Where to Watch the Blue Jays' Top Prospects in 2023
The Blue Jays' four full-season Minor League Baseball teams have already started their 2023 seasons. Toronto's top prospects are littered across the four squads, so here's a breakdown of where to follow the next Blue Jays to start the year:
Triple-A: Buffalo Bisons
Top Prospects: RHP Yosver Zulueta, INF Addison Barger, INF/OF Otto Lopez, 1B/OF Spencer Horwitz, RHP Hayden Juenger
Another To Watch: INF/OF Davis Schneider
Toronto's upper-minors pitching depth is as loaded as it's ever been under the current administration. They've got the mix of vets (Zach Thompson, Casey Lawrence), optionable arms (Nate Pearson, Jay Jackson), and some legit prospects who should debut this year. Zulueta is in the Buffalo rotation to start the year, but both he and Juenger are versatile pitchers who can soon fill an MLB role in the 'pen, rotation, or as swingmen.
The batting side is headlined by Barger, Lopez, and Horwitz, who all hit over .275 last year and play multiple positions. When the Jays need reinforcements, they'll be up.
Double-A: New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Top Prospects: P Ricky Tiedemann, INF Orelvis Martinez, RHP Sem Robberse, RP Adrian Hernandez
Another To Watch: INF Damiano Palmegiani
Tiedemann wasn't officially on New Hampshire's Opening Day roster, but Toronto's top prospect will soon join the Cats in Double-A. He and Martinez are probably Toronto's two highest upside and simultaneously highest variance upper-minors prospects.
In his first professional season, Tiedemann posted a 2.17 ERA in 18 starts. He made it up to Double-A by the end of last season and received an invite to Major League Spring Training in 2023, appearing in two spring games. Shoulder issues sidelined him for the back half of MLB spring, but Tiedemann quickly re-started throwing in preparation for the MiLB season.
Martinez spent his entire season in Double-A last year and flashed big power and big whiff. He struggled after initial promotions before, so maybe the 21-year-old infielder's approach will approve in his second year against Double-A pitching. He's never going to be Joey Votto out there, but with elite power, even a little refinement could push him back up industry prospect rankings.
High-A: Vancouver Canadians
Top Prospects: INF Cade Doughty, LHP Adam Macko, RHP Dahian Santos, OF Gabriel Martinez, INF Josh Kasevich, OF Dasan Brown
Another To Watch: 1B Rainer Nunez
This team's loaded with talent to start the season, and if things go right, it won't be for long. The Canadians start the year with six of Toronto's top 15 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, and a few more exciting upside guys behind them.
With Brown darting around the outfield and Kasevich flashing the glove at short, the Canadians might have the best defensive team in Toronto's minors. That fielding may not matter much, though, with two of Toronto's top strikeout artists, Adam Macko and Dahian Santos, starting in Vancouver. Both hurlers punched-out over 35% of opposing hitters last year (posting over 14 K/9s, too) and will anchor another strong Vancouver rotation.
Single-A: Dunedin Blue Jays
Top Prospect: INF Tucker Toman, INF Adrian Pinto, INF Manuel Beltre
Another To Watch: 1B Peyton Williams
After an injection of talent after the 2022 MLB Draft, the Dunedin Jays went on a second-half run and made the Florida State League finals last year. Most of the talent that spurred that streak has graduated, but the next crop of Toronto's youngest prospects will start the season in the FSL.
The highest-rated prospect suiting up for Dunedin is switch-hitting infielder Tucker Toman. The 19-year-old, who I wrote about during the offseason, got the briefest of tastes of pro ball last year in the Florida Complex League. After hitting .290 in 11 games in 2022, Toman enters 2023 looking to flash more switch-hit power with an improved right-handed swing and some added bulk.
This squad should also see 2022 first-round pick Brandon Barriera at some point, though the lefty is currently assigned to Toronto's Complex League squad.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon