Rookie ball up to .201 at Single A. His ERA and FIP took a jump up, to 3.35 and 4.24, respectively. The main issue with the promotion was that his command routinely slipped at Single A. He had a somewhat concerning 17.1% walk rate, though he was able to finish the season strong, with a 4.2-inning performance, giving up just one hit and zero earned runs, while striking out seven and walking three. What To Like As an 18-year-old last season, King showed a rare ability to have exceptional stuff at such a young age and to be able to command it enough to strike out hitters at Single A. He has a great frame and still projects to get stronger and add velocity on his fastball. He already possesses two plus pitches in his four-seam fastball and curveball. Both were virtually unhittable in 2025, with the fastball having a batting average against of .213 and a whiff rate of 36.3%. The pitch has very good ride up in the zone, and he generates close to 18 inches of induced vertical break on it. The curveball had one of the best whiff rates in the minor leagues at 49.4%, and hitters could only hit .193 off of the pitch. King also gets above-average extension on the pitches, in the range of 6.5 feet. That will give him an exceptional base to pitch from to continue improving his repertoire as he gets older. His third pitch was his changeup, and while decent, it needs some work. It was a good pitch, which he used to limit the success of batters, but he didn't get as many swings and misses on it, with only a 22.2% whiff rate at Single A. It is a great pitching foundation to have two plus pitches to go with a third serviceable one, something not often seen from an 18-year-old. What To Work On As the season wore on, King's command took a hit, and his walk rate was simply worrisome at times. Jumping from 7.1% at Rookie ball up to 17.1% at Single A shows he needs to work on getting batters out in the zone to go with his elite ability to generate swings and misses. His 60% strike rate at Single A was in the 39th percentile in the minor leagues and will need to take a step up if he is to continue to get older hitters out while moving up levels. Another area King will need to focus on in 2026 will be getting hitters back on the ground. When he jumped from Rookie ball to Single A, his groundball rate dropped from 59.1% to 33.8%. He will want to get batters to hit the ball on the ground more like he did at the start of his 2025 season, to help limit damage overall. What Is Next King will begin the 2026 season at High-A Vancouver. It could be a rocky/challenging start given the wild Northwest weather this time of year, but he has the potential to vault up prospect rankings due to his young age and plus stuff on the mound. If everything goes right for him, expect him to spend a couple of months at High A before getting a late-season crack at Double-A New Hampshire. Everything is pointing towards a huge season for him, and he could be the next great pitching prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. View full article

Jays Centre is counting down the top 20 prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Check out prior entries in the series here: No. 20 to 16 No. 15 to 11 No. 10 No. 9 With the Spring Breakout game in the rearview mirror, it's time to get further into Jays Center's Top 20 Prospects list. We have made it from 20-16, to 15-11, and began our top 10 journey with No. 10 Jake Bloss and No. 9 Yohendrick Pinango. Now we are setting our sights on another outfielder, Victor Arias, who comes in at No. 8 on our list. No. 8 OF Victor Arias (Vancouver, New Hampshire) table.stats { border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; } table.stats th, table.stats td { border: 1px solid #333; padding: 8px 12px; } table.stats th { font-weight: bold; background-color: #f2f2f2; } PA H 2B 3B HR OPS wRC+ K% BB% 468 112 19 7 7 .755 114 21.8% 10.7% Victor Arias was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Venezuela in 2019. It has been a long and winding path for him through the minor leagues, as he pushes toward the majors. It started with an above-average showing as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) in 2021. He had a 118 wRC+ to go with a slash line of .248/.388/.339, two home runs, and an elite walk rate of 17.9%. Sticking out as a negative would be his groundball rate of 52.1%, and that hasn't improved much over the years. In 2022, Arias repeated the DSL for a short 19-game stint. He got the ball in the air more, and his numbers jumped up, with him seeing his batting average rise to .315 and his on-base rate to .448. The next year saw a shortened season for him; he only played in 41 games at Rookie ball and three each at Single A and Double A. Despite being young, he still had a 109 wRC+ over those 47 games and a walk rate of 17.6%. 