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Notable outfielders that missed out on Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Top 35 Prospect list
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Photo credit: © Nicole Hester - The Tennessean/USA Today
Ryley Delaney
Aug 17, 2024, 20:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 17, 2024, 23:53 EDT
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In years prior, one of the weakest positions for organizational depth had been in the outfield. However, the Toronto Blue Jays have been improving upon their position in the past two or so years, and that’s reflected in our Top 35 Prospects list.
Prior to the list itself, we’ll look at notable players who missed the list in five separate articles. So far, we’ve looked at catchers and infielders, and in this article, we’ll look at the outfielders. It’ll be a mix of players that fell off the list, as well as notable names (mainly players just acquired), who missed out.
Let’s dig in!

RJ Schreck

If we’re being realistic, RJ Schreck could have easily ranked in the backend of the Top 35 Mid-Season Prospect list. However, he just missed the cut, even though he’ll rank comfortably on the 2025 Preseason prospect list.
Acquired when the Blue Jays sent Justin Turner to the Seattle Mariners, the 23-year-old outfielder selected in the ninth-round of the 2023 draft tore up High-A when he was with Seattle, slashing .261/.401/.464 with 12 home runs in 344 plate appearances for a 146 wRC+, along with a higher BB% (16.6%) than K% (13.7%).
However, he couldn’t find the same success in his brief tenure with Seattle’s Double-A team, slashing .143/.294/.250 with no homers in 34 plate appearances. It’s worth noting that he only played in two home games.
The script has been completely reversed since joining the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats though. In 48 plate appearances, Schreck is slashing .300/.417/.550 with two home runs, along with a 16.7 BB% and a 20.8 K% for a 172 wRC+.
It’ll be fun to monitor how he does in his first full season in the organization.

Nick Mitchell

The Blue Jays selected Nick Mitchell with their compensation pick after the fourth-round that they received for Matt Chapman departing the team. Although his tenure in professional baseball has been brief, Mitchell is slashing .259/.353/.519 with two homers in 34 plate appearances with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.
For context, Mitchell only hit five home runs in his final year of college in 260 plate appearances, so a power surge is very interesting to see. Mitchell has shown speed on the bases during his collegiate career and has a good understanding of the strike zone, walking more than he struck out in 2024 during his final year in the NCAA.

Eddie Micheletti Jr.

Eddie Micheletti Jr. was also selected in the 2024 draft, as the Blue Jays selected him with their eighth-round pick.
Like Mitchell, Micheletti Jr.’s tenure with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays has been brief, but he’s put up solid results in that time. He’s slashing .348/.484/.522 with no home runs but four doubles in 31 plate appearances, along with five walks and strikeouts.
He played catcher in his collegiate days but has started six games in left field with Dunedin, seemingly his defensive home for his professional career.

Yorman Licourt

The Blue Jays signed 20-year-old Cuban outfielder Yorman Licourt during the 2024 international free agency period, and his first season in the Dominican Summer League has been good. In 178 plate appearances, Licourt is slashing .282/.377/.430 with four home runs, along with a 12.4 BB% and a 30.9 K% for a 119 wRC+.
The strikeout rate is concerning, but he’s hit 13 extra-base hits so far this season and will be a player worth monitoring as he moves stateside, likely next season.

Steward Berroa

Out of any prospect in the Blue Jays organization, there isn’t a more fun player than outfielder Steward Berroa.
This season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, Berroa slashed .296/.387/.456 with a career-high eight home runs in 239 plate appearances, along with a 12.1 BB% and a 23.8 K%. Moreover, he stole 30 bases in 38 attempts, easily the best season he’s had in his career.
The Blue Jays added him to the 40-man roster and called him up, where he’s been used sparingly as a fifth outfielder. With Toronto, he’s slashing .136/.321/.182 with a 21.4 BB% and a 28.6 K%, along with a double. Defensively, the 25-year-old has done his job, posting 1 Defensive Runs Saved and 1 Outs Above Average in 67 innings played in the outfield.

Robert Robertis

Prior to the start of the 2023 season, I had pegged Robert Robertis to be a breakout prospect for the Blue Jays. However, he slashed a measly .184/.287/.230 with one home run in 230 plate appearances for a 51 wRC+. Of the 101 players in the organization with 50 or more plate appearances, this ranked 93.
Robertis started the season on the Injured List and managed 102 plate appearances where he slashed .226/.343/.321 with a home run in the Florida Complex League and Single-A before eventually being released from his contract.

