Simon Li

Yohendrick Pinango is the best qualified minor league hitter (non-Rookie ball) as of May 17, 2025. About one and a half months into the minor league season, and in this short sample of 135 plate appearances, Pinango has absolutely dominated Double-A New Hampshire, to a tune of a .357/.467/.607 triple slash line, walking 14.8% of the time, and striking out 20.7% of the time. That’s a 209 wRC+, which means that Pinango has been more than two times better than the average hitter in the Eastern League. A. 436 BABIP carries his line, so it’s unlikely that he’s a true talent. .350 hitter, or that he’ll continue to carry this success for the duration of the season. Still, even then, he’s been more than you could have asked from him. The 23-year-old Venezuelan came in a trade deadline deal with teammate Josh Rivera, in exchange for the enigmatic Nate Pearson, who had all the stuff in the world but could never put it all together. People did think that this trade was decent value, as the Blue Jays got two flier prospects for an inconsistent reliever, most publications did not think too highly of Pinango and Rivera when they got sent up north, with FanGraphs ranking Pinango as the 59th best prospect traded at the deadline, and Baseball America ranking him as the 31st best. Pinango’s stocky build and below-average athleticism put a limit on his ceiling, as many view him as only a left fielder or even needing to move to first base, which makes it extremely important for him to hit well to make the most of his value, and he’s done nothing but do that in 2025. Pinango has been described as a “data-darling”, displaying strong contact metrics as well as intriguing and improving power metrics this season. Although he struggled after joining the Jays organization, he still displayed those underlying metrics, and he also torched High-A in the Midwest League for a 196 wRC+ in 122 plate appearances, before coming down to earth in Double-A. This season, however, his metrics have matched his production, with Baseball America reporting that he had a 14.2% in-zone whiff rate, a 16.8% chase rate, and a 37.9% swing rate, showing that his plate discipline was also excellent, in addition to his contact ability. Pinango’s power is no slouch either, as he has six homers on the season, with exit velocities that impress. He has a 108.5 mph 90th percentile exit velocity, as well as a homer that he crushed at 113 mph off the bat, which went 390 feet on Friday, May 15. Pinango will most likely come down to earth a bit; it’s unreasonable to expect him to continue to be the best hitter in Minor League Baseball. Pinango also has a slightly longer swing and will need to face bigger challenges as he rises through the minors. He may struggle with higher velocities due to his swing, but his strong eye and discipline may help him overcome that. If Pinango continues to produce at the way his underlying data suggests he could produce, he’ll be a name to watch, and should easily find his way rising the prospect lists. Give the Jays’ front office a lot of credit for being able to get him and Rivera, who’s made his way up to Triple-A already. The talent identification and player development may have found a good one. View full article

CURRENT W-L Records Buffalo Bisons: 14-25 New Hampshire Fisher Cats: 14-19 Vancouver Canadians: 17-18 Dunedin Blue Jays: 21-14 FCL Blue Jays: 5-3 DSL Blue Jays: 0-0 (Season not started) TRANSACTIONS 05/14/25 - Toronto Blue Jays sent RHP Erik Swanson on a rehab assignment to Buffalo Bisons. 05/14/25 - Toronto Blue Jays sent RHP Ryan Burr on a rehab assignment to Buffalo Bisons. 05/14/25 - RHP Bobby Milacki assigned to New Hampshire Fisher Cats from Buffalo Bisons. 05/14/25 - Dunedin Blue Jays activated C Brock Tibbitts from the 7-day injured list. 05/14/25 - Vancouver Canadians sent RHP Chris McElvain on a rehab assignment to Dunedin Blue Jays. 05/14/25 - C Juan Rosas assigned to FCL Blue Jays from Dunedin Blue Jays. 05/13/25 - Buffalo Bisons sent SS Leo Jiménez on a rehab assignment to FCL Blue Jays. 05/13/25 - Buffalo Bisons activated C Phil Clarke from the 7-day injured list. 05/13/25 - RHP Deiker Pineda assigned to DSL Blue Jays Red. 05/13/25 - SS Dariel Ramon assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays. 05/13/25 - C Juan Rosas assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays from FCL Blue Jays. 05/13/25 - C Alex Stone assigned to New Hampshire Fisher Cats from Vancouver Canadians. 05/13/25- CF Gabriel Martinez assigned to Vancouver Canadians from New Hampshire Fisher Cats. 05/13/25 - C Nicolas Deschamps assigned to Vancouver Canadians from New Hampshire Fisher Cats. 05/13/25 - Vancouver Canadians placed OF Brennan Orf on the 7-day injured list. Buffalo Bisons Buffalo (7), Worcester (10) - 5/13 Box Score The Buffalo Bisons kicked off another series against the Worcester Red Sox on Tuesday night. The Bisons got things started in the bottom of the second inning when Orelvis Martinez continued his resurgent May by hitting his fourth home run of the season. The blast came off the bat at 106.5 MPH and went 382 feet. In the third inning, the Red Sox countered right back, as Alex Binelas took Buffalo starter Anders Tolhurst deep. That would be all the scoring either team could manage until the sixth inning. Tolhurst put together a good five innings, only allowing two hits and the one run while walking one batter and striking out two. In the sixth inning, Buffalo jumped out in front on the back of three separate RBI singles from Will Robertson, Martinez, and Damiano Palmegiani. In the seventh inning, Buffalo would add the thump with Alan Roden and Davis Schneider launching home runs of their own. Buffalo would take a 7-1 lead going into the eighth inning. From there, the Bisons' pitching would unravel, giving up four runs in the eighth inning (on two home runs) and five runs in the ninth inning. Down three in the last frame, Buffalo would get shut down by Nick Burdi, with Martinez striking out to end the game. Another late-game loss for Buffalo. Orelvis Martinez: 2-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR Martinez is now hitting .300 in May and is finding his swing again after a slow start to the season due to a viral illness. Another couple of good weeks with the bat, and he may find himself close to getting back to the big leagues. Anders Tolhurst: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Buffalo (4), Worcester (8) Box Score In the Wednesday night contest between Buffalo and Worcester, the bats for both teams continued hitting balls hard. Buffalo got things started again in the first inning, when Schneider took Brian Van Belle deep for a two-run home run. Worcester scored quickly to drop Buffalo's lead to just one. In the fifth inning, Worcester took control of the game after Roman Anthony, Vaughn Grissom, and Marcelo Mayer started the inning with singles. From there, Trayce Thompson had the big hit with a two-run double. Four of the runs in the fifth inning were charged to rehabbing Erik Swanson, who did not have a good outing. For the remainder of the game, Buffalo and Worcester traded two runs apiece. Joey Loperfido added a home run for the Bisons in that back-and-forth volley in the sixth inning. In the ninth inning, Buffalo started a rally with singles from Phil Clarke and Rainer Nunez. Isaiah Campbell would shut the door though, striking out Josh Rivera and getting Roden to fly out to end the game. Buffalo loses this one 8-4. Davis Schneider: 1-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR Trenton Wallace: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K New Hampshire Fisher Cats New Hampshire/Reading - 5/13 PPD New Hampshire (1), Reading (2) - 5/14 Box Score After yet another rainout for New Hampshire, they kicked off a new series against Reading on Wednesday. CJ Van Eyk took to the mound, as the offense looked to build upon the games over the last weekend. Yohendrick Pinango started the game off with a bang, hitting a deep fly to right field for a home run and a New Hampshire lead, 1-0, after the first inning. The bats fell silent afterwards though, going the rest of the game without scoring a run. Van Eyk was left a tall task to complete, and he took it on and then some. He would face the minimum through five innings, thanks to the double-play ball. In the sixth inning, it was more of the same, outside of an errant hit batter. Then came the seventh inning, where once again errors in the field would cost New Hampshire. An error by shortstop Eddinson Paulino, a walk, and then a single given up to Keaton Anthony would end Van Eyk's day with the bases loaded. Ryan Jennings came in for Van Eyk and tried to hold things down, unfortunately, it went off the rails, and quickly. Jennings gave up a sacrifice fly, walked the next batter to load up the bases again, and then hit Cade Fergus to allow another run to score. Down 2-1, New Hampshire never got anything else going and fell to Reading. Yohendrick Pinango: 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR CJ Van Eyk: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Van Eyk had one of his better games of the season on Wednesday. He racked up eight swings and misses on the way to his quality start. Vancouver Canadians Vancouver (9), Everett (4) - 5/13 Box Score In their second series against the Mariners’ High-A team, the Canadians got off to a hot start thanks to a solid showing by Kevin Miranda and some strong offensive performances. Vancouver started off down after a throwing error from Nicolas Deschamps, but Jackson Hornung homered for the second time this season to give the Canadians a 2-1 lead. In the third, Cutter Coffey knocked in an RBI single, and Carter Cunningham continued to show good discipline with a bases-loaded walk. Miranda let in another run in the fifth off of a sac fly, but in the seventh inning, the Canadians took the lead to greater heights with more heroics from Coffey and Hornung, with Je’Von Ward and Eddie Michelleti Jr. joining in on the fun. Arjun Nimmala capped off the five-run inning with an RBI double to make it 9-2 for the Canadians. The relievers did their jobs, with Aaron Munson tossing two scoreless innings, and although Nate Garkow gave up a two-run homer to Tai Peete in the eighth, JJ Sanchez shut the door with an inning and a third of work and two strikeouts. Cutter Coffey: 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB Coffey got on base four times this game, and he’s raised his season OPS to .755. He is just turning 21 this season and has improved his on-base percentage and batting average despite a more aggressive approach with more whiffs and less overall contact, partly because he has been caught looking way less. The two younger prospects from the Danny Jansen trade have really taken to the Jays system, and Coffey's strong defense and strong power will hopefully let him advance steadily with the Jays. Kevin Miranda: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Miranda has struggled heavily since being placed in the Vancouver rotation, but he had his first strong start of the season, earning a win with five innings of two-run ball. Vancouver (5), Everett (0) - 5/14 Box Score Fernando Perez led the way for the Canadians to their second straight win with his best start of the season. Both offenses couldn’t get it going early, with the first and only early run scored being on a Hornung RBI single in the bottom of the second. However, the Canadians got it together in the sixth. Tyler Cleveland lost his command and walked three, including two bases-loaded walks to Ward and Nick Goodwin, and Nimmala hit a two-RBI single to make it 5-0, a lead the Canadians held onto and won with. Vancouver’s bullpen continues to stay strong, with Pat Gallagher lowering his ERA to 0.95, Yondrei Rojas not allowing a single run since coming off the IL, and Bo Bonds continuing to be a key piece of the back of the 'pen. It was a day of complete domination by the Canadians' pitching. Gabriel Martinez: 1-1, 1 R, 2 BB Martinez struggled in Double-A New Hampshire, with only a .182 batting average and only one extra-base hit before his demotion to High-A Vancouver. However, he played well in his first game back, getting on base three times and recording an outfield assist at second. Hopefully, he can turn around his numbers. Despite having been around forever in the Jays organization, he’s still only 22 years old and will be 23 in July. Fernando Perez: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K Perez has found his footing in Vancouver after a mediocre start. He’s now had his second straight great start, lowering his ERA to 3.76 on the year with a season high seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. Dunedin Blue Jays Dunedin (11), Bradenton (3) - 5/13 Box Score It was Trey Yesavage and Gage Stanifer day. This duo has been excellent to start the season, flummoxing hitters and barely allowing runners to get on base while racking up the strikeout count. Yesavage started off slightly slowly, allowing a homer to top prospect Konnor Griffin in the first, but in the same inning, Edward Duran drove in Manuel Beltre to score the first run for the Jays. Yesavage allowed his second homer in the second inning off a cheapy to left field, but again the Jays answered with an RBI double from Jean Joseph, and Sam Shaw continued to rake with a two-run RBI double of his own. Yesavage bounced back from the early homers, striking out the side in the third, while the Jays added to their lead thanks to a wild pitch from Jonawel Valdez. Yesavage pitched two more strong innings, adding four strikeouts to his total, bringing him up to twelve on the night, continuing his dominance against Low-A hitters. Dunedin continued to tack on runs throughout the night, as shaky defense and a lot of runners on base continued the onslaught. Stanifer replaced Yesavage in the sixth and continued the pitching excellence with three straight scoreless innings, while the Jays kept on adding more and more, with an extra base hit from Jacob Lojewski, a couple of stolen bases from Beltre, including a steal of home, and Yhoangel Aponte hitting his third homer of the season to make it an 11-2 game. In the ninth, Stanifer let in a run due to some defensive indifference from his teammates after a walk, but earned the save for a dominant sixth win in a row. Trey Yesavage: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 12 K Gage Stanifer: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Sam Shaw: 3-3, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB, 1 2B Shaw hit his hardest ball of the season, a 106.8-mph double, and he’s been absolutely excellent for the D-Jays, as the Victoria, BC native is now in the 100th percentile in LA Sweet-Spot%, BB%, and Pull%. His approach is just to pull balls with optimal launch angles while rarely chasing, and it’s been extremely effective for him. Dunedin (3), Bradenton (6) - 05/14 Box Score After a dominant week, the Jays finally lost a game after seven wins in a row. Duran helped the Jays get on board early with a triple that resulted in a run, but Chris McElvain gave up three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Duran got his second extra-base hit on the night to bring it within one, and a wild pitch tied it up in the fifth. However, Colby Holcombe came on in relief in the 5fifthth and also gave up three runs, one being unearned, and the Jays couldn’t catch up, getting shut out for the remaining four innings. Edward Duran: 3-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 3B Duran was one of the offensive bright spots in this loss against Bradenton, as he had a three-hit night and has been one of the most consistent hitters for the D-Jays. The young catcher pairs strong contact with excellent fielding, and he might be the best catching prospect within the system. Chris McElvain: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K McElvain was the return from the Santiago Espinal trade, and he had a decent season last year before going on the IL with an elbow injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery. This was his second rehab start after a quick start in the Florida Complex League, and although he gave up three runs in his four innings of work, his stuff looked decent, as he struck out six and had a 50% whiff rate on the night. FCL Blue Jays F-Blu (5), F-Phi (2) - 5/13 Game 1 Box Score Francisco Loreto got things started in the top of the first inning od this one, driving in a run off of rehabbing Blue Jays starter Adam Macko. The Blue Jays came back quickly with two runs in the second inning on an RBI single from Enmanuel Bonilla and a sacrifice fly from Leo Jiménez. In the fourth inning, Yorman Licourt cleared the bases with a three-run double for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays' pitching would hold the Phillies' team in check the rest of the way in the first seven-inning game of the doubleheader. The Blue Jays would win this one 5-2. Yorman Licourt: 1-4, 0 R, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 2B Adam Macko: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K F-Blu (6), F-Phi (2) - 5/13 Game 2 Box Score Game two of the doubleheader looked a lot like the first game. The Phillies' team took an early two-run lead off of Blue Jays starter Sann Omosako. The Blue Jays' bats would get rolling in the fourth inning though, and score one, two, one, and two runs in the remaining four innings, respectively. David Beckles started the barrage with an RBI double in the fourth inning. Dariel Ramon and Luis Meza added RBI singles, while Beckles and Aldo Gaxiola drove in runs during a seventh-inning rally to cap things off. The Blue Jays pulled this one off to win 6-2. David Beckles: 2-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 2B Troy Guthrie: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K DSL Blue Jays No games Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Players of the Period Pitcher of the Period: RHP Gage Stanifer (Dunedin) - 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Period: 3B Davis Schneider (Buffalo) - 3-8, 3 R, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 HR Prospect Summary (Last 2 Days) 1. Arjun Nimmala (Vancouver) - 2-7, 1 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 2B 2. Ricky Tiedemann (Buffalo) - DNP 3. Trey Yesavage (Dunedin) - 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 12 K 4. Orelvis Martinez (Buffalo) - 2-8, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR 5. Khal Stephen (Dunedin) - DNP 6. Jake Bloss (Buffalo) - DNP 7. Alan Roden (Buffalo) - 2-10, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 HR 8. Landen Maroudis (FCL Jays) - DNP 9. Jonatan Clase (Toronto) - 0-3, 2 K 10. Kendry Rojas (Vancouver) - DNP 11. Josh Kasevich (Buffalo) - DNP 12. Johnny King (FCL Blue Jays) - DNP 13. Gage Stanifer (Dunedin) - 4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K 14. Adam Macko (FCL Jays) - 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K 15. Charles McAdoo (New Hampshire) - 0-4, 1 K 16. Fernando Perez (Vancouver) - 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K 17. Brandon Barriera (Dunedin) - DNP 18. Emmanuel Bonilla (FCL Blue Jays) - 1-8, 1 RBI, 5 K 19. Juaron Watts-Brown (Vancouver) - 20. Jace Bohrofen (New Hampshire) - 0-3, 1 BB, 1 K View full article

