Daniel Labude

Remind me again all who wanted to cut him years ago lmao

Goes both ways. The people hating on Vlad now is more mind numbingly dumb. He should have been extended years ago, but the FO never wants to take chances far out. At the same time they never make the correct trade decisions, so they missed that opportunity as well. Would have been better to have a new FO controlling the outcome, but we are stuck with what they are doing which will likely be not trading Vlad or Bo and not extending either as well. The FO didn't have good reasons though, just reasons. They are cheap yet spend money unwisely, thats a fact

Welcome back to the Jays Centre Top 20 Prospect reveal and breakdown. Today, we will look into Kendry Rojas as we keep inching toward the magical top five. We will be deep diving into another Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect, one with a lot of promise if he can stay healthy and avoid the injury issues many others have fallen victim to. Let us take the plunge and see what our #8 prospect looks like. Top 20 Prospects: #16-20 Top 20 Prospects: #11-15 #10: Charles McAdoo #9: Khal Stephen 8. Kendry Rojas, LHP, 22, Vancouver Canadians The Toronto Blue Jays signed Rojas as an international free agent out of Cuba in 2020 for $215,000. He started his Blue Jays career in good fashion at the Complex League as an 18-year-old in 2021. It was only eight games and 23.2 innings pitched, but it came with a pristine ERA of 2.28 and some sparkling strikeout numbers. He struck out 44.8% of the batters he faced and only had a walk rate of 5.7%. In 2022, he received a well-earned promotion up to Low-A Dunedin. There, he showed similar promise for getting hitters out and limiting runs for someone younger than almost every batter he faced. What slowed his progress the most in 2022 was an injury that took out the majority of his summer. However, following a few months of rehab, he finished the year strong, only giving up three runs in his last four outings for Low-A Dunedin. In 2023, he would repeat the level and put together a complete season. Showing an extreme improvement in swing-and-miss stuff, he would get a promotion one more time to High-A Vancouver for the 2024 season. Like many Blue Jays pitchers, an injury once again limited him to just 13 games and 62.2 IP. To finish 2024, he was healthy again and made some noise, going deep into games and striking hitters out, setting himself up for the upcoming 2025 season to be a big one. What's To Like The first thing that stands out when you see Rojas is his size and improving body. Currently, he is listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds. He has grown noticeably stronger and now really fills out his frame compared to a more slender nature the previous few years. This has naturally helped him increase his fastball velocity from an average of 90.8 MPH in 2022 to 92.9 MPH in 2023. The increase in max velocity from those years was even more noticeable; he went from a max fastball of 94.3 MPH to 97.3 MPH. This past season, he was routinely sitting 94-96 MPH on his fastballs, which, as a left-handed pitcher, will play up even more than from the right side. This increase and sustainability of his velocity greatly improve the possible outcomes he could have as a starting pitcher in the major leagues. Rojas’ repertoire is a key to his success on the mound. He now features a plus 4-seam fastball sitting between 94 and 97 MPH. The pitch has a natural cutting action and works well up in the zone, where he used it often, with excellent command. In 2023, his four-seam fastball had very good iVB, routinely in the range of 18 inches. This also came with good extension on the pitch. The combination of iVB and extension will cause the fastball to work much better up in the zone, and when paired with his command, it results in a plus pitch. From 2023, you can see exactly how well he uses his four-seam fastball up in the strike zone. Rojas has a sinker, slider, and changeup to complete his pitch mix. He also pitches from an abbreviated stretch position and can use a hesitation delivery and a quick pitch. The slider comes in at 83 MPH but has had a wider range of velocities than most. The shape can vary a lot, but still misses bats frequently. The changeup averages around 85 MPH and can range from the low to upper 80s. The pitch has improved a lot over the years and flashed plus more frequently this past season. Rojas also has a sinker, which he can use to mix in a different look from time to time. Rojas can get a lot of swing and miss from the four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup, usually in different areas of the strike zone. This improves the deception of the pitch mix when all of the pitches are working simultaneously. The fastballs are used up in the zone, the slider down to the glove side of the plate, and the changeup mostly down and to his arm side. Here are his strikeout pitches from 2023 (catcher's view, the middle box is the strike zone). Following his return from injury in 2024, Rojas racked up swinging strikes with an improved changeup, which was added to his already good fastball/slider combo. He finished the year averaging 14 swings and misses per game over his last ten games. This helped him to a strikeout rate of 27.9%. What To Work On The main areas that Rojas needs to work on are his consistency overall and pitch quality for his slider and changeup. He has made big strides with his changeup, but now is the time to improve the consistency. Being able to throw a changeup for strikes and off the plate to get a swing and miss will go a long way, helping to move him up levels and towards the major leagues. Also, he needs to have more consistent pitch shapes with the slider and changeup. This will help with the control and command and lower his already great walk rate even more. He needs to work on his health and pitching deeper into games for an entire season. We saw Rojas pitch more innings per start at the end of the 2024 season, and that is the next step in his evolution as a starting pitcher. What's Next Rojas should begin 2025 at Double-A New Hampshire. If he can routinely stay healthy and pitch five innings or more, he could reach Triple-A Buffalo by the end of the season. Improvements in his command of the slider and changeup can propel him up levels even faster. If everything comes together, he has the makings of a mid-rotation major league starting pitcher who should debut at the end of 2025 or early 2026. There are some promising times ahead for him if he can remain healthy and continue progressing. View full article

Well at least this front office is done after this season. Possibly no playoffs, no Vlad, no Bo, minor league system crippled by injured pitchers. Some bad contracts and a very old SP staff