Gabriel Martinez

Shifting to players that ranked on Blue Jays Nation’s Top 50 Preseason Prospect list, Gabriel Martinez’s struggles the past two seasons need to be studied.
Thanks to a terrific 2022 season where he slashed .293/.355/.477 with 14 home runs between the Florida Complex League, Single-A, and High-A for a 137 wRC+, Martinez ranked as my eighth-best prospect in the team’s organization heading into the 2023 season.
However, the 2023 season in High-A wasn’t great for the outfielder, as he slashed .242/.300/.374 with 12 home runs in 448 plate appearances, along with a 6.9 BB% and a 16.5 K% for an 82 wRC+, down from 141 wRC+ in 113 plate appearances with Vancouver the season prior.
Now in Double-A, Martinez is slashing .219/.276/.341 with six home runs in 348 plate appearances, along with a 6.9 BB% and a 14.4 K% for a career-worst 75 wRC+. Thankfully, he only recently turned 22 so there’s still hope for him.
Coming into the 2024 season, he ranked as our 27th-best prospect.

Brennan Orf

Brennan Orf was selected in the 13th round of the 2023 draft and could very well be a steal. In his first season professionally, he slashed .224/.439/.308 with no home runs in 148 plate appearances, but posted a 127 wRC+ with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.
When he’s been healthy this season, he’s been good for the High-A Vancouver Canadians, as he’s slashing .227/.344/.424 with four home runs, along with a 14.6 BB% and a 23.6 K%. However, he’s only had 157 plate appearances with Vancouver and had a lengthy stint on the Injured List.
Coming into the season, Orf ranked as Blue Jays Nation’s 30th-best prospect.

Andres Arias

Andres Arias, sometimes stylized as Junior Arias or Yunior Arias, was signed by the Blue Jays during the 2024 international free agency period. According to MLB Pipeline, he was the 34th-best available prospect during the 2024 international free agency period.
The 17-year-old’s numbers have been good with the Dominican Summer League Jays, as he’s slashing .308/.429/.404 in 64 plate appearances with five doubles, but his season only got underway on July 29.
He’s someone to look forward to, as he has good raw power and graded 50s everywhere else according to MLB Pipeline. He ranked as our 33rd-best Blue Jays’ prospect on the 2024 Preseason Prospect list.

Yhoangel Aponte

Yhoangel Aponte had a mini-breakout in 2023, slashing .244/.357/.483 with a career-best nine home runs in 207 plate appearances between the Florida Complex League and Single-A Dunedin.
However, in his first full season with the D-Jays, the 20-year-old is slashing .185/.309/.297 with four home runs in 298 plate appearances, along with a high 30.2 K%. After starting the season with the team, he was demoted to the FCL where he slashed .139/.238/.250 with a home run in 42 plate appearances, while his K% increased to 35.7%.
In our 2024 Preseason Prospect list, Aponte ranked as the 40th-best prospect.

Devonte Brown

Every time I write about Devonte Brown, I always ask “how was this outfielder undrafted”. That still rings true, as he’s played well in Double-A this season.
The 24-year-old is slashing .243/.356/.377 with eight home runs in 354 plate appearances, along with a 13 BB% and a 36.2 K%. His BABIP is a rather high .394, but it’s lessened significantly since I wrote about him for the Prospect Profile.
Of course, the strikeout rate will need to be improved, especially when he hits Triple-A, as he’ll be facing experienced pitchers with big-league experience. However, Brown features good speed (13/15 in stolen base attempts), raw power, and good defence.
There’s a lot to like about the outfielder, and he ranked as our 42nd-best prospect heading into the season.

David Guzmán

David Guzmán was signed by the Blue Jays during the 2023 international free agency window and had a great debut season with the Dominican Summer League Blue Jays. The 17-year-old left-handed batter slashed .292/.403/.390 with two home runs in 231 plate appearances, along with a higher BB% (11.7 K%) than K% (10.8%).
However, the success hasn’t translated since coming stateside, as the outfielder is slashing .223/.348/.277 with no home runs and five doubles in 115 plate appearances with the Florida Complex League Jays. Overall, his wRC+ dropped from 119 to 84.
Guzmán ranked as Blue Jays Nation’s 43rd-best prospect on our 2024 Preseason Prospect list.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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