The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a rough start in defending their Golden Grapefruit honour from 2025, dropping their most recent game against Miami and now holding a 1-4 (one tie) record early into the spring.

While the noted take is that spring training records and stats don’t matter at the end of the day, for some players looking to stand out, in these couple of months, the hits, walks, and home runs mean something more at the end of the day.

You won’t see the stats on the back end of a baseball card, but when you’re playing in front of the coaching staff and on Sportsnet, these things matter – point in case being Alan Roden and his impressive run in 2025 while the team was in Dunedin, translating into an Opening Day roster spot.

This becomes even more important with the World Baseball Classic opening up some playing time for prospects and those knocking on the big league door. It’s early in the spring schedule, but here are a few early standouts from the prospect rankings this spring.

Acquired in 2024 from the Pittsburgh Pirates, fans of the NL East squad were upset that the front office dealt away Charles McAdoo. With plus power and solid contact skills with High-A/Double-A before the trade, it’s easy to see why.

McAdoo struggled post-trade in New Hampshire, but he bounced back in 2025 for a second time with the Fisher Cats, posting a .247/.318/.413 slash line with 24 doubles, 16 home runs, and a .732 OPS.

This spring, McAdoo has been given a lot of runway to produce – the infielder has appeared in all six Spring Training games – and has three hits through nine at-bats with one double, one run, and three RBIs. He’s also added a stolen base and two walks while striking out just once, putting forward an impressive .899 OPS out of the gate.

He’s also held his own at the hot corner, making an impressive throw from across the diamond against the Marlins yesterday.

All of these combined are making a strong case for McAdoo to make the jump to Triple-A to start the 2026 season and be on the Jays’ radar this season if the stars align. He might need to work on his baserunning a bit, but the bat is exciting to watch.

A back injury limited Kasevich to just 42 regular-season games last season, where he really didn’t find his stride amid the moving between the different levels.

On top of the injury, Kasevich entered this winter with question marks surrounding his roster status. He was Rule 5 eligible, and the Jays didn’t protect him from being selected. He and Yohendrick Pinango remain with the organization post-draft, and the infielder is showing opposing teams early that they made an error not selecting him.

Appearing in four games so far, Kasevich has four hits to his credit, including a two-run shot over the Spring Training Green Monster that left the bat at 103 MPH and travelled 416 feet. Kasevich has been making solid contact all spring, routinely hitting above 100 MPH, and also making key plays up the middle on the defensive side of the game.

Entering 2026, Kasevich is easily on the short list of names the club could call upon this season as middle infield options on the big league roster. Considering he will likely see an uptick in playing time when the main roster pieces leave for the WBC, Kasevich has a lot to gain this spring, especially if he continues this impressive stretch.

Adam Macko is all that remains from the Teoscar Hernandez deal a few years back, and this season seems like a big year for the southpaw Canuck.

Injuries have been the biggest crutch for Macko, who missed time out of the gate last season with a knee injury. He also didn’t really catch his stride once he returned to the mound, posting a 4.76 ERA across 81 1/3 innings split between Buffalo and a handful of rehab starts in the FCL. Command issues heavily influenced his WHIP (1.402), and Triple-A bats did tune him to an 8.6 K/9, but when things are going well, Macko has proven to be a strikeout artist, finishing the year with a 10.1 K/9 and 65 punchouts in Buffalo.

Macko has made two appearances out of the bullpen so far for Toronto, and he’s been perfect so far, allowing zero hits and just two walks compared to two strikeouts. More importantly, Macko has seen a solid uptick in his velocity, adding 1-2 MPH on his fastball that now sits above 95 MPH.

Whether that’s the Spring Training jitters and being amped for a new season or the new normal, Macko has made a strong impression out of the gate in an important year for him on the depth charts. He will be heading out soon to join Team Canada for the WBC, where he will get a chance to pitch against some top talent in Pool A of the bracket in San Juan.

If you want to talk about a player making the most of a Spring Training invite opportunity, then Javen Coleman is an early candidate to root for.

A UDFA signing following the 2024 MLB Draft, Coleman dominated last season in his first taste of pro baseball. Across 54 innings split between Single-A and High-A, Coleman posted a 3.00 ERA and a 1.130 WHIP across 38 combined outings. He amassed six saves and posted an impressive 14.2 K/9 mark while holding batters to a 6.3 K/9. Coleman actually found more success in the hitter-friendly confines of the Northwest League, allowing just four earned runs during an 18-game stretch with the Vancouver Canadians.

So far this spring, Coleman has continued this impressive trend. Through two outings and two innings of work, he’s allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out four, as well as adding one save to his credit (the only one the Jays have so far this spring).

Coleman fits the bill of a quick riser in the farm system with his high strikeout stuff from the left side of the mound. He should get ample opportunities to pitch over the next few weeks before the Jays begin to whittle down the roster towards Opening Day, and Coleman is one name that fans should have circled on the depth charts.

A spot in New Hampshire likely awaits the former LSU Tiger, and he could easily finish the year in Triple-A if the strikeout material stays and he can keep the command in check.

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