Blue Jays Nation’s 2023 Preseason Top 50: #13 Cade Doughty
1 year ago
We’re heading back to the 2022 draft class once again, and looking at Cade Doughty.
It’s not a stretch to say that the 21-year-old third baseman/second baseman made the biggest impact out of any of the 2022 draftees for the Blue Jays.
However, before we look into that, let’s look at the scouting criteria.
Brennan’s criteria:
Instead of writing this out every time I did for the mid-season Top 60, I’ll copy and paste my criteria for how I rank and scout these players.
There are many factors that determine a top prospect. The eye test is the biggest driver in determining a top prospect, but proximity to the majors, ceiling, and floor is also important. Moreover, statistics are another key ingredient, as everything works together to give you numbers.
As for the grades, it’s important to remember that they are relative to the league in which they play. A kid from Dunedin is not going to have a 50-grade hit tool if he were placed in the big leagues. But relative to the league in which he plays, a .300 hitter is eligible to have that grade.
For these prospects, I’ll be reviewing their background, numbers in the minors, pitch mix (if they’re a pitcher), and giving a scouting report (if feasible, rookie league guys are difficult).
Let’s jump in!
Cade Doughty‘s career so far:
The 21-year-old second baseman/third baseman was drafted with the 78th pick in the 2022 draft.
He spent his first few professional months with the Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays, slashing .272/.370/495 with seven homers in 119 plate appearances. He had a solid 8.4 BB% and a slightly above-average K% of 24.4%. His seven home runs (one in the playoffs) rank tied for fourth in the 2022 draft class.
Looking at the other half of his 2022 spent with the Louisiana State University Tigers, he slashed .298/.393/.567 with 15 homers in just 282 plate appearances. He had a 17.4 K% and a 10.3 BB%.
For his entire collegiate career, he slashed .301/.379/.541 with 30 homers in 603 plate appearances, along with a 14.8 K% and a 9.3 BB%.
Scouting report:
Doughty is tall, with filled-in legs and gigantic shoulders, Doughty still has room for projection. What immediately stands out about Doughty is his raw power and quick bat speed, which could increase even more as he fills out his frame. He could also end up hitting for average as well, as he has solid bat-to-ball skills, but has some swing-and-miss in his game. He has a strong arm that’s suited for third base but can play both there and second base due to good instincts. An average runner.
Grades:
Hit: 50
Power: 55
Run: 50
Arm: 55
Field: 50
Overall: 45
Where he’ll start in 2023:
As a college-drafted player, it’s likely that the then 22-year-old will start his season with the High-A Vancouver Canadians. If he can continue to mash as he did to start the first few months of his professional career, it could be a quick rise up the minors for Doughty. The only noticeable flaw in Doughty’s first professional season was the elevated K%, but that’s only once you apply it to the context of what he had done in college.
Doughty is an intriguing prospect that everyone should keep an eye on heading into 2023.
What’s next:
Next up, we’ll have a prospect that has been in the Blue Jays organization for seven seasons now. This prospect played in the last few days of the 2022 season with the Blue Jays, so stay tuned!
In case you missed it:
As always, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Brennan_L_D.
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