2024 would see Arias get a mostly full season, this time at Single A for 76 games. He really stepped up his game with a 146 wRC+ and earned a short 11-game stretch at High A to end the year. There, he stood out over the small sample, hitting .324/.425/.353 with a 150 wRC+. In 2025, he played the most games in one season of his minor league career, 102 between High-A Vancouver and Double-A New Hampshire. Combined, he would slash .272/.353/.403, with a 114 wRC+, launching seven home runs and seven triples and swiping 18 bags. What To Like Arias doesn't have a big frame, listed at 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, but he puts everything he has into his swings. At one point in 2025, he was sporting a very good average exit velocity and 90th percentile exit velocity, 93 mph and 110.1 mph, respectively, according to Baseball America. His swing speeds are exceptional, and he transfers his weight well with his leg kick. This helped him to hit seven home runs, seven triples (98th percentile), and 19 doubles (80th percentile) last season. The young outfielder pairs his great exit velocities with above-average speed on the bases. He swiped 18 bags in 2025, which was good enough for the 80th percentile in the minor leagues. It appears he is well on his way to having an above-average profile with the bat, especially when it comes to extra-base hits, along with above-average potential on the bases. What To Work On The thing Arias needs to work on most is also the reason his elite raw power hasn't translated into more in-game power: his launch angles. He routinely has been a hitter who pounds the ball into the ground. He is also rather consistent with his groundball rates, hovering around 50-54% for his minor league career. Aside from his short sample in his second year at the DSL level, he has hit groundballs at a feverish pace (52%, 52%, 53%, 51%, 54%). If nothing changes, it will definitely be expected for those numbers to continue to climb as he moves up levels and faces tougher pitching. If he can drop that number down to the upper 30s or lower 40s, he would see a dramatic jump in his home run total. Pull-side power is how Arias will make a name for himself, if he can keep the ball in the air more than he has in the past, but he also needs to use the middle of the field more. He only hit 24.6% of his batted balls up the middle this past year. When he is facing tougher lefty-on-lefty matchups, he will need to hit the ball back up the middle or to the opposite field more. In 2025, he hit just .242/.301/.305 versus left-handed pitchers and didn't hit any home runs. As he continues to move up levels, he will need to improve those numbers against lefties, or he may ultimately fall into a utility role or drop back into a fourth outfielder type of potential outcome. What's Next? Arias will likely begin 2026 at Double-A New Hampshire and look to keep hitting his way up levels. If he can improve his groundball rates and keep the ball in the air more, he will see his raw power and elite swing speed translate to more home run power. This should see him unlock his true dual-threat potential as a hitter. The Blue Jays lack power/speed outfielders in the upper minors, so if Arias can keep improving and fix some of his launch angle issues, he may make it up to Triple-A Buffalo by the end of the season and push for some major league at-bats come 2027, when the Blue Jays' outfield should be less crowded. View full article

With spring training in full swing and the World Baseball Classic underway, it is time to check in on some more of Jays Centre's top 20 Toronto Blue Jays prospects. We covered No. 16-20 last week, and today, we will be looking at the next group of five. There are a lot of new prospects in this section, so let's get to know something about each of them. 15. SS Josh Kasevich (FCL, Dunedin, Buffalo) table.stats { border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; } table.stats th, table.stats td { border: 1px solid #333; padding: 8px 12px; } table.stats th { font-weight: bold; background-color: #f2f2f2; } PA H 2B 3B HR OPS wRC+ K% BB% 160 31 2 0 0 0.574 70 15% 13.10% Josh Kasevich was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022 during the second round of the MLB draft. He is now a 6-foot-1, 200-pound, 25-year-old shortstop who is one call from the major leagues. Since being drafted, he has shown an ability to thrive as a defense-first prospect, but one who can produce the necessary numbers as a hitter as well. In his first three seasons following being drafted, he would routinely hit near .300 and not strike out a lot. His strikeout rates ranged from 7.4% at Single A to 14.5% at Triple A. In 2024, his slash line at Triple-A was .325/.382/.433, with a 120 wRC+. 2025 was a lost year for Kasevich, as he only managed to play in 42 minor league games, 13 of them on rehab assignments between Rookie ball and Single A. In his 29 Triple-A games, he would slash .173/.272/.184, for a 34 wRC+. It was a year to forget for him, but the good in all of this is that he appears to be healthy and having a good spring training. Gearing up for a potential rebound year in 2026, he is hitting .333 over 13 spring training games (as of March 12). 2026 should see Kasevich start back out at Triple-A Buffalo, where he will need to show he is healthy and back to having a plus hit tool. When everything is going well for him, he is an Ernie Clement clone, who will provide plus defense and do enough with the bat to stick in the lineup if needed. He won't show much power, but a bat that will limit the strikeouts is right in the Blue Jays’ wheelhouse nowadays. 14. OF Blaine Bullard (N/A) Blaine Bullard is a 19-year-old, five-tool outfielder who the Toronto Blue Jays took in the 12th round of the 2025 MLB Draft, 352nd overall. Standing at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, he has room for projection left on his frame and is likely somewhere in between Jake Cook and Tim Piasentin in terms of a hitting profile. He doesn't have Cook's speed, but he should be above average. Also, he doesn't have Piasentin's power, but should develop at least a league-average to above-average ability to launch baseballs over the fence. Currently, he has more gap-to-gap doubles power, which should improve as he ages and fills out his frame. 2026 should see him start with the FCL Blue Jays and move up to Single-A Dunedin at some point. 13. OF Jake Cook (N/A) Jake Cook was a late bloomer in college and eventually switched from pitching to hitting in his senior year at Southern Mississippi. He would be drafted in the second round of the MLB draft by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025, 81st overall. His last year at Southern Mississippi, he ended up hitting .350/.436/.468, launched only three home runs, swiped three bases, but had a 10.9% walk rate and a 6.7% strikeout rate. Cook didn't play in any games after being drafted, so 2026 will be his debut year in the minor leagues. He will be a project hitter, but he does a lot of things well to give him a solid floor to his profile. He gets on base, and he doesn't strike out much, for example. He has an advanced hit tool for his level of experience and could make big leaps once the season begins. His calling card is definitely his speed, as he may be one of the fastest players in the minor leagues from day one. He, too, will likely begin with the FCL Blue Jays and move on up to Single-A Dunedin at some point. How he develops as a base stealer and whether or not he adds power will shape how fast he moves through the minor leagues and where his profile's ultimate outcome will land. 12. 3B Tim Piasentin (N/A) Tim Piasentin was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays with the seventh pick in the fifth round of the 2025 MLB Draft. After going 143rd overall, he would sign for $747,500. He is a Canadian kid and is well on his way to being a breakout prospect hitter in 2026. At 18 years old, Piasentin is already 200 pounds and boasts one of the top power potential profiles among 2025 MLB draftees. He has quick hands and a fast, smooth swing, which is geared toward lifting the ball and doing damage. The question mark will be his hit tool, but he is already showing high exit velocities and should be able to make enough contact to let his power shine through. 2026 could be a big year for him as he starts to make his name known, likely beginning with the FCL Blue Jays and eventually at Single-A Dunedin. 11. SP Silvano Hechavarria (FCL, Dunedin, Vancouver) table.stats { border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; } table.stats th, table.stats td { border: 1px solid #333; padding: 8px 12px; } table.stats th { font-weight: bold; background-color: #f2f2f2; } IP G GS ERA FIP xFIP K% BB% 86.2 19 14 2.28 3.55 3.69 23.70% 6.60% Silvano Hechavarria was a late signing out of Cuba in June of 2024. Even though he was older, he still made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) later that year. He would get into 10 games and pitch 49 innings on the season, showing a very good strike-throwing ability against the younger competition. He ended the season with a sparkling 1.84 ERA, to go with a 29.4% strikeout rate, and only an 8.4% walk rate. In 2025, he would get the bump stateside and begin in Rookie ball, although his stint there was short (just 17 innings). Hechavarria showed an even better ability to limit walks, this