In the three trade deadline moves the Toronto Blue Jays have made, there has only been one pitcher they’ve acquired.
That pitcher, Gilberto Batista, was acquired on Saturday evening when the Blue Jays traded longest-tenured Blue Jay, Danny Jansen, to the Boston Red Sox. Moreover, they acquired Cutter Coffey and Eddinson Paulino, both of whom have already had a “getting to know” article written about them. In this article, we’ll focus on Batista.
The 19-year-old Dominican Republic native signed with the Red Sox for $10,000 back in November 2022, and made his debut with the organization in 2023. With the Dominican Summer League Red Sox, Batista posted a 3.54 ERA and a 3.02 FIP in 40.2 innings pitched (nine starts in 11 appearances). Moreover, he had a 33.5 K% and a 5 BB%.
Coming stateside for the 2024 season, Batista has had some troubles with command (13.7 BB%), while his K% dropped to 24.2%. Still, he was effective for the FCL Red Sox, posting a 3.92 ERA and a 3.48 FIP in 20.2 innings pitched. Five of his eight appearances were as a starter.
According to D.M. Fox, author and creator of Future Blue Jays Newsletter, the 19-year-old features a fastball that maxes out at 95 mph, noting that Batista can have issues commanding that pitch for strikes. Other pitches in his repertoire include a slider, a cutter, and a mid-80s changeup “with promising fade”.
As of Saturday, Batista was assigned to the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, but it’s unsure if he’s ready to make that jump just yet. The Florida Complex League season completed a few days ago, so there isn’t really anywhere for him to pitch unless he does so for Dunedin. Rookie league pitchers are always wild cards, but his results the past two seasons are interesting.
Either way, Batista will be a fun prospect to track over the coming years, as it looks like there’s something there. 
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