Blue Jays Nation’s Pre-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 44: Zach Britton

Photo credit:(Mark Steffens - Fotoguy)

5 months ago

The Blue Jays don’t have a ton of outfield prospects, but this article’s prospect is one of the more intriguing ones.

This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual pre-season list, in which I’ll take a look at the top 50 prospects in the organization. We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and other publications’ scouting reports if available.

Let’s take a look at Zach Britton.

Getting to know Zach Britton…

Position: Outfielder/Catcher

Bats: Left

Born: September 9, 1998

Acquired: 5th-round, 2020 draft (Blue Jays)

2023 Team: Double-A New Hampshire

Previous Ranking: 29

Britton made his organization debut in 2021 with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, where he slashed .225/.372/.371 with seven homers in 333 plate appearances, along with a 14.4 BB% and a 30.6 K% for a 112 wRC+.

The 25-year-old broke out in 2022, slashing .239/.390/.441 with seven home runs in 236 plate appearances with the High-A Vancouver Canadians. On top of that, he had a 17.4 BB% to a 29.7 K% for a 136 wRC+. Britton was promoted to Double-A that season, where he slashed .234/.355/.453 with three homers in 76 plate appearances, along with a 15.8 BB% and a 22.4 K% for a 123 wRC+.

Britton only played the first two months of the season with a stint on the injured list after just four games, along with missing May 26th to the end of the year. Still, he looked impressive when he did play, as he slashed .218/.427/.309 with a home run in 75 plate appearances.

It’s a small sample size, but he had a higher BB% (26.7%) than K% (21.3%). Furthermore, the drop in K% at every level is encouraging, even if Britton only has 151 plate appearances in Double-A.

What stands out about Britton is his eye at the plate. He’s never had a K% below 14.4% in professional ball which helps him get on base. He’s never going to hit for a high-average, nor is there a ton of power in his bat, but getting on base is still important. Defensively, Britton will likely find himself transitioning to left field in the future. The 25-year-old was limited to 17 games in 2023 and spent 68 innings in the corner outfield compared to just 16 innings behind the dish.

The 2024 season will be a big one for Britton, as he has to remain healthy to improve his stock once again. On top of having the great eye, he has to either improve defensively or hit for more power to position himself for a chance to join Toronto in the coming years.