Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 6: Alan Roden

Photo credit: © Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 23, 2024, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 23, 2024, 15:55 EDT

The prospect we’ll look at in this article could join the Toronto Blue Jays as soon as next season.

This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual Mid-Season top prospect list, where we’ll look at the 35 best prospects in the Blue Jays system. We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and other publication’s scouting reports if available.

Let’s take a look at our sixth-best prospect, Alan Roden!

Getting to know Alan Roden…

Position: Outfielder

Bats: Left

Born: December 22, 1999

Acquired: 3rd-round, 2022 draft (Blue Jays)

Previous ranking: 7

The Blue Jays drafted Alan Roden during the 2022 draft out of Creighton University, who are ironically named the Blue Jays. After a terrific junior year where he slashed .387/.492/.598 with a 3.3 K% and a 12 BB%, Roden had a good start to his professional career.

With the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays in 2022, he slashed .233/.374/.311 with one home run in 115 plate appearances, along with a higher BB% (14.8%) than K% (11.3%). The 2023 season was his breakout year, though, as he slashed .317/.430/.459 with 10 home runs in 532 plate appearances for a 149 wRC+ between High-A Vancouver and Double-A New Hampshire.

Roden was even better in 2024. Starting the season with the Double-A New Hampshire, Roden slashed .267/.373/.432 with seven home runs in 244 plate appearances, along with an 11.9 BB% and a 13.9 K% for a 133 wRC+. In Triple-A, Roden slashed .314/.406/.510 with nine home runs in 286 plate appearances, giving him a career-high 16 home runs.

According to MLB Pipeline’s mid-season update, Roden ranked as their 13th-best prospect. In an attempt to generate more power, the Blue Jays changed his stance in 2023 and made some adjustments to it in 2024, leading to Roden hitting 16 home runs. Safe to say they’ve achieved their goal.

However, Roden’s best tool is easily his hit tool. The 24-year-old outfielder has a terrific approach at the plate and draws a ton of walks while rarely striking out. Roden has the ability to hit for a high average and will likely be stuck playing a corner outfield role.