<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Once a catching factory, the Toronto Blue Jays only have one catcher in our mid-season Top 35 Prospects list.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prior to the start of the Top 35 list, we’ll look at some notable players that were left off the list in five separate articles: Catchers, infielders, outfielders, starting pitchers, and relief pitchers. In this article, we’ll look at notable catchers that were left off our top 35 list.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s dig in!</span></p>
<h2><b>Franklin Rojas</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Franklin Rojas ranked as my 28th-best prospect heading into the 2024 season and is one of only two catchers that made my preseason top 50. Signed through the international free agency at the beginning of the season, Rojas hasn’t had a great season in the Dominican Summer League, slashing .211/.383/.254 with one double and one triple in 95 plate appearances.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A good sign with his stats is that he has a higher BB% (16.8%) than K% (15.8%), but he has spent the majority of his season in the designated hitter role, starting 15 games there compared to eight starts at catcher.</span></p>
<h2><b>Zach Britton</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Britton was the other catcher on the top 50 preseason list, ranking as my 44th-best prospect in the Blue Jays system. Prior to the beginning of the 2023 season, Britton was my 23rd-best prospect.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sadly, the catcher/outfielder retired earlier this season after slashing .205/.290/.312 with four home runs in 231 plate appearances with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He missed a large chunk of the 2023 season after breaking out in 2022.</span></p>
<h2><b>Phil Clarke</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Phil Clarke was selected in the ninth round of the 2019 draft, and every time I update the top prospect list, he’s always under consideration for a spot. One of the most underrated prospects in the farm system in 2023, he slashed .260/.381/.391 with six homers in 259 plate appearances with the Fisher Cats, posting a 121 wRC+.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">A PHIL CLARKE HOME RUN GIVES THE HERD THE LEAD😤 <a href="https://t.co/FmefPMPrW2">pic.twitter.com/FmefPMPrW2</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuffaloBisons/status/1819549494842667166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now 26, Clarke started his season with the Fisher Cats, slashing .307/.421/.366 with no home runs in 121 plate appearances, but had a crazily low 4.1 BB% with a high 13.2 BB% for a 135 wRC+. With the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, he’s slashing .257/.373/.371 with two home runs in 126 plate appearances. His K% jumped to 15.9%, while his BB% sat at 14.3%.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Clarke could easily contend for a roster spot next season but will need to improve the defensive aspects of his game.</span></p>
<h2><b>Edward Duran</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Edward Duran was acquired in a trade at the 2022 deadline, alongside Zach Pop and Anthony Bass for Jordan Groshans. The catcher/first baseman had a great 2023 season, slashing .315/.422/.417 with two homers in 154 plate appearances between the Florida Complex League and Single-A.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He’s been okay in his first full season in Single-A, slashing .233/.352/.308 with no home runs (13 doubles, two triples), along with a 13.6 BB% and a 15 K% for a 99 wRC+. The power needs to develop, and he’s thrown out 23.9% of batters with 13 passed balls.</span></p>
<h2><b>Luis Meza</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Blue Jays signed catcher Luis Meza as their top prospect during the 2022 international free-agency period. Unfortunately, his professional career has yet to bear any fruits, as he slashed .274/.361/.290 with one double in 72 plate appearances with the Florida Complex League Jays.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While it was his best season in terms of slash line and wRC+ (90, compared to 54 in 2022 and 39 in 2023), his bat hasn’t lived up to the potential.</span></p>
<h2><b>Jacob Sharp</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the Blue Jays traded Yimi García to the Seattle Mariners, I was obviously very excited for Jonatan Clase, but catcher Jacob Sharp also piqued my interest.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Standing at 5’7”, 180 lb, Sharp hit six home runs in 191 plate appearances with the Mariners’ High-A team, along with an impressive 9.4 BB% and 9.9 K% for a 104 wRC+. Upon joining the Vancouver Canadians in the same league, he quickly hit three home runs in his first five stars and is slashing .235/.297/.559 with a 5.4 BB% and K% in 37 plate appearances for a 133 wRC+.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">JACOB SHARP 💣 </p>
<p>A 3-run blast that ties it up at 5!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AtTheNat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AtTheNat</a> <a href="https://t.co/a6vRlsy2Me">pic.twitter.com/a6vRlsy2Me</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Vancouver Canadians (@vancanadians) <a href="https://twitter.com/vancanadians/status/1819501724601929958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His short stature, ability to walk with a low strikeout rate, and pop in his bat reminds me a lot of Alejandro Kirk. Since joining the team, he’s thrown out five of 21 batters.</span></p>
<h2><b>Aaron Parker</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moving to the “ones to watch”, we have 21-year-old catcher Aaron Parker, who the Blue Jays selected in the sixth round last month. In his final season with the University of California at Santa Barbara, the 5’9”, 200lb catcher hit 12 home runs and slashed .379/.460/.632 in 224 plate appearances.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Aaron Parker’s first pro homer left no doubt. </p>
<p>A 4️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ foot rocket 🚀 <a href="https://t.co/98wa3muR90">pic.twitter.com/98wa3muR90</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Dunedin Blue Jays (@DunedinBlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/DunedinBlueJays/status/1819746440832237839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He picked up where he left off in his professional debut, as he’s slashed .257/.350/.514 with two home runs in 40 plate appearances, along with a 12.5 BB% and 22.5 K% with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.</span></p>
<h2><b>Brock Tibbitts</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brock Tibbitts was also drafted in the 2024 draft with the Jays’ 13th-round pick. In his final season with Indiana University Bloomington, the 21-year-old slashed .313/.404/.472 with four home runs in 213 plate appearances, along with 21 walks to 30 strikeouts.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joining Parker in Single-A, Tibbitts hasn’t found the same success in his brief tenure with the D-Jays, as he’s slashing .241/.333/.241 with seven singles in 33 plate appearances. His walk-to-strikeout splits are solid though, walking 9.9% of the time as opposed to a 12.1 K%.</span></p>
<h2><b>Alex Stone</b></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Blue Jays signed senior Alex Stone as an undrafted free agent at the end of the 2024 draft. In his final season with Duke University, he slashed .312/.365/.547 with 13 home runs in 274 plate appearances, along with 11 walks to 48 strikeouts.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This was slightly worse than his 2023 season, where he slashed .315/.379/.579 with 17 home runs in 282 plate appearances, along with 17 walks to 43 strikeouts. Standing at 6’5”, 235 lbs, the catcher/first baseman/sometimes right fielder has some pop in his bat, and he’ll be a fun undrafted free agent to watch as he starts his professional career.</span></p>
<hr />
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.</span></i></p>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Once a catching factory, the Toronto Blue Jays only have one catcher in our mid-season Top 35 Prospects list.</span>