Adrian Pinto - 2B/OF - 22 years old - High-A Vancouver You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but Adrian Pinto leads the Northwest League in homers, tied with the Jays' no. 1 prospect Arjun Nimmala and Seattle Mariners top prospect Lazaro Montes, each with seven apiece. Acquired in the Raimel Tapia/Randal Grichuk deal as a throw-in prospect, Pinto has quietly been one of the most productive hitters in the Jays farm system since that trade, albeit only when healthy. With him standing just 5-foot-6 and 156 pounds, one wouldn't expect Pinto to have such power, but he generates a lot of it with a strong base and some strong hands, even having the ability to drive the ball to the opposite field for a homer. Even with the sneaky pop, Pinto’s best skill is his ability to get on base, with a career minor league OBP of .414. He pairs strong contact abilities (career .295 batting average), a strong ability to avoid strikeouts (career 14.0% strikeout rate), and strong plate discipline (career 13.5% walk rate). He is quite fast as well, at one point stealing 41 bases in the Dominican Summer League for the Rockies, but he hasn’t stolen as often as he has moved up the minor league ladder. Defensively, Pinto plays two main positions. In the infield, he’s a second baseman. He did play some short earlier in his career, but he’s only played on the right side of the middle infield since then. When he gets a break from playing second, he moves to center, where he can utilize his speed to cover distance, although he’s no more than an average defender at both positions. This season has arguably been the best of Pinto's career, with a career-high seven homers in only 19 games played as of May 13. His walk rate has rebounded to a more respectable 9.4%, compared to only a 16.4% strikeout rate. He's already stolen three bases, and at the top of the lineup for the Canadians, he's been a consistent run scorer. He leads Vancouver in wRC+ at 162 and is fourth in the Northwest League. The Jays have been careful with him, limiting his playing time relative to his peers, but when he has played, he's been one of the best in High A. Results-wise, Pinto has been one of the best prospects in the system, but that comes with a pretty significant caveat. He has rarely been able to stay on the field, as the most plate appearances he’s accumulated in a single year since being traded to the Jays was 194 in 2022. The talent and skill set are there for the 22-year-old utility man, but staying on the field and continuing this strong performance in the upper minors are the next steps if he's going to move his way up prospect top lists, or even get on any in the first place. This year, he was omitted from FanGraphs' top 40, Baseball America's top 30, Baseball Prospectus' top 20, as well as Jays Centre's top 20. Gilberto Batista - RHP - 20 years old - Low-A Dunedin Like Pinto, Gilberto Batista also earned Player of the Week honours last week after a career-best start in which he pitched five innings of scoreless baseball, only allowing four hits and one walk. He was acquired in the Danny Jansen trade along with Edinson Paulino and Cutter Coffey ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, but he has quickly established himself as the most productive prospect from that deal. In 47 2/3 innings in the Jays organization, Batista has pitched to a 2.10 ERA with a 23.2 K% and a measly 3.6% walk rate. He doesn’t overpower hitters or overwhelm them with strong stuff, and at only six feet and 165 lbs, he doesn’t blow anyone away physically either. However, Batista can really pound the zone, throwing strikes 68% of the time this season. Batista also has some projection to go; at only 20 years old, he is still filling out his frame. He has already begun to increase his velocity since last season, when he sat around 91-93 mph. He’s added a tick on his fastball since then, sitting 92-94 and topping out at 96 mph so far this season. The fastball shape isn’t outstanding, especially relative to more advanced college pitchers, but it still has 17 inches of ride and 10.6 inches of run. However, coming out of a higher three-quarters slot, that is more pedestrian than good. His cutter/slider that sits in the mid-80s has been his best pitch (or pitches?) this season. The cutter is slightly tighter with less break, and the slider is slightly slower and drops a few inches more. Both of these pitches are very similar, though, and although Statcast categorizes them differently, they feel like two versions of the same pitch. Combined, they have caused hitters to chase nearly 40% of the time, generated whiffs at a 41.2% rate, and only given up an opponent’s batting average of .111 this season. He also mixes in a higher-80s changeup that has 26 inches of drop and 11.6 inches of fade that gets hit pretty hard but generates a good amount of chase, as well as a 93-mph sinker that has yet to induce a single whiff. Still, it gives hitters another look that they must keep in mind. Batista is a little unique as a kitchen sink pitcher who relies on pitchability and command to get outs, but if he can add some more velocity, and maybe fine-tune his changeup and sinker, he could really turn some heads. View full article

