Parker outta the Park! The @BlueJays prospect knocks his first homer of the Fall, a two-run shot. Parker is batting .600 to start his Fall campaign after batting .253 across 87 MiLB games this season
Blue Jays Arizona Fall League check-in: Aaron Parker has found success in limited playing time
Photo credit: © Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Oct 21, 2026, 17:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 21, 2026, 16:29 EDT
It’s time for another check-in on how Toronto Blue Jays prospects are performing at the Arizona Fall League.
Since last week’s check-in on October 13th, the eight Blue Jays’ prospects have played in six games with the Mesa Solar Sox, going 3-3 to move their season record to 5-7.
Let’s take a look at how this past week went for the eight prospects participating in the month-long league.
Position players
The Blue Jays have three position players attending the Arizona Fall League, Jake Cook, Jake Casey, and Aaron Parker. Moreover, former top Blue Jay prospect Arjun Nimmala has been terrific in the games he’s played.
Parker has seen limited playing time this AFL season, but he’s been terrific when he’s been in the lineup. The 23-year-old played three of his four games this past week, hitting his first home run of the AFL season and going 4-11 with four walks and two strikeouts. In his four games, Parker is slashing .438/.550/.625 in 20 plate appearances, with more walks (four) than strikeouts (two).
Interestingly, the game he hit his home run in, a 7-4 victory for the Solar Sox, Parker started the game in left field. It was just the third game he’s played in the outfield since turning professional, as he appeared in three games for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats towards the end of the 2026 season.
Parker is a catcher by trade, but his best chance of cracking the Blue Jays’ roster is as an outfielder. Despite a 5’7”, 210 lbs, the right-handed batter managed to hit 19 home runs with the Fisher Cats in 2026.
Cook has looked like the hitter he was in college, at least his batting average. Since the last check-in, he has notched six singles in 19 at-bats, but has yet to do any extra-base damage. On top of his six singles, he also drove in two runs and struck out four times. The Blue Jays’ outfield prospect is slashing .333/.394/.727, with all 10 of his hits being singles. He’s 7/8 in stolen base attempts, but has struck out in nine of his 33 plate appearances, a 27.3 K%.
Casey has had a tough AFL nearly three weeks in. In his four games this past week, he went 1-19 with six strikeouts, an RBI, and a single. Overall, he’s rocking a .097/.243/.226 slash line with a double and a home run in 37 plate appearances. He’s also struck out a boat load, posting a 43.2 K% through 37 plate appearances.
Former Blue Jay prospect, Arjun Nimmala, had a terrific week. In the five games he played, he notched seven hits, five of which were of extra-base variety. In his 51 plate appearances, the shortstop is slashing .293/.431/.537 with a home run, three doubles, and two triples.
Pitchers
So far this fall, 2022 first-round pick Brandon Barriera has appeared in two games, with one of them coming this past week. In his inning and a third, he allowed one hit and a walk, but didn’t give up an earned run. The southpaw’s ERA remains flawless, but his 14.3 K% is a bit worrisome.
Reliever Yondrei Rojas appeared in just one game, throwing a scoreless inning on October 16th, striking out a batter in the process. Like Barriera, Rojas has yet to surrender an earned run, owning a 0 ERA in his five innings of work, paired with a 25 K%.
Fernando Perez appeared in the game the following day, hurling an inning and two-thirds. He gave up an unearned run and struck out two, but also walked three. In his two appearances, the 22-year-old has a 6 ERA in three innings of work, with a higher BB% (26.3%) than K% (10.5%). That’s not particularly encouraging for a righty that had a tough 2026 season.
Two Blue Jays prospects appeared in two games this past week, Jake Bloss and Gilberto Bautista. Starting with the former, Bloss hurled four and two-thirds innings since the last check-in, giving up two earned runs, a walk, and struck out six. Over three starts, he has a 2.70 in six and two-thirds innings, with a 26.1 K% and 4.3 BB%.
As for Batista he threw three innings of work, giving up one earned run and a walk, striking out two in the process. Acquired in the Danny Jansen trade ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, the righty has a 5.40 ERA in five innings of work, appearing in four games thus far. The 21-year-old’s strikeout percentage sits at 25%, but he’s also rocking a 20.8 BB%.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.