<span style="font-weight: 400;">Prior to the start of the Top 35 list, we’ll look at some notable players that were left off the list in five separate articles: Catchers, infielders, outfielders, starting pitchers, and relief pitchers. In this article, we’ll look at notable catchers that were left off our top 35 list.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s dig in!</span>
<h2><b>Franklin Rojas</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Franklin Rojas ranked as my 28th-best prospect heading into the 2024 season and is one of only two catchers that made my preseason top 50. Signed through the international free agency at the beginning of the season, Rojas hasn’t had a great season in the Dominican Summer League, slashing .211/.383/.254 with one double and one triple in 95 plate appearances.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A good sign with his stats is that he has a higher BB% (16.8%) than K% (15.8%), but he has spent the majority of his season in the designated hitter role, starting 15 games there compared to eight starts at catcher.</span>
<h2><b>Zach Britton</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Britton was the other catcher on the top 50 preseason list, ranking as my 44th-best prospect in the Blue Jays system. Prior to the beginning of the 2023 season, Britton was my 23rd-best prospect.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Sadly, the catcher/outfielder retired earlier this season after slashing .205/.290/.312 with four home runs in 231 plate appearances with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He missed a large chunk of the 2023 season after breaking out in 2022.</span>
<h2><b>Phil Clarke</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Phil Clarke was selected in the ninth round of the 2019 draft, and every time I update the top prospect list, he’s always under consideration for a spot. One of the most underrated prospects in the farm system in 2023, he slashed .260/.381/.391 with six homers in 259 plate appearances with the Fisher Cats, posting a 121 wRC+.</span>

