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Blue Jays: 5 prospects off to a strong start in 2026
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 15, 2026, 18:15 EDTUpdated: Apr 15, 2026, 18:05 EDT
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The 2026 minor league season is off and running.
Last week was the first full week that the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, High-A Vancouver Canadians, and Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays played. There are already some notable standouts from those three levels, plus the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
Let’s take a look at which Toronto Blue Jays’ prospects are off to a hot start.

Carter Cunningham

I’m not sure many people had Carter Cunningham as a breakout prospect in 2026. Drafted in the 10th-round of the 2024 draft, Cunningham was okay to end his 2024 season, slashing .197/.381/.316 with two home runs in 105 plate appearances in Single-A.
In his first full professional season last season, the first baseman/outfielder hit 16 home runs, near the top of the Blue Jays’ leaderboards, but slashed just .220/.346/.414 in 419 plate appearances, with a 16 BB% and 32.5 K%. That was with the High-A Canadians, where the 25-year-old began his 2026 season as well.
Cunningham is off to a terrific start with the C’s in 2026, slashing .324/.435/.649 in 46 plate appearances. Last week, he hit three home runs and even had a four-hit game, giving him a season wRC+ of 185. The strikeout rate of 28.3% is still a bit of a concern, but he’s walking 13% of the time as well.
The 25-year-old is old for the level, so whenever he moves up to Double-A, it’ll be a challenge for the free-swinging first baseman. That said, he’s raised his stock quite a bit with his start.

Blaine Bullard

There are plenty of Blue Jay prospects in Single-A who have started the 2026 season off great. Obviously, 2025 first round JoJo Parker is hitting well, including hitting his first home run on Tuesday. Enmanuel Bonilla is off to a good start to his Single-A career, while Eric Snow has also proven to be a solid hitter for the level.
No other 2025 draftee has impressed like Blaine Bullard, though. Drafted in the 12th round last July, and signed to the largest bonus ever given out to a player in the round, Bullard has been terrific. Before being drafted, the switch-hitting outfielder was seen as a hit-over-power type of prospect, with good speed and strong defence.
In just eight games, Bullard has proven he has some pop, as he’s already hit three home runs in 36 plate appearances, good enough for a 137 wRC+. His first plate appearance resulted in a triple, as well.
It’s not all good news early in his career. Entering Wednesday’s game, Bullard is slashing just .207/.286/.586, while his K% is at an astronomical 30.6%. If he can cut that down while still hitting for power, we could be looking at a top 100 prospect in baseball.

Yorman Licourt

Another player off to a good start with the D-Jays is Cuban outfielder Yorman Licourt. The 22-year-old switch hitter signed with the team back in 2024, then slashed .282/.377/.430 with four home runs in 178 plate appearances to end 2024. Last season, Licourt mainly played in the Florida Complex League, but got a look in Single-A. As a whole, he slashed .219/.337/.395 with seven home runs in 270 plate appearances for a 110 wRC+.
This season, the outfielder is off to a great start, hitting three home runs in just 31 plate appearances. Like Bullard, there are concerns, as he’s batting just .200 with a 32.3 K%, but he’s also proven to be able to draw a walk, drawing 10 of them in those 31 plate appearances. That’s good enough for a .484 on-base percentage.
Licourt has always struggled with whiffs, so that’s something he’ll need to improve on as he moves up the ranks. That said, it’s good to see that 6’2”, 192 lbs outfielder hit for more power in the early goings.

Javen Coleman

Switching gears to pitchers, it’s only a matter of time before we see left-handed relief pitcher Javen Coleman in the big leagues. Signed as a non-drafted free agent after the 2024 draft, the 24-year-old posted a 3 ERA and 2.46 FIP in 54 innings pitched last season, with a 38.1 K% and 10.3 BB%. 
Half those innings were spent in Single-A, where he had a 4.45 ERA and 3.65 FIP in 28.1 innings, walking 13.7% of the batters he faced. But once he got to the Canadians, the 6’2”, 200 lbs lefty had a 1.40 ERA and 1.15 FIP in 25.2 innings, with a 40.4 K% and 6.1 BB%.
The Blue Jays were aggressive with Coleman’s placement to begin the season, as the lefty has started the year in Double-A. He’s made just three appearances, throwing five innings where he has a 5.40 ERA and 3.01 FIP. Although he’s given up three earned runs, Coleman has struck out nearly half the batters he’s faced (47.4%) while not issuing a free pass.
If he can keep it up, don’t be surprised if he finds his way onto the Bisons at some point this spring. It’s not far fetched to believe he can also reach the big leagues in 2026 if he has strong numbers in Triple-A.

Danny Thompson Jr.

The other pitcher who is off to a great start is righty Danny Thompson Jr. Drafted in the eighth round of the 2025 draft, the 23-year-old made his professional debut in 2025, posting a 0.66 ERA and 3.40 FIP in 13.2 innings pitched with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays. In that stretch, he had a 28.8 K% and 7.7 BB%.
Like Coleman, the Blue Jays were aggressive with his placement, with Thompson Jr. beginning the season with the Canadians. He’s pitched in just two games, where he’s thrown seven and one-third scoreless innings. Interestingly, his K% has increased to 39.3%, while his BB% remains around where it did last season (7.1%).
The Blue Jays love their bulk relievers, but it’ll be interesting to see if he makes some starts at some point this season. Either way, he’s the best performing pitcher from the 2025 draft class so far.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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