CURRENT W-L Records -Buffalo Bisons: 14-21 -New Hampshire Fisher Cats: 12-17 -Vancouver Canadians: 15-16 -Dunedin Blue Jays: 18-13 -FCL Blue Jays: 3-2 -DSL Blue Jays: 0-0 (Season not started) TRANSACTIONS 05/09/25: Toronto Blue Jays selected the contract of 2B Michael Stefanic from Buffalo Bisons. 05/09/25: Toronto Blue Jays sent RHP Erik Swanson on a rehab assignment to FCL Blue Jays. 05/09/25: Dunedin Blue Jays sent RHP Eliander Alcalde on a rehab assignment to FCL Blue Jays. 05/08/25: SS Raimundo De Los Santos assigned to FCL Blue Jays. 05/08/25: Vancouver Canadians sent RHP Chris McElvain on a rehab assignment to FCL Blue Jays. 05/08/25: Toronto Blue Jays signed free agent SS Raimundo De Los Santos to a minor league contract. Buffalo Bisons Buffalo (10), St. Paul (13) - 5/8 Box Score In the Thursday game of the series, the bats for both teams were hot and doing damage. Buffalo got things started in the first inning, getting to knuckleballer Cory Lewis often. Interestingly, the knuckleball wasn't the pitch they keyed in on. Joey Loperfido doubled to get things started, followed by a Davis Schneider walk. Will Wagner would bring in Loperfido on an RBI single to center field. In the 2nd inning, Buffalo added to the lead on a Riley Tirotta double, which scored Will Robertson. In the bottom of the third, a Ryan Fitzgerald home run for the St. Paul Saints would tie things up. Joey Loperfido added an RBI single in the fourth inning, and Ali Sánchez would launch his fifth home run of the season in the 5th inning to put Buffalo up four runs. In the Saints' half of the fifth inning, a home run from Will Holland and an RBI single from Carson McCusker would put the score at 6-5 in favor of Buffalo. Things were just getting started, though. Buffalo would take a three-run lead after Schneider and Wagner brought in runs on singles. The Saints would score a run in the sixth and seventh innings. In the eighth inning, the Saints scored three runs on a wild pitch and a two-RBI single from Mike Ford. That set the stage for the ninth inning, where the Bisons entered it down two runs. Tirotta stepped up to bat and belted a cutter over the plate for a 448 FT home run to tie the game at 10 apiece. Once more, the Buffalo pitching came up short, though, as Mickey Gasper hit a 402-foot home run to walk-off the Bisons again. Ali Sánchez- 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR Jacob Barnes- 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K Buffalo (17), St. Paul (3) - 5/9 Box Score The Buffalo hitters didn't take this game off after the 10-run game from the night before. They hit the ground running in his one and didn't stop. After singles from Will Wagner and Joey Loperfido to start the game with two men on base, Orelvis Martinez hit a 101.9 MPH rope for a line drive home run to left field. Three more Buffalo singles, a walk, and a double from Josh Rivera would add three additional runs for six in the first inning. The Saints would hit two home runs in the game, but the stampede coming from the Buffalo hitters could not be stopped. Will Wagner homered in the third inning for Buffalo, and Will Robertson put one over the fence in the fourth. Up 12-1, Buffalo added five more runs before the game ended to take this one in a laugher, 17-3. Alan Roden: 4-5, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR Andrew Bash: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K New Hampshire Fisher Cats New Hampshire/Hartford - 5/8 PPD New Hampshire/Hartford - 5/9 PPD Vancouver Canadians Vancouver (5), Spokane (1) - 5/8 Box Score A pair of 2024 draftees led the way for the Canadians, with Sean Keys and Trey Yesavage’s college teammate Carter Cunningham both with a bunch of extra base hits. The first four innings were quite uneventful, as barely runners got on base for both teams. Sean Keys started the scoring with his third homer of the season in the fifth, which was answered back by an RBI single from DH Jesus Ordonez off of Fernando Perez. Carter Cunningham came up in the sixth and hit his own solo homer to kick off that inning to give the Canadians the lead. In the seventh, Je’Von Ward scored Jackson Hornung on an RBI groundout, and in the eighth, Keys’ third hit a double to make it 4-1. Cunningham came up again in the ninth and hit his secnd solo homer on the night and his third on the season. Carter Cunningham: 3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR Sean Keys: 3-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, 1 HR The third baseman from Bucknell has power in spades, and he showcased that with a 3 extra base hit night, leading the charge for the Canadians. Keys has shown strong plate discipline on the year, but the power hasn’t really been on display until tonight. Fernando Perez: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K This was his best outing of the season, as he finally broke the 4 inning mark by going six strong innings. Perez’s stuff won’t wow anybody, but his feel for pitching and command allows him to maintain success despite average offerings. Vancouver (10), Spokane (1) - 05/09 Box Score The 2024 draft class showed off for the secnd night in a row, as the position player core drafted last season went on a power surge. However, the first run scored for the Canadians was on a fielding error that allowed Cutter Coffey to score in the first. Grant Rogers was excellent, only allowing a single run off an errant pick off attempt in the fourth, and continues to be the best starter for Vancouver. Fourth rounder Sean Keys started off the bomb bonanza with a two-run homer in the fifth to score himself and 6th rounder Aaron Parker. Parker himself joined in on the fun with an RBI triple in the top of the sixth. Eighth rounder Eddie Micheletti Jr. got himself a two-run homer in the seventh to score Carter Cunningham. Adrian Pinto continued his series excellent with a two-hit night, and he knocked in a run in the seventh as well. Aaron Parker got his secnd big hit of the night with a three-RBI homer to make it double digits for the Canadians, who’ve had a remarkable turnaround offensively recently. Grant Rogers: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K Rogers just had command of the zone today, rarely getting behind in counts and preventing Spokane hitters from making good swings. Rogers now has a 1.54 ERA on the season. Aaron Parker: 3-5, 2 R, 4 RBI, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 K Parker already surpassed his 2024 hit total in 13 less plate appearances as a professional. The young catching prospect has raised his OPS to .849 on the season. Dunedin Blue Jays Dunedin (5), Fort Myers (4) - 05/08 Box Score Dunedin once again faces off against the Mighty Mussels, looking to win their second game in a row to take the series lead, and they started off the gates roaring, with Devonte Brown hitting a three-run shot to give them and early lead in the top of the first, and in the top of the second, he drove in another run to give himself a four-RBI night. Colby Holcombe started off the game nicely with three scoreless innings, but the Mighty Mussels started to tee off on his fastball and brought the game within one. Jay Scheueler came in and stopped the bleeding, but Justin Kelly, who was in Dunedin from a rehab assignment, gave up a run due to a throwing error from third baseman Jacob Lojewski. Daniel Guerra came into the tied game and was excellent, allowing no hits in three innings of work, with 3 Ks. Jean Joseph came up in the top of the ninth and hit the go-ahead homer to win the game for the Jays. Devonte Brown: 2-4, 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 HR The 2022 undrafted free agent had a slow start to the season in Double-A, and after a short trip to the IL, he’s on a rehab assignment in Dunedin showing why he’s made it ot the upper minors in the first place. Daniel Guerra - 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Guerra has been awesome since getting moved to the pen in favour of Gilberto Batista, as he’s pitched eight innings, striking out 10 and only giving up a single run. Dunedin (9), Fort Myers (1) - 05/09 Box Score After taking the series lead in the previous game, the Jays wanted to keep that momentum going at the top of the standings. With Khal Stephen taking the bump it was a prime opportunity for them to do so, as the big righty has been dominant to start his pro career. The game started off in a unique manner, as Bryce Arnold scored the first run of the game on a balk, and Edward Duran then made it 2-0 with a single to score Beltre. More shenanigans happened in the second as a wild pitch scored Peyton Powell to make it 3-0. Jacob Ljewski hit his first career RBI to make it 4-0 on a single in the 4th, before the Mussels scored their only run of the game on an RBI double. The Jays just ran away with it in the sixth with a three-run inning from a bunch of RBI singles from Powell, Brown and Duran, and in the ninth they tacked on a couple more on a sac fly from Kendry Chirinos and a another RBI-single from Yhoangel Aponte this time. The offense had 16 hits on the night, with only 1 being an extra base hit, essentially beating the Mighty Mussels with a thousand cuts. The pen was excellent to end the game with 6 Ks in 3 1/3 innings of work. Khal Stephen: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K Khal Stephen was again excellent, relying on his fastball at the top of the zone he once again dominated Low-A hitters. https://x.com/DunedinBlueJays/status/1921022875818934406 Bryce Arnold: 3-5, 1 R, 0 BB, 0 K The Hamilton native continues to hit well for the Jays, and the 23 year old utility man has also lowered his K rate to 21.4% on the year while still showcasing strong power numbers. FCL Blue Jays F-Blu (9), F-Det (7) - 5/8 Box Score The Toronto Blue Jays FCL team shook off some of their early season struggles at the plate in a game against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. They began the game with an Enmanuel Bonilla single, which was followed up by a walk from Luis Meza, and then a double by Yorman Licourt to left field scored both runners. The Tigers matched those two runs in the bottom of the fourth, when a double and a single scored two. From there, the bats from both teams disappeared until the ninth inning, which for this game happened to be extra innings. The Blue Jays would score two on a single from Edrick Felix and then added three more on a home run to left field from Andres Arias. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays could not close the game out and coughed up five runs themselves in the bottom half of the inning, in part from an Enrique Jimenez two-run homer. The game would head into its third extra inning, the tenth. David Beckles woud deliver what would be the game winning hit that scored two runs and gave the Blue Jays a 9-7 win. Andres Arias: 1-5, 1 R, 3 RBI, 3 K, 1 HR Arias hit his first professional home run on Thursday. Despite his 6-foot-4 size, he didn't hit any home runs in 2024 down in the Dominican Summer League. It's a welcome sight to see one of the more talented young players in the system start to connect with the long ball. Samuel Colmenares: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K F-Blu (6), F-Yan (5) - 5/9 Box Score Landen Maroudis started this one for the Blue Jays FCL team. It was his second rehab start for the Rookie-ball team. Just like his first outing, Maroudis did well and got his pitches in. He went three innings, striking out three hitters, and didn't give up a run, while only walking one. Erik Swanson, who is also rehabbing in Florida, came in for Maroudis, but had a lot of trouble. He gave up four runs, two of which were earned runs. He also surrendered a home run and did not register an out. Offensively, Yorman Licourt had an RBI single and David Beckles hit a home run. In the eighth inning, a balk scored Enmanuel Bonilla and Licourt scored on a wild pitch for the walk-off win. David Beckles: 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR Landen Maroudis: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K DSL Blue Jays No games Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Players of the Period Pitcher of the Period: RHP Grant Rogers (Vancouver) - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Period: 3B Sean Keys (Vancouver) - 4-9, 2 R, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 2B, 2 HR Prospect Summary (Last 2 Days) 1. Arjun Nimmala (Vancouver) - 1-6, 1 R, 2 K 2. Ricky Tiedemann (Buffalo) - DNP 3. Trey Yesavage (Dunedin) - DNP 4. Orelvis Martinez (Buffalo) - 1-5, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 HR 5. Khal Stephen (Dunedin) - 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K 6. Jake Bloss (Buffalo) - DNP 7. Alan Roden (Buffalo) - 5-10, 4 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 1 SB 8. Landen Maroudis (FCL Jays) - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K 9. Jonatan Clase (Toronto) - 0-3, 1 K 10. Kendry Rojas (Vancouver) - DNP 11. Josh Kasevich (Buffalo) - DNP 12. Johnny King (FCL Blue Jays) - DNP 13. Gage Stanifer (Dunedin) - DNP 14. Adam Macko (FCL Jays) - DNP 15. Charles McAdoo (New Hampshire) - DNP 16. Fernando Perez (Vancouver) - 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K 17. Brandon Barriera (Dunedin) - DNP 18. Emmanuel Bonilla (FCL Blue Jays) - 1-8, 3 R, 1 BB, 4 K 19. Juaron Watts-Brown (Vancouver) - DNP 20. Jace Bohrofen (New Hampshire) - DNP View full article