https://twitter.com/BuffaloBisons/status/1819549494842667166

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Now 26, Clarke started his season with the Fisher Cats, slashing .307/.421/.366 with no home runs in 121 plate appearances, but had a crazily low 4.1 BB% with a high 13.2 BB% for a 135 wRC+. With the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, he’s slashing .257/.373/.371 with two home runs in 126 plate appearances. His K% jumped to 15.9%, while his BB% sat at 14.3%.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Clarke could easily contend for a roster spot next season but will need to improve the defensive aspects of his game.</span>
<h2><b>Edward Duran</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Edward Duran was acquired in a trade at the 2022 deadline, alongside Zach Pop and Anthony Bass for Jordan Groshans. The catcher/first baseman had a great 2023 season, slashing .315/.422/.417 with two homers in 154 plate appearances between the Florida Complex League and Single-A.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He’s been okay in his first full season in Single-A, slashing .233/.352/.308 with no home runs (13 doubles, two triples), along with a 13.6 BB% and a 15 K% for a 99 wRC+. The power needs to develop, and he’s thrown out 23.9% of batters with 13 passed balls.</span>
<h2><b>Luis Meza</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Blue Jays signed catcher Luis Meza as their top prospect during the 2022 international free-agency period. Unfortunately, his professional career has yet to bear any fruits, as he slashed .274/.361/.290 with one double in 72 plate appearances with the Florida Complex League Jays.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">While it was his best season in terms of slash line and wRC+ (90, compared to 54 in 2022 and 39 in 2023), his bat hasn’t lived up to the potential.</span>
<h2><b>Jacob Sharp</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">When the Blue Jays traded Yimi García to the Seattle Mariners, I was obviously very excited for Jonatan Clase, but catcher Jacob Sharp also piqued my interest.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Standing at 5’7”, 180 lb, Sharp hit six home runs in 191 plate appearances with the Mariners’ High-A team, along with an impressive 9.4 BB% and 9.9 K% for a 104 wRC+. Upon joining the Vancouver Canadians in the same league, he quickly hit three home runs in his first five stars and is slashing .235/.297/.559 with a 5.4 BB% and K% in 37 plate appearances for a 133 wRC+.</span>

https://twitter.com/vancanadians/status/1819501724601929958

<span style="font-weight: 400;">His short stature, ability to walk with a low strikeout rate, and pop in his bat reminds me a lot of Alejandro Kirk. Since joining the team, he’s thrown out five of 21 batters.</span>
<h2><b>Aaron Parker</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Moving to the “ones to watch”, we have 21-year-old catcher Aaron Parker, who the Blue Jays selected in the sixth round last month. In his final season with the University of California at Santa Barbara, the 5’9”, 200lb catcher hit 12 home runs and slashed .379/.460/.632 in 224 plate appearances.</span>

https://twitter.com/DunedinBlueJays/status/1819746440832237839

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He picked up where he left off in his professional debut, as he’s slashed .257/.350/.514 with two home runs in 40 plate appearances, along with a 12.5 BB% and 22.5 K% with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.</span>
<h2><b>Brock Tibbitts</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Brock Tibbitts was also drafted in the 2024 draft with the Jays’ 13th-round pick. In his final season with Indiana University Bloomington, the 21-year-old slashed .313/.404/.472 with four home runs in 213 plate appearances, along with 21 walks to 30 strikeouts.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Joining Parker in Single-A, Tibbitts hasn’t found the same success in his brief tenure with the D-Jays, as he’s slashing .241/.333/.241 with seven singles in 33 plate appearances. His walk-to-strikeout splits are solid though, walking 9.9% of the time as opposed to a 12.1 K%.</span>
<h2><b>Alex Stone</b></h2>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Blue Jays signed senior Alex Stone as an undrafted free agent at the end of the 2024 draft. In his final season with Duke University, he slashed .312/.365/.547 with 13 home runs in 274 plate appearances, along with 11 walks to 48 strikeouts.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This was slightly worse than his 2023 season, where he slashed .315/.379/.579 with 17 home runs in 282 plate appearances, along with 17 walks to 43 strikeouts. Standing at 6’5”, 235 lbs, the catcher/first baseman/sometimes right fielder has some pop in his bat, and he’ll be a fun undrafted free agent to watch as he starts his professional career.</span>

<hr />

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.</span></i>

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