by Richard Douglas
The Blue Jays for the past decade have always been considered one of the best non playoff teams in baseball. They're there of course because of the tremendous talent they face playing in the AL East. Theyve spent the past couple of seasons though gutting the top of the farm to bring in Sergio Santos, Jose Reyes, Mark Burhle and RA Dickey to make that push over the top in a year that the Red Sox and Rays are predicted to have down years. They have also been aggressive though in re-fitting the farm by spending largely in bonus money (at least $10.5 million the last three drafts) and being aggressive in Latin America. The top prospect in the system after the trades is likely the lanky righty Aaron Sanchez. At the Low A level last year he posted a 3.41 FIP with an excellent 9.66 K/9 rate. Its due in large part to his electric fastball that can run up from 94 to 98 mph without having to reach deep. His curveball and changeup are both plus pitches as well. His weakness though comes in a lack of control. He walked 5 BB/9 last year , which he could get away with at the lower levels. His delivery though is repeatable and has no mechanical flaws, so the walks should come down.
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DJ Davis was the 1st round pick this past year, a right handed high school outfielder. Davis' best tool now (as with many high schoolers) is is plus speed. Its graded a natural 80 by several scouting services. He played at three levels due to his early signing, producing a .356 wOBA. His swing is compact and stays in the zone, and his strong hands might help lead to some decent power as he maturesd. He currently is more of a slap hitter, which works with his speed. His arm is the tool that has most scouts worried, since its not very good.
Daniel Norris is another high schooler taken in the past several years by the Jays, a 6'2 left handed pitcher. Norris missed out on time during his drafted year due to signing at the deadline, and it showed in his first full season where he posted just a 8.44 ERA and allowed a .320 batting average against. He did however post a 3.81 FIP, due to a low BABIP and an outstanding strike out rate of 9.77 K/9. Despite a large change to his mechanics, his control was still in the 3.8 BB/9 region. His fastball sits in the low 90s, which he can dial up to 96 when he needs to. His curveball has good rotation, and his changeup is well commanded.
With the departure of D'arnaud, AJ Jimenez becomes the systems top catching prospect. Jimenez is more of a defensive catcher than a hitter (He posted just a .305 wOBA last year). He isn't a power hitter with just 14 home runs in his 5 minor league seasons, but should be able to hit for average because of his good hands and bat speed. He missed time with Tommy John surgery, so his recovery will be interesting. Christian Lopes is a middle infielder that was on the radar for his play as a 13 year old in Huntington Beach. He posted a .362 wOBA last year, He shows good power with a .204 ISO as well, . Defensively, he's a great fit for 2B, with the ability to spot fill in for SS.
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