time only allowing free passes in just 5.9% of plate appearances. That advanced command saw him quickly get pushed up to Single-A Dunedin, where he would spend the majority of the season. Over 47.1 innings pitched, he would dominate Single-A hitters to the tune of a 1.90 ERA, a 28.5% strikeout rate, and a 5.9% walk rate again. His FIP was even a solid 3.17. Ultimately, he would get the jump up to his third level of the season, moving to High-A Vancouver. In just four games and 22.1 innings, his strikeout numbers dipped to a 20.7% rate, but he again didn't walk many batters (8.7%). Hechavarria is a big-bodied pitcher, standing 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds. He primarily used a cutter and four-seam fastball in 2025, with a sinker, changeup, and slider getting occasional use. He gets a good amount of induced vertical break on his fastball (17.8 inches at Single A), but will need to keep improving the pitch shape and hopefully gain some needed velocity. He is a sneaky pick to be a breakout prospect for the Blue Jays in 2026 and could get to start the year at Double A. He has quickly settled into the minor leagues, and if his swing-and-miss ability catches up to becoming actual strikeouts, he could take that next leap soon. He had a 15.61% swinging strike rate last year, which was good enough for the 93rd percentile in the minor leagues. If he could improve his strikeout rate to around 30%, he would be a big bet to have a breakout season and possibly finish at Triple A. View full article

And in general Lukes, Schneider, and even Clement are bench players/utility options. Gimenez should be as well, but probably won't be. Barger could be the trade piece for a closer

CURRENT W-L Records Buffalo Bisons: 61-85 (Season Complete) New Hampshire Fisher Cats: Season Complete Vancouver Canadians: Season Complete Dunedin Blue Jays: Season Complete FCL Blue Jays: Season Complete DSL Blue Jays Blue: Season Complete DSL Blue Jays Red: Season Complete Transactions Toronto Blue Jays recalled LHP Mason Fluharty from Buffalo Bisons. Buffalo Bisons Buffalo (4), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (2) - 9/20 Box Score On the last Saturday of the regular season for Buffalo, the Bisons took on the RailRiders and their starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. The RailRiders would strike first with an RBI single by J.C. Escarra in the third inning. Buffalo answered in their half of the frame, as Jonatan Clase hit a bloop single that scored Michael Stefanic. In the fourth, Yohendrick Pinango doubled to bring in Buddy Kennedy. Escarra tied the game up for the RailRiders in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI single, though the run was unearned. In the bottom of the inning, Stefanic singled and René Pinto doubled, which set up Anthony Santander, who hit a rocket double to the wall, bringing in both runs. From there, both teams struggled to get a hit, as there were only two more hits for the rest of the game. Buffalo won this game 4-2. Anthony Santander: 2-4, 0 R, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 2B CJ Van Eyk: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Buffalo (1), Scranton/Wilkes Barre (2) - 9/21 Box Score Sunday wrapped up the 2025 season for Buffalo, the last remaining Toronto Blue Jays minor league affiliate still playing. The Bisons had Easton Lucas on the mound opposite Kenta Maeda. The first three innings were a volley of zeros up on the scoreboard. Then in the fourth, Spencer Jones and T.J. Rumfield walked, before a double steal by both men put runners on second and third with only one out. Brennen Davis grounded out, and Jones came in to score the game's first run and give the RailRiders a 1-0 lead. In the top of the fifth, the RailRiders again were in business with a double off the bat of Braden Shewmake, a sacrifice bunt, and then a single from Jorbit Vivas that scored Shewmake. After a walk by Bryan De La Cruz, the RailRiders were ready to break open the game, but Paxton Schultz struck out Jones to end the inning. Buffalo was finally able to get something going in the bottom of the sixth. Santander walked to lead off the inning, Riley Tirotta singled, and RJ Schreck walked, loading the bases up with zero outs. Unfortunately for Buffalo, Eloy Jiménez struck out, followed by Brandon Valenzuela striking out as well. Josh Kasevich would not suffer the same fate, as he would walk and bring in Santander for the first run of the game for the Bisons. After a pitching change, Stefanic grounded out, ending the scoring threat. The game was still stuck at 2-1 as it headed into the bottom of the ninth. Stefanic, Jiménez, and Pinango would all go down in order to end the game and the season for the Bisons. Buffalo took one final loss for the year, 2-1. Josh Kasevich: 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K Easton Lucas: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Players of the Period Pitcher of the Period: RHP CJ Van Eyk (Buffalo) – 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Period: DH Anthony Santander (Buffalo) – 2-6, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 2B View full article