He's second in the team in EV50 as well, since average exit velocity is a bit noisier. For some reason the barrel rate isn't there, despite a solid launch angle and a good LA SweetSpot%. I'm hoping that he's primed for a breakout, because he really does have all the tools necessary to become a good hitter.

He's a type of guy to swing out of his shoes, but it's worked for him so far! I wonder if that's contributing to his injury proneness, as those big aggressive movements can be a bit much, especially for a guy his size. I really hope he can figure out how to reign it in enough to stay healthy, but also continue to hit for power.

With some graduations and some breakouts, three new players have made their way onto the Jays Centre Top Prospects list. #9 - Jonatan Clase, OF Jonatan Clase initially signed with the Mariners as an international free agent in 2018, only earning $35,000 as a signing bonus, but he showcased he was worth much more than that. Clase started off his professional career hot, posting a 149 wRC+ with the Mariners' DSL team, before losing a year due to COVID. However, that didn't stop him from progressing, as he moved all the way to Double-A from Rookie ball in only three years. That included a 2023 season in which he stole 79 bases and hit 20 homers, showcasing his power-speed potential. He debuted in MLB last year after a solid performance in Triple-A, before getting sent back down after his first cup of coffee didn't go too well. The Jays then acquired Clase in a trade for setup man Yimi García, and he struggled in his short stint in Triple-A Buffalo before performing solidly in Toronto to end the year. Early in 2025, Clase has had a strong start to the year, getting on base at a high clip and showing off his elite speed while also cutting down his strikeout rate slightly. He hasn't shown as much power as he usually does, with only four extra base hits on the year (and no homers), but if he continues to get on base at this rate, his speed can turn singles into doubles. The switch-hitting outfielder has displayed strong contact skills on the season to pair with good plate discipline. He also has an 86.2% zone-contact rate while not chasing much. Defensively, he's still a work in progress, as although his speed can make up for some bad routes, he still does struggle a bit with his reads and jumps. Atkins has called him MLB-ready, and he is in his final option year, so he'll need to establish himself as a contributor to the major league team by the end of the season. Still, the tools and skill set are there for Clase, and despite a crowded outfield, he has a good chance to earn a role. #13 - Gage Stanifer, RHP Gage Stanifer has been the biggest breakout pitching prospect for the Jays this season, which is very impressive for a 19th-round selection out of high school in the 2022 draft. Stanifer is big-bodied and athletic, standing 6-foot-3 with a 200-pound frame. However, he did not make the most of his athletic gifts early in his career, as he struggled with walks and only sat around 92-94 mph on his fastball. Yet, late last season, Stanifer started to gain some velocity, getting up to 94-95 mph on his fastball, despite still not being able to control it. His ERA averaged 6.33 in his first two professional seasons, and he was very much an unknown within the system. This past offseason, Stanifer put in a lot of work, touching 100 mph in offseason workout videos. That carried over into the regular season, where he is sitting 95-97 mph with his sinker, which has a solid amount of ride and nearly 13 inches of arm side run. Stanifer has been very reliant on that pitch, for good reason, as it has been virtually unhittable in Single-A, with a .171 BA against, a 31.6% chase rate and a 32.3% whiff rate. He also mixes in a mid-80s "death-ball" slider, which averages nearly 43 inches of drop and, as of May 6, hasn't given up a hit yet. He rounds off his starter's arsenal with a split-change that he throws in the high 80s, and although he doesn't get many whiffs on it, he gets a bunch of weak contact with the pitch. Stanifer has a 0.50 ERA in 18 innings of work, with a 32.9% strikeout rate and an 11.0% walk rate. Stanifer has been used only in relief so far and hasn't gone much farther than four innings in a game this season, so there's still a need to see how his stuff holds up over five innings or more. Once Trey Yesavage and Khal Stephen get the promotion to Vancouver, Stanifer should get the opportunity to do so. At only 21 years old, his stuff, arsenal, and build give a lot of hope that he can develop into a strong mid-rotation starter, but his command and more aggressive delivery may hold him back from reaching that ceiling. #20 - Jace Bohrofen, OF Jace Bohrofen is a big slugging lefty outfielder, signed out of Arkansas in the sixth round of the 2023 draft. He's shown a lot of power throughout his minor league career and just snuck onto the Jays Centre Top 20. Bohrofen has done nothing but hit since he joined the Jays organization, with a career .816 OPS and 26 home runs. Bohrofen does pair that power ability with some strikeout concerns, though. He ran a worse-than-average strikeout rate of around 24% during his first two years in the minors, and that has increased to 35.0% in Double-A. His contact rate has dropped from 71.3% in High-A last season to a worrying 57.5% to start the year, but Bohrofen improved his contact rate year-over-year from his first season to his second, and the cold weather in New Hampshire could be a reason behind his lessened ability to make contact early in 2025. Bohrofen leads New Hampshire in homers, so when he does make contact, it leads to good results for the most part. He also has strong plate discipline, walking over 10% of the time in all of the seasons that he's played, and he rarely chases. Defensively, Bohrofen can play center field adequately, as he came up as a center fielder out of college, but he is more suited to the corners. He's split time at all three outfield spots for New Hampshire. Bohrofen also had a slow start in Vancouver last season but ended up turning it around, so his power ability, a history of making more contact than he has shown so far, and his ability to adjust as a season progresses should allow for him to work as a strong-side platoon bat in the future, with a lower average but some extra-base hits. Stats in article updated prior to games on May 6. View full article

He can definitely play left and third but he's not the best there. If we do call him up, he could probably be serviceable there in a more limited role, but I think they'd probably run a bit more Ernie at third than anything against lefties.

The Blue Jays have struggled all season with their power output, hitting only 22 homers on the season, which is good for second-last in the league. They’re also sixth worst in barrel percentage at 7.2%, and eighth worst in xSLG as of May 2. Obviously, some of this is due to the slow start from Anthony Santander, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the home run department, but the Jays are tailored more to a contact-heavy approach, which trades off whiffs for weak contact, as detailed by JaysCentre editor Leo Morgenstern. Enter Riley Tirotta. The 26-year old corner infielder has been one of the most productive bats in the Jays' minor league system over the past two years and has sneakily improved year over year to little fanfare. Tirotta was a late bloomer, getting drafted by the Blue Jays as a college senior out of Dayton in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft with a signing bonus of $125,000. He bounced around from Low-A ball to Double-A from 2021-2023 before going on a ridiculous hot streak in 2024 where he went from Low-A all the way to Triple-A Buffalo, slashing .302/.464/.591 for a 185 wRC+ in 196 PAs from April 13th to June 29th. He slowed down as the season progressed, but still ended up with a 126 wRC+ on the season in 444 plate appearances and was a cool developmental story for the Blue Jays last season. Tirotta got 26 PAs in spring training and did not perform well at all, striking out 50% of the time while hitting under the Mendoza line, which resulted in a wRC+ of -3. However, one thing stood out: he swings the bat really hard. According to the limited data available in spring, Tirotta was one of the top 15 hitters in bat speed, just 0.4 mph slower than some dude called Aaron Judge, and slightly above top prospect Orelvis Martinez. The Jays are currently the team with the slowest bat speed according to Baseball Savant, so Tirotta could immediately help change that outlook. (Via Eno Sarris) Once the regular season started, though, Tirotta carried over his success from 2024 and has been one of the hottest hitters for the Buffalo Bisons, slashing .278/.391/.519 with a 15.6 BB% to a 32.8 K%. He’s been so impressive that beat writers Keegan Matheson and Ben Nicholson-Smith have both discussed Tirotta as a potential call-up to the majors to help with the lack of power from their infielders, especially as Orelvis Martinez, Will Wagner, and Davis Schneider have struggled to start the season. Tirotta’s Statcast data is one of the most red pages you’ll see down in Triple-A (courtesy of TJStats), showcasing an extremely patient approach despite a lot of whiffs and strikeouts, though his batted ball metrics are outstanding. Tirotta’s approach varies heavily from the Jays' current approach, and he would be a welcome addition in order to inject some power into the lineup. Some things that are preventing Tirotta from getting the call as of now are that he isn’t on the 40-man roster, and his best defensive home is likely first base, despite starting more games at the hot corner in Triple-A. Obviously, that position is fully occupied by Vladdy, who plays practically every day. Still with seven outfielders currently on the Jays 26-man roster, Tirotta could be utilized as a backup to Ernie Clement and Guerrero Jr., and could maybe add some juice to the lineup with swings like this one. Obviously, a fast-rising, post-hype older prospect isn't going to solve all that woes Toronto. But as a means to getting better in-house production, the Blue Jays could take a chance on the 26-year-old slugger. View full article

