Blue Jays invite 12 internal prospects to Spring Training Camp

2 years ago

On Monday morning, the Toronto Blue Jays announced 12 Internal Non-Roster Spring Training Invitees.

Top prospects:

Prospects Jordan Groshans and Orelvis Martinez are the two most notable names as they rank high on most Blue Jays prospect lists. It’s likely that Groshans starts the season in Triple A, but he could be a September call up depending on how the upcoming season goes for the 22-year-old infielder.

Martinez is one to keep an eye on, as I believe the 20-year-old shortstop could be considered a top prospect in the MLB by the end of the season. Perhaps even generational? This is due to his 28 home runs between Low and High A last season. Expect Orelvis to start in High A, with the chance to move to Double A.

Returning players:

Both Nick Allgeyer and Jeremy Beasley pitched for the Blue Jays in 2021. Allgeyer only pitched an inning and didn’t allow a run before being sent back to Triple A. The 26-year-old lefty didn’t have a great season with Buffalo, as he pitched 89.1 innings and posted a 5.34 ERA and a FIP of 5.60.

While you may ask “why the heck is Beasley still on this team?”, which is a valid question, let’s jump into his stats. He pitched 18.2 innings in Triple A and posted a 2.89 ERA and 3.15 FIP. He also had a K/9 of 12.54, which is the exact K/9 he had in the majors. There is a concern about his elevated BB/9 of 7.53, but the Blue Jays obviously see something in the 26-year-old righty.

Prospects that made my Top 20 list:

Obviously Groshans and Martinez made my list, but so did Kyle Johnston and Adrian Hernandez.

Johnston turned his 2021 season around after a move to the bullpen as he finished the season with a 1.57 ERA in 69 (nice) innings pitched between Double A and Triple A. You can read more about him here.

Adrian Hernandez is an interesting bullpen piece that could be up with the Jays sooner rather than later. Unlike almost every single professional pitcher, the 22-year-old doesn’t throw his 4-seam fastball the majority of the time. In fact, he throws his 70-grade changeup in place of his low 90s fastball. You can read more about him and his insane K/9 here.

Ones to watch:

22-year-old Maximo Castillo is a right handed pitcher who put up alright numbers in Double A in 2021. In 102 innings pitched, he registered an ERA of 4.85 and a FIP of 4.45. Why does he make this list? Well he pitched in the Venezuelan Winter League where he was 6.5 years younger than the average pitcher and posted good numbers (2.33 ERA) in his 19.1 innings pitched.

Fitz Stadler’s inclusion has 5% to do with his name and 95% to do with what he offers. Firstly, the 24-year-old is 6’9, so the Jays obviously love him. He also has touched triple digits per Scott Mitchell, so he’s definitely one to keep an eye on.

I’ve written about 24-year-old centre fielder Chavez Young before. He is by far the best defensive outfielder that the Jays have in the organization, MLB included. He had a fine season in Double A in 2021, meaning that the next step for the man from The Bahamas is Triple A. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Jays call him up at some point in the season, as he is the perfect utility outfielder.

Other players:

27-year-old right handed pitcher Shaun Anderson

26-year-old catcher Chris Bec

26-year-old right handed pitcher, Graham Spraker

As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.

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