.@EddieMicheletti made sure his first professional homer came in grand fashion. A ninth-inning Grand Slam puts the Blue Jays up five 💣
Minor League Review: Solid season for Single-A Dunedin highlighted by Arjun Nimmala
Sep 29, 2024, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 29, 2024, 14:11 EDT
Although the Dunedin Blue Jays didn’t make the Florida State League playoffs, there were a ton of positives to take away from their season.
To end the month of September, we’re going to take a look at how minor league teams in the Toronto Blue Jays system did in 2024, as well as their top performers. In this article, we’ll take a look at the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.
Overall, the Dunedin Blue Jays finished with a record of 69-61, second in the overall standings in the Florida State League West. However, they were unable to win the first half (34-32) or the second half (35-29), meaning no playoff action for the second consecutive season.
Position players
The D-Jays had a huge boost in the second half, as they received the majority of the 2024 draftees. The team’s eighth-round pick, Eddie Micheletti Jr., was the best of the bunch in terms of wRC+, as he slashed .292/.422/.456 with two home runs in 90 plate appearances for a 155 wRC+.
Sixth-round pick Aaron Parker was fantastic as well, as he slashed .235/.380/.519 with five home runs in 100 plate appearances for a 154 wRC+. Fourth-round selection Sean Keys slashed .293/.378/.451 with one home run in 98 plate appearances, while Nick Mitchell slashed .289/.350/.467 with four home runs in 103 plate appearances for a 129 wRC+.
Aaron Parker’s first pro homer left no doubt. A 4️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ foot rocket 🚀
J.R. Freethy, Brock Tibbitts, and Carter Cunningham also had solid seasons post-draft, but there are two position players who spent the bulk of the season in the FSL that need to be mentioned as well. Victor Arias is quickly becoming a player to watch, as the 20-year-old slashed .279/.386/.454 with eight home runs in 332 plate appearances for a 141 wRC+.
After a slow start, 2023 first-round pick Arjun Nimmala finished the season slashing .232/.313/.476 with 16 home runs in 361 plate appearances for a 121 wRC+. He was ranked as our top prospect in our mid-season list.
Arjun Nimmala homer counter: 1️⃣6️⃣ The #BlueJays No. 5 prospect puts Dunedin in front!
Cristian Feliz showed tremendous power, hitting 14 home runs in 303 plate appearances, but had an insane 42.6 K% and a 9.9 BB%, along with a .189/.304/.394 slash line. Tucker Toman and Manuel Beltre are former top-30 prospects who had rough seasons as 20-year-olds.
Pitchers
The Dunedin Blue Jays had 29 pitchers with ten or more innings pitched. The ERA king was Landen Maroudis, who had a 0.84 ERA in 10.2 innings pitched but ended up needing Tommy John surgery early in the season.
Another pitcher who needed Tommy John surgery was Nolan Perry. It was a good season overall for the 21-year-old, as he finished the season with a 2.93 ERA and a 4.25 FIP in 46 innings pitched. Also needing Tommy John surgery was Carson Pierce, who had a 3.57 ERA and a 3.56 FIP in 17.2 innings pitched before earning a call-up to High-A Vancouver.
Blue Jays prospects Chad Dallas (Buffalo), Nolan Perry (Dunedin) and Carson Pierce (Vancouver) had Tommy John surgery earlier this month, source tells me & @ArdenZwelling. Top pitching prospects Ricky Tiedemann, Brandon Barriera & Landen Maroudis also had the procedure this yr
Ninth-round selection Colby Holcombe had a good professional debut, finishing the season with a 1.80 ERA and a 3.56 FIP in 15 innings pitched, along with a 19.7 K% and an 11.5 BB%. The Blue Jays acquired Gilberto Batista around the same time in the Danny Kansen trade, and he had a 2.70 ERA and a 3.74 FIP in 16.2 innings pitched.
Gilberto Batista made his FSL and organization debut yesterday. Here are all six of his strikeouts. The changeup and cutter are good pitchers, and I like the hesitation he adds in his delivery. The fastball touched over 95 mph, and average around 93 mph.
One of Toronto’s top pitching prospects, Fernando Pérez, had a solid season, finishing the year with a 4.06 ERA and a .347 FIP in 82 innings pitched, along with a 25.8 K% and a 7.2 BB%. The 20-year-old led the team in innings pitched.
There were a couple of starters who deserve a mention as well, even if they finished the season with the High-A Vancouver Canadians. Grant Rogers had a 4.26 ERA and a 4.22 FIP in 74 innings pitched, along with a 22.7 K% and a 7.1 BB% prior to his call-up to Vancouver. Juaron Watts-Brown also had a great season with Dunedin, posting a 3.43 ERA and a 3.17 FIP in 57.2 innings pitched, along with a 30.3 K% and an 11.9 BB%.
Connor O’Halloran was great for the D-Jays, posting a 3.13 ERA and a 4.01 FIP in 37.1 innings pitched, but had a rough tenure in Vancouver. Irv Carter transitioned to the bullpen and had a 3.18 ERA and a 4.72 FIP in 56.2 innings pitched, along with a 24.7 K% and a 13.2 BB%.
It’s unfortunate that the D-Jays missed the postseason due to how the league is structured, but all in all, it was a decent season for the Blue Jays’ Single-A affiliate.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.