CURRENT W-L Records -Buffalo Bisons: 12-17 -New Hampshire Fisher Cats: 10-14 -Vancouver Canadians: 12-13 -Dunedin Blue Jays: 14-11 -FCL Blue Jays: 0-0 (Season not started) -DSL Blue Jays: 0-0 (Season not started) TRANSACTIONS 05/02/25 Buffalo Bisons released C Matt Whatley. 05/02/25 New Hampshire Fisher Cats sent RHP Justin Kelly on a rehab assignment to Dunedin Blue Jays. 05/01/25 Buffalo Bisons sent C Phil Clarke on a rehab assignment to Dunedin Blue Jays. 05/01/25 Buffalo Bisons transferred 3B Damiano Palmegiani to the Development List. 05/01/25 LF David Beckles assigned to FCL Blue Jays from DSL Blue Jays Blue. 05/01/25 RHP Pedro Tucent assigned to FCL Blue Jays from DSL Blue Jays Blue. 05/01/25 C Juan Rosas assigned to FCL Blue Jays from DSL Blue Jays Blue. 05/01/25 OF Yorman Licourt assigned to FCL Blue Jays from DSL Blue Jays Blue. 05/01/25 LHP Ramon Suarez assigned to FCL Blue Jays from DSL Blue Jays Blue. 05/01/25 3B Aldo Gaxiola assigned to FCL Blue Jays from DSL Blue Jays Blue. 05/01/25 RHP Diego Dominguez assigned to FCL Blue Jays from DSL Blue Jays Blue. 05/01/25 Buffalo Bisons sent C Phil Clarke on a rehab assignment to Dunedin Blue Jays. Buffalo Bisons Buffalo (8), Iowa (1) - 5/1 Box Score As the calendar shifts to May, the Buffalo Bisons are seeing their bats awaken. In this game, the ball was flying around the field and over the fence. In the top of the 2nd inning, Orelvis Martinez got things started with a rocket double to right field. After a Rainer Nunez infield single, Ali Sánchez would clear the bases with a 3-run home run to center field. The homer came off the bat at 106 MPH. Michael Stefanic would cap off the inning with an RBI single as well. In the next inning, Buffalo started things right back up again, culminating in a 3-run homer from Christian Bethancourt, this time on a 106.9 MPH line drive to center field. That would be all the runs Buffalo needed on the night, as Easton Lucas cruised through the game, pitching six innings. He was exceptional at limiting hard contact and only gave up two hits to go with zero runs. He walked just one and struck out four on his way to the quality start. The Bisons would tack on a late 8th inning run to win the game 8-1. Buffalo (2), Iowa (4) - 5/2 Box Score After a short rain delay, the game Friday night turned into a pitcher's duel. On the mound for the Bisons was Trenton Wallace. He fired off five innings pitched and kept Iowa in check for much of the night. He gave up two runs, only one of which was earned, on a 2-RBI triple in the 5th inning to tie the game. Buffalo had previously taken the lead with a run in both the 4th and 5th innings on an RBI groundout from Will Robertson and an RBI single off the bat of Jonatan Clase. Moisés Ballesteros and Jonathon Long would put Iowa on top for good in the 7th inning. The last chance for Buffalo came after Iowa walked the bases loaded in the 8th inning, but they shut the door by striking out Will Wagner to end the threat. Orelvis Martinez- 2-3, 0 R, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 2B Orelvis Martinez is finding his timing and that includes hitting to right field, as he now has three doubles in his last two games. The interesting part is the continued push to hit to the opposite field. The double Thursday night and the second double Friday night were hit to right field. All three were struck well. Trenton Wallace- 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K New Hampshire Fisher Cats New Hampshire (3), Portland (5) - 5/1 Box Score New Hampshire sent Rafael Sanchez to the mound Thursday, in an attempt to keep riding his wave of stellar pitching performances and get another win against the Portland Sea Dogs. Sanchez delivered and then some for the team, going into the sixth inning and allowing only one run. The run came on a second inning single to center field from Karson Simas. In the bottom of the fifth inning, New Hampshire would tie it up on a single to center field as well, this one from Robert Brooks and it scored Alex De Jesus. Simas would lead another volley from Portland, when he scored from first base on a Mikey Romero double. Charles McAdoo made sure New Hampshire would keep on fighting, with a solo shot to left field that tied the game up at two in the bottom of the eighth. The game would head to extra innings and see Portland score three during their at-bat. New Hampshire would cut into the lead, as Jace Bohrofen hit a sacrifice fly to score Yohendrick Pinango. Unfortunately, with the lead down to two runs and a runner on first, McAdoo would end the game by grounding into a double play. Charles McAdoo: 1-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 HR McAdoo continues his hot stretch with his first home run of the season. He now has a four game hit streak, with five hits and three extra base hits, in his last four games. Rafael Sanchez: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K Sanchez continues to throw to more contact, as he has been having a little bit of issue getting swing and misses on two-strike counts. He did manage to find a way to rack up nine swing and misses, but needs to get more to finish at-bats when he can. New Hampshire (8), Portland (2) - 5/2 Box Score RJ Schreck got the scoring started for New Hampshire on Friday night, with a home run to right field, his first of the season. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Fisher Cats would open things up with five runs, on the backs of RBI singles from Peyton Williams, Cade Doughty, and Dasan Brown. A Williams sacrifice fly and a wild pitch would tack on a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ryan Boyer would come into the game in the top of the ninth inning and give up a two-run homer to Blaze Jordan, before closing the game out and securing the win for New Hampshire. RJ Schreck: 3-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 HR Schreck had his first multi-hit game of the season and he did so with a big home run and double. Ryan Watson: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K Watson used his fastball and slider mostly this game. He didn't miss bats much, but was able to keep Portland from squaring anything up on the night. Vancouver Canadians Vancouver (2), Hillsboro (12) - 05/01 Box Score After the Canadians won 2 games in a row against the Hops, game 3 went the opposite direction for them. Kevin Miranda took the bump for the 3rd time this season and he struggled, allowing 4 runs in 3.1 innings of work while only striking out 1 batter. He’s been moved to the rotation after Connor O’Halloran hit the injured list, and has been much less effective as a starter compared to when he pitched in relief. Nate Garkow and Jonathan Todd did not perform much better, as they gave up 3 runs and 4 runs respectively. Garkow did strike out 4 batters, but he also walked 4 and gave up 2 hits. Other than an Arjun Nimmala homer and a run scoring on a double play, the Canadians failed to score, and it resulted with a 12-2 loss where Catcher Hayden Gilliland pitched in the 9th to save the bullpen some bullets as a position player pitching. Arjun Nimmala - 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR Arjun Nimmala raised his OPS to .940 on the season, while taking the Northwest League lead in homers. Nimmala is up to 6th in OPS in the Northwest league as the youngest hitter in the league. He’s going to move up a ton of prospect lists when mid-season updates are out because he’s shown that he belongs in the upper echelons of prospects with his 2025 performance. Kai Peterson - 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 K Peterson has some of the nastiest stuff in the system, and showcased that by striking out 4 batters in 2 1/3 innings. Vancouver (4), Hillsboro (7) - 05/02 Box Score Fernando Perez had a decent start again, going 4 innings for the second start in a row. He did struggle with runners on base, giving up 8 hits, and the Hops got out to a 3 run lead in the 4th inning. However, Cutter Coffey hit a liner to left field to score Aaron Parker in the bottom of the 4th to get the Canadians on the board. JJ Sanchez came in to relieve Perez in the 5th, loading the bases and giving up a bases loaded walk to make it 4-1 for the Hops. The Canadians quickly answered back though, bringing the lead to within 1 as catcher Alex Stone hit a 2-RBI double. Things quickly fell apart when former 5th rounder Irv Carter continued to struggle on the season. He gave up 6 hits, 1 walk, and allowed 3 runs to give the Hops a 7-3 lead which the Canadians could not come back from. Carter now has an ERA over 10 on the season, and has unfortunately been one of the bigger disappointments in 2025 after having a bounce back 2024. Nick Goodwin hit a double in the 8th to make it 7-4 but that was just too little too late. Aaron Parker - 1-2, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 2B Parker has been very disciplined for the Canadians, raising his OBP to .364 on the season and his walk rate to 12.1%. He also hit his 7th extra base hit of the season, again showing his power potential and bat speed despite only standing at 5ft 9inches. He’s an exciting bat to watch and maybe be the start of some interesting catching depth in the lower minors for the Jays. Fernando Perez - 4.0 IP, 8 H, ER 2, 0 BB, 2 K Perez went 4 innings again for the 3rd time this season, and lowered his season ERA to 6.00. He hasn’t been as sharp as he’s been previously in the minors, and not being able to make it to 5 innings of work is a little bit concerning for the 21 year old starter, but he’s still been able to get outs without walking many batters. The hope is that his stuff starts ticking up a bit as in 15 innings of work he’s only struck out 10 batters, but he at least limited the walks today. Dunedin Blue Jays Dunedin (10), Clearwater (1) - 05/01 https://x.com/DunedinBlueJays/status/1918089217093026155https://x.com/DunedinBlueJays/status/1918089217093026155https://x.com/DunedinBlueJays/status/1918089217093026155 Box Score The last game of the series against Clearwater, and Dunedin was hoping to not be swept, and they pulled it off with a dominant performance from Yesavage, while the offense supported him with 10 runs. It was quiet for both teams for the first 3 innings, but 2 former top Jays prospects both got their first homers on the season, with a solo shot from Beltre, and a 2-run homer from Toman to start off the scoring. In the 6th the Jays tacked on 3 more runs with Yhoangel Aponte and Bryce Arnold both hitting an RBI-double each, and then Kendrys Chriinos knocked in Arnold with a single after. Clearwater got on the board after Yesavage was taken out, with Beltre committing a throwing error to allow Joel Dragoo to score. Stanifer only managed 2 innings of work this time, but still struck out 3 batters, and Javen Coleman had his 5th scoreless outing out of 7 on the season. Manuel Beltre - 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HR Manuel Beltre finally hit his first homer of the season, but the young infielder has actually been quite excellent despite the lack of power he’s shown. He’s up to a 146 wRC+ on the season, which is good for 11th in the Florida State League, behind fellow Jays Yeuni Munoz and Bryce Arnold, but he’s also one of 5 hitters 21 years old or younger in the top 11. Beltre has been very adept at getting on base as he’s walked more than he struck out and if he can figure out a power stroke he might gain some momentum as a prospect and finally move up to High-A as this is his 4th year playing in Dunedin (his first being 5 games as an 18 year old in 2022). Trey Yesavage - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K The first round pick again dominated Low-A hitters, which was arguably his best start of the season, going 6 innings for the first time and having his 3rd 8+ strikeout game in a row. He’ll need to be challenged by tougher hitters sooner than later, and with Landen Maroudis and Brandon Barriera coming back from injury sooner than later, there should be some movement within the system that’ll allow Yesavage and probably Stephen to move up. Dunedin (8), Daytona (2) - 05/02 Box Score After a short 3-game series with Clearwater, the Jays moved on to face the Daytona Tortugas. Colby Holcombe started for the Jays, and only allowed a single run from a sac fly from Carter Graham in the 1st. The Dunedin Blue Jays continued to run hot offensively, answering back with a couple of runs with Edward Duran and Kendrys Chirinos knocking in 1 a piece. Bryce Arnold made it a 3-1 game after grounding out in the bottom of the 2nd. Once Holcombe was taken out, Trey Faltline scored an RBI single off of Justin Kelly, who was on rehab assignment, but they did not score after that. Aponte broke the game open with a 3-run shot off of Edgar Colon, and he knocked in another run the inning after. Peyton Powell, who walked 5 times this game, got an RBI walk to finish off the scoring, and Daniel Guerra and Colby Martin were excellent in relief, striking out 8 batters in only 3 innings of work. Dunedin took the lead in the FSL after this win, now with a +53 run differential on the season. Yhoangel Aponte - 3-5, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 K Yhoangel Aponte had himself a hell of a night getting on base 4 times with 2 extra base hits, including a 107.2 mph, 3 RBI homer in the 6th. He raised his OPS from .636 to .730 in just one game. Colby Holcombe - 5.0 IP - 4 H. 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K Much has been said about Trey Yesavage and Khal Stephen from last year’s draft class, but Colby Holcombe has been quietly one of the best pitchers from the Jays 2024 draft picks. Holcombe generated 20 whiffs on the night which resulted in 6 strikeouts, and his mid 90s fastball and high 80s cut-slider were nigh-unhittable. Holcombe does need to work on a 3rd pitch, as an advanced college pitcher he’s been able to dominate with his two best pitches but he’s only thrown 15 pitches on the season that were not his cut-slider and his 4-seam fastball. He'll be seen more as a future reliever unless he manages to find that effective 3rd pitch. FCL Blue Jays No games DSL Blue Jays No games Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Players of the Day Pitcher of the Period: RHP Trey Yesavage (Dunedin) - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Period: 2B Manuel Beltre (Dunedin) - 5-8, 4 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HR Prospect Summary (Last 2 Days) 1. Arjun Nimmala (Vancouver) - 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 HR 2. Trey Yesavage (Dunedin) - 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K 3. Ricky Tiedemann (Buffalo) - DNP 4. Orelvis Martinez (Buffalo) - 3-8, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 3 2B 5. Jake Bloss (Buffalo) - DNP 6. Alan Roden (Toronto) - 0-3, 1 K 7. Josh Kasevich (Buffalo) - DNP 8. Kendry Rojas (Vancouver) - DNP 9. Khal Stephen (Dunedin) - DNP 10. Charles McAdoo (New Hampshire) - 1-8, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 HR 11. Adam Macko (Buffalo) - DNP 12. Landen Maroudis (Dunedin) - DNP 13. Fernando Perez (Vancouver) - 4.0 IP, 8 H, ER 2, 0 BB, 2 K 14. Will Wagner (Toronto) - Graduated 15. Johnny King (FCL Blue Jays) - DNP 16. Brandon Barriera (Dunedin) - DNP 17. Emmanuel Bonilla (FCL Blue Jays) - DNP 18. Juaron Watts-Brown (Vancouver) - DNP 19. Eddinson Paulino (New Hampshire) - DNP 20. Dahian Santos (New Hampshire) - DNP View full article

Looks like this is only 19 out of 20?

