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News and Notes: Peyton Williams will participate in the Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby
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Photo credit: Dunedin Blue Jays
Ryley Delaney
Nov 5, 2024, 20:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 6, 2024, 05:16 EST
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For the second consecutive season, the Toronto Blue Jays will have a player participating in the Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby.
On Tuesday, the Arizona Fall League announced that Blue Jays’ first baseman Peyton Williams was one of eight players participating in the Arizona Fall League.
He’ll be joined by Carter Jensen, Josue Briceño, Jac Caglianone, Kala’i Roasrio, Brock Wilken, Moisés Ballesteros, and Garrett Martin.
So far in the AFL, Williams is slashing .293/.328/.535 with three home runs in 61 plate appearances, along with a 24.6 K% and a 4.9 BB%. Selected in the seventh round of the 2022 draft, Williams had a great 2024 season with the High-A Vancouver Canadians, as he slashed .289/.362/.476 with 11 home runs in 334 plate appearances.
Last season, the Blue Jays representative in the AFL HR derby, Damiano Palmegiani, finished as the runner-up. Hopefully, Williams will have better success.
Williams is one of three finalists for the final American League spot in the All-Star game. Voting ends this Thursday at 8:59:59 PM ET, so make sure to vote for him at the link here!

The Toronto Blue Jays want to upgrade a handful of positions this off-season

According to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith, the Blue Jays want to upgrade the corner outfield, second base, and third base positions (in that order) offensively this off-season.
Third base has been a long-term issue for the Jays, with Matt Chapman filling the gap for two years before a plethora of prospects, as well as Ernie Clement and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, played there last season.
Looking to upgrade at second base is a bit surprising, as the Jays have a ton of players on the 40-man roster who could play there, including Ernie Clement, Orelvis Martínez, Leo Jiménez, and Davis Schneider. If they add a player like Gleyber Torres though, that could be a long-term solution.
However, power from a corner outfielder is something that the team has been lacking since trading away Teoscar Hernández after the 2022 season. There are quite a few good options available (not named Juan Soto), such as Hernández and Anthony Santander.

Brent Rooker will stay an Athletic

On Tuesday, Athletics’ general manager David Forst said that the team will keep Brent Rooker, according to Jon Heyman.
If the Blue Jays wanted to acquire Rooker, it would’ve cost quite a few top prospects, on top of an arm and a leg. Last season with the Athletics, he slashed .293/.365/.562 with 39 home runs in 614 plate appearances, giving him a 5.1 fWAR and a 164 wRC+. For all qualified batters, his wRC+ ranked seventh in the league, slightly behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 165 wRC+.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he transitions to become the full-time designated hitter in the future, as his defensive numbers in the outfield aren’t great. However, this off-season will be Rooker’s first of arbitration year, meaning he won’t become a free agent until the end of the 2027 season.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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