Daniel Labude

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