After the first month of minor league baseball, it’s time to acknowledge who’s been the best in the system, and we’re starting off with a look at the relievers. The Jays have struggled to find consistent bullpen arms from within the organization, but they have found some interesting arms that have had solid success early in the season. It would be very easy to just sort by ERA to complete these rankings, but with how small the sample is, and the fact that relievers are very volatile and can have a lot of noise with BABIP/poor luck/defense, I’m going to use more than just ERA as part of the consideration for these rankings. Honourable Mentions RHP Braydon Fisher Triple-A Buffalo - 9 1/3 IP, 2.89 ERA, 29.3 K%, 9.8 BB%, 1.39 WHIP Fisher just missed the list proper due to letting a few too many hitters on base. The righty was acquired from the Dodgers in exchange for Cavan Biggio and relies on a strong curveball to get outs. RHP Bo Bonds High-A Vancouver - 12 2/3 IP, 2.13 ERA, 25.5 K%, 4.3 BB%, 0.71 WHIP Bonds has been one of the main contributors to the back end of the Vancouver Canadians’ bullpen and has excelled at keeping runners off base. What’s keeping him from being on the list is his not being that dominant at striking guys out compared to those above him, but he’s already gotten three saves on the year. He may only have been the third-best Vancouver reliever in the first month of the season. LHP Javen Coleman Low-A Dunedin - 10 2/3 IP, 4.22 ERA, 39.5 K%, 9.3 BB%, 1.03 WHIP Coleman has been dominant for the Dunedin Blue Jays, save for a blow-up inning that ballooned his ERA to above 4.00 despite great peripherals. Coleman was a senior sign reliever and has shown a solid sinker-slider combination that led to Florida State League Pitcher of the Week honours in mid-April. RHP Chay Yeager High-A Vancouver - 11 IP, 3.27 ERA, 40.5 K%, 9.5 BB%, 0.82 WHIP Yeager struck out over 40% of the batters that he faced, whilst walking them less than 10% of the time. The 2023 12th-round draft pick has utilized his high-octane fastball and his gyro slider extremely effectively and has helped headline a stellar Vancouver bullpen. His most recent outing ballooned his ERA and almost doubled his walk rate, as he walked three after a scoreless inning. Still, his performance is nothing to be scoffed at, but it just took him off of the list for me. RHP Pat Gallagher High-A Vancouver - 13 IP, 1.38 ERA, 27.8 K%, 11.1 BB%, 1.08 WHIP Gallagher’s been exceptional for Vancouver as a 'pen piece while having success as a starter in previous seasons. He makes the most out of some low velocity and uses his splitter well. He's done great as a bulk reliever for the Canadians, and although he's walking batters a bit more than usual, he hasn't given up a single homer and has had the best results in a stacked Canadians bullpen. RHP Gilberto Batista - Low-A Dunedin - 22 IP, 2.05 ERA, 21.2 K%, 3.5 BB%, 0.86 WHIP Gilberto Batista was recently acquired last season as a relatively unknown piece of the Danny Jansen trade, but he has been electric since joining the Jays organization. After pitching to a 2.70 ERA with a 23.5 K% and a 2.9 BB% as a starter last season, he’s improved on that as a multi-inning reliever, typically pitching behind RHP Daniel Guerra. He did start his two most recent games, so this may be the first and last time he’s a part of one of these lists, but his ability to avoid walks has been very valuable in helping him rack up innings and keep runners off base. 5. RHP Colby Martin Low-A Dunedin - 7 1/3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 30.8 K%, 11.5 BB%, 0.55 WHIP The 24-year-old righty has been a staple of the Dunedin bullpen, not allowing a single run and barely letting anyone on, with an opponent's BA of only .043. What prevents him from being up higher on this list is just a lack of innings and maybe less dominant strikeout numbers compared to the above. Still, it’s hard to come by a high-octane fastball in the Jays system, and Martin’s sits 96-97 mph, although with pretty average shape. He's used that heater, plus a cut-slider, very effectively, not allowing any good contact at all. 4. RHP Geison Urbaez - Double-A New Hampshire - 9 1/3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 25.6 K%, 10.3 BB%, 1.18 WHIP Urbaez was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2020 and has been a solid but unspectacular arm in the Jays organization over the past few years. He is now Rule 5 Eligible. Urbaez earned his way all the way up to Double-A in 2022 but suffered an injury in 2023, which took him out for the year and forced him to repeat Single-A and High-A in 2024. So far this season, he's pitched only out of relief, and it has been a great move. He has a career-high K-rate, and his walk-rate is in line with his career norms. In his first appearance, he allowed five hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings, but since that appearance, he's only allowed two hits and two walks, whilst striking out eight. 3. RHP Hunter Gregory - Double-A New Hampshire - 10 IP, 0.90 ERA, 35.0 K%, 10.0 BB%, 1.00 WHIP The 26-year-old reliever has been absolutely dominant for the Fisher Cats, only allowing one run in 10 innings of work. Gregory hasn't had the most success in the minors since being drafted by the Jays in the eighth round of the 2021 draft, posting ERAs over 4.00 in every season. He's always had strong stuff, but this might be the year that he puts it all together. 2. LHP Jimmy Burnette - Double-A, Triple-A - 10 2/3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 36.6 K%, 14.6 BB%, 0.94 WHIP Burnette has been effectively wild throughout his duration in the Jays organization, racking up gaudy strikeout totals whilst also walking his fair share. This season, he’s been riding the bus between New Hampshire and Buffalo, but he still has been effective, not allowing a run. Of course, he has also struck out more than a third of the batters he's faced while walking almost 15% of them. Although the Jays have quite a few lefty pitchers ahead of him on the depth chart, he could sneak his way to the big leagues if things continue to go well for him and if the pitching falters in the majors. 1. RHP Gage Stanifer - Low-A Dunedin - 16 IP, 0.56 ERA, 33.3 K%, 9.5 BB%, 0.81 WHIP Stanifer has easily been the best reliever in the system, and arguably could have been given a shout as the most dominant pitcher in the minors for the Jays. Entering in relief after each Trey Yesavage start, Stanifer has gone exactly 4.0 innings each appearance, getting the win each time, while striking out a third of the batters he has faced and only giving up one run due to a “dropped” pop-up. Stanifer utilizes a high-90s sinker, a mid-80s “death-ball” slider, and a high-80s changeup most against lefties to dominate hitters. Once Yesavage and Stephen earn a promotion to Vancouver, Stanifer should earn the right to start. It's been an incredible turnaround from a prospect who averaged a 6.33 ERA in his previous two professional seasons, as he's finally matched his physical gifts and tools with production. View full article

Arjun NimmalaTrey YesavageRicky TiedemannAlan RodenJake BlossKhal StephenOrelvis MartinezJonatan ClaseJosh KasevichLanden MaroudisKendry RojasFernando PerezJace BohrofenJohnny KingJuaron Watts-BrownAdam MackoGrant RogersYohendrick PinangoGage StaniferCharles McAdoo

Arjun NimmalaTrey YesavageRicky TiedemannAlan RodenJake BlossKhal StephenOrelvis MartinezJonatan ClaseJosh KasevichLanden MaroudisKendry RojasFernando PerezJace BohrofenJohnny KingJuaron Watts-BrownAdam MackoGrant RogersYohendrick PinangoGage StaniferCharles McAdoo

I don't think they believe in his throwing motion. He's adequate at getting to balls and his range isn't completely terrible, but he throws across his body in a weird way that leads to inaccuracy. Being at 2nd lets him set his feet and take his time to throw to first.

Good catch, should be the right link now.

I don't disagree about your latter statement regarding swinging less and looking for better pitches to hit, I don't think Bo is going to be more than the 120 career wRC+ guy that he was before, but he's definitely a better hitter than Lourdes by quite a bit. Bo's in-zone contact rate is still 94.5%, just 0.1% under Jacob Wilson. Should he be chasing less? Of course, but he's definitely up there in ability to make contact. He does have sub-optimal launch angles and doesn't pull the ball, so that limits his upside. I still think he'll be a good hitter in the near future. All I was saying is that Bo should get into some more power based off the contact he was making. It wouldn't be a surprise to me if he's hovering around 115-120 wRC+ for the next couple of years.