CURRENT W-L Records Buffalo Bisons: 59-83 New Hampshire Fisher Cats: Season Complete Vancouver Canadians: Season Complete Dunedin Blue Jays: Season Complete FCL Blue Jays: Season Complete DSL Blue Jays Blue: Season Complete DSL Blue Jays Red: Season Complete Transactions 09/17/25 Buffalo Bisons activated RHP Elieser Hernández from the temporarily inactive list. 09/17/25 Buffalo Bisons transferred C Phil Clarke to the Development List. 09/16/25 DH Eloy Jiménez assigned to Buffalo Bisons from FCL Blue Jays. 09/16/25 DH Eloy Jiménez assigned to Buffalo Bisons from FCL Blue Jays. Buffalo Bisons Buffalo (1), Scranton/Wilkes Barre (3) - 9/17 Box Score Buffalo opened up a series on Tuesday against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (SWB), a team with an entirely opposite record than the Bisons. The game began with a virtual pitchers duel for the first three innings before the RailRiders got on the scoreboard. In the top of the fourth inning, T.J. Rumfield got ahold of a hanging curveball from Adam Macko and sent it over the right field fence for a solo home run. Later in the inning, Bryan De La Cruz singled to center, scoring Jeimer Candelario. It wasn't until the bottom of the fifth that Buffalo joined the RailRiders on the scoreboard. Riley Tirotta walked to lead off the inning, moved to second base on a groundout by Michael Stefanic, and then came in to score on René Pinto's RBI double (105.5 mph exit velocity). In the following half inning, the RailRiders got an RBI double of their own, this one from Braden Shewmake. The Bisons had a chance to close the gap or even tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. They loaded the bases and had Anthony Santander at the plate. Unfortunately for Buffalo, Santander struck out looking on six pitches to end the scoring opportunity. In the bottom of the eighth, Buffalo again loaded the bases and again got nothing out of it when Pinto struck out swinging. Santander would also strike out to end the game in the bottom of the ninth, with Buffalo losing this one 3-1. René Pinto: 1-4, 1 RBI, 3 K, 1 2B Andrew Bash: 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB 5 K Buffalo (1), Scranton Wilkes-Barre (6) - 9/18 Box Score The Bisons went up against the RailRiders on Wednesday night, and the bats weren't around much of the game for Buffalo. In the top of the first, Jorbit Vivas led off the game with a triple and would score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Brennen Davis to give the RailRiders the early lead. In the bottom of the second inning, Buffalo countered with an RBI single from Stefanic to drive in Yohendrick Pinango, who had doubled earlier in the frame. That would be all the Bisons could manage on the scoreboard, as the RailRiders took control of the game. Spencer Jones launched a two-run home run in the fourth inning and a three-run home run in the sixth. Buffalo would lose this one 6-1. Yohendrick Pinango: 2-2, 1 R, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 2B Justin Bruihl: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Players of the Period Pitcher of the Period: RHP Andrew Bash - 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Period: LF Eloy Jiménez - 3-7, 0 R, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 2B Prospect Summary (Last 2 Days) Toronto Blue Jays Top 20 Hitters Rank Player Team PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS 1 JoJo Parker N/A 2 Arjun Nimmala Vancouver 9 Yohendrick Pinango Buffalo 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 10 Victor Arias New Hampshire 11 RJ Schreck Buffalo 9 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 13 Juan Sanchez DSL Blue Jays 16 Josh Kasevich Buffalo 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 17 Orelvis Martinez DFA 19 Charles McAdoo New Hampshire 19 Yeuni Munoz Dunedin 19 Tim Piasentin N/A 19 Blaine Bullard N/A Toronto Blue Jays Top 20 Pitchers Rank Player Team BF G GS IP H HR ER BB K 3 Trey Yesavage Toronto 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Johnny King Dunedin 5 Ricky Tiedemann Buffalo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 Gage Stanifer New Hampshire 7 Jake Bloss Buffalo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 Landen Maroudis Dunedin 12 Brandon Barriera FCL Jays 14 Fernando Perez New Hampshire View full article