Welcome to the Jays Centre 2025 Top 20 prospect rankings. Although the Toronto Blue Jays farm system has been much maligned in recent years, it has some blossoming talent and definitely a few prospects who can help the big league team sooner rather than later. 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. View full article

Ricky TiedemannOrelvis MartinezArjun NimmalaTrey YesavageAlan RodenLanden MaroudisBrandon BarrieraJohnny KingJake BlossWill WagnerKendry RojasFernando PerezCharles McAdooKhal StephenAndres AriasDahian SantosJosh KasevichEnmanuel BonillaAdam MackoJuarlin Soto

At the same time, any Alonso contract probably has an opt out after each year or something like that. Its a very short term asset is the thought

Can you add Andres Arias and Juarlin Soto @Brock Beauchamp

Finally a solid signing. They can really make a jump forward offensively with signing Alonso even at a short length and Vlad longterm

It's that time of the year when Toronto Blue Jays fans look forward to the upcoming season. Today, we will take a look at one Blue Jays prospect that could have an impact on the 2025 season and beyond. For fans upset when the Blue Jays traded the late blooming infielder Spencer Horwitz last month, the Blue Jays have a partial clone waiting in the minor leagues. Horwitz was second on the team among regular starters in wRC+, coming in at 127. Those are some big shoes to fill figuratively, but the Blue Jays might have a minor leaguer who can step into the lineup and do just that, Alan Roden. The Numbers Alan Roden was drafted in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and has been working his way up the minor league ladder ever since. In his first full professional season in 2023, he slashed .317/.430/.459. He would end the year with an .890 OPS and a wRC+ of 149 across High-A and Double-A. The contact and on-base skills were evident, as he walked more times than he struck out. The flaw in his hitter profile was the lack of power, with only ten home runs between both levels. Roden started taking big leaps by making a few changes during the 2024 season as he looked to add the much-needed power to his profile. The results were positive; he smashed 16 home runs over 125 games between Double-A and Triple-A. The improvements took hold after a rough first 26-game stretch following his promotion to Triple-A. In his final 45 games of the season, he would hit .377/.457/.623, with a 1.081 OPS, seven home runs, and 23 extra-base hits, resulting in a wRC+ of 180. He was one of the hottest and best hitters in Triple-A to close out the 2024 season. The Advanced Numbers Let's look at the advanced numbers, which give Roden a chance to be an impactful bat when he gets to the major leagues. The biggest "wow" factor and reason for taking notice of Roden's potential is his ability to hit the baseball. At Triple-A in 2024, he had an in-zone contact rate of 93%. This means that, of all the pitches he swung at in the strike zone, he made contact 93% of the time. To put this in an MLB context, only three qualified hitters had a better in-zone contact rate in 2024. If he can carry this level of contact ability into the major leagues, there won't be glaring strikeout concerns for him like many prospects seem to have in the jump to the majors. Other prospects that profiled similarly to Roden at Triple-A are Spencer Horwitz, Leo Jimenez, and Jose Miranda. Roden differs from those first two names in his pulled flyball rate, 67th percentile. He is much closer to a left-handed version of Jose Miranda in many regards, and that is where I think his major league outcome will settle in, somewhere between Jose Miranda and Spencer Horwitz. The healthy version of Miranda last season had an .888 OPS up until July 10th before another injury slowed him down as his production dropped the rest of the season; Miranda has battled injuries frequently in his young career. Roden possesses similar skills that have fueled a healthy Miranda and Horwitz in putting up their above-average seasons as MLB hitters. All three at Triple-A had high in-zone contact rates (~90+%), low strikeout rates (~15%), similar exit velocities (88-89 MPH), and Roden fits between Horwitz and Miranda on his walk rate (12%). Going beyond the contact ability and potential outcomes for Roden, he is a hitter who can occasionally expand the zone. His chase rate at Triple-A was near average at the 56th percentile. Even though he can expand the strike zone, he doesn't strike out a lot, only striking out 14.2% of the time over the entire 2024 season. The chase rate and damage done per batted ball event is where he differed from Horwitz's Triple-A profile. On average, Horwitz chased less and did more damage when he made contact. That is what Roden will need to keep working on, and hopefully, the changes he made will continue to fuel his hot hitting as we kick off a new Spring Training. 2025 and Beyond As the roster currently sits, Roden has a decent shot at early playing time for the 2025 season. However, the Blue Jays are not done adding to the roster, so the most likely outcome is he starts at Triple-A for a month or two, similar to Horwitz in 2024. When he comes to the big leagues, he will get playing time as either a right fielder or DH. 2026 should be the banner year for him, as George Springer will be in the last year of his contract and has only played in an average of 128 games over the last four seasons. As Springer gets more DH at-bats, Roden will transition into more playing time in the field. Spring Training should give us a good look at where the Blue Jays view him this year, even though his bat will play when he gets his chance. View full article

At this point he is just stringing things along like Burnes

Bigger issue is what would they be doing with 2M extra international money with most players already signing

No option on mobile to change Display name. I'll check on comp later. Thanks

Is there a way to change it? It apparently didn't transfer all the way lol

The FO is cheap and bad at developing prospects at a high rate, but somehow have money to spend. That is probably the most painful part of it all

Jays have a plan... Sasaki shocks the world picking Toronto Jays extend Vlad Jays sign Alonso Jays sign Santander Jays sign Bregman ...the plan just has a lot of issues lmao

No need to suspect. It was his stated offseason goal

Merry Christmas!!!

12/450M....get it done ASAP and then build a contender

Long rebuild if he is, so I'm gonna guess no

Interesting....very interesting

Its not a coincidence imo that Juan Soto had his best full season ever with Judge hitting behind him lol. I guess pop up park helped too