After finishing their 2024 season with a solid 68-61 record (good enough for second place in the Northwest League and a trip to the championship series which they lost 3-1), the high-A Vancouver Canadians got off to a less than stellar start after losing their 2025 opener against the Tri-City Dust Devils (Angels affiliate) 5-4.

Their next game is scheduled for tonight (Saturday) at 9:30 p.m. EST.

This is part three of a series taking a deep dive look at each of the Toronto Blue Jays’ minor league affiliate teams. If you missed part one about the triple-A Buffalo Bisons and/or part two about the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, you can read about the Bisons here and the Fisher Cats here.

Before examining their Opening Day game in depth and their top prospects to watch throughout the year, here’s the team’s opening day roster for reference:

The 6’7 right-hander Grant Rogers got the opening day nod for the Canadians, and he looked great in the 5-4 loss. He held the Dust Devils to a single run through four innings of work while punching out five. It was a start reminiscent of some of his 2024 outings when he pitched to a 3.87 ERA across 111 2/3 innings.

Unfortunately, the bullpen wasn’t able to hang on to a 4-1 lead in uncharacteristic fashion (they allowed the fewest runs of all Northwest League teams in 2024). Nate Garkow allowed three runs, while one more unearned run crossed the plate against Aaron Munson.

Adrian Pinto had the loudest run of the game with a solo shot to left field, but Carter Cunningham also plated two with an RBI single. The fourth run came in the fourth inning as Pinto reached first safely on a throwing error by the third baseman.

This season, the Canadians feature one more Jays top 30 prospect (based on MiLB.com) than their double-A counterpart in New Hampshire, with six compared to the Cats’ five. Having six top prospects in the lower ranks can be a good or a bad sign, depending on how you look at it.

On the bright side, it means that the Jays feature a lot of young talent that should eventually make their way to MLB if all goes well on their way. On the other hand, that can be a problem too since it means the immediate talent depth available to the Jays is not as good – they can’t call a player up for a few MLB games the same way they could with an triple-A prospect.

Nonetheless, Blue Jays Nation writer Ryley Delaney has already written about each of the top prospects on the Canadians individually, so for brevity this segment will highlight each player with a link to their article, their stats from last year (with the level they played at), and their BJN and MiLB.com ranking within the Jays system.

Arjun Nimmala (INF):

BJN ranking: 1

MiLB.com ranking: 1

2024 stats with A Dunedin: 83 G, 361 PA, .232/.313/.477 slash

It’s worth noting that Nimmala is the first teenager (he’s 19 years old) to play for the Canadians since Orelvis Martinez in 2021. For even more reading, check out fellow BJN writer Chris Georges article about his spring training.

Fernando Perez (RHP):

BJN ranking: 12

MiLB.com ranking: 12

2024 stats with Dunedin: 17 G (17 GS), 82.0 IP, 4.06 ERA, 1.061 WHIP

Juaron Watts-Brown (RHP):

BJN ranking: 31

MiLB.com ranking: 17

2024 stats with Vancouver: 9 G (9 GS), 45 1/3 IP, 6.35 ERA, 1.610 WHIP

Sean Keys (INF):

BJN ranking: 26

MiLB.com ranking: 20

2024 stats with Dunedin: 22 G, 98 PA, .293/.378/.451 slash

Adrian Pinto (INF):

BJN ranking: 22

MiLB.com ranking: 23

2024 stats with Vancouver: 17 G, 76 PA, .300/.355/.571 slash

Victor Arias (OF):

BJN ranking: 37

MiLB.com ranking: 30

2024 stats with Vancouver: 11 G, 40 PA, .324/.425/.353 slash

The Canadians’ 2025 Opening Day roster features a club-record 20 returning players, some of whom will be featured below. It is important to remember, the lower levels you go within the minor leagues, the more rosters get shuffled around with players being promoted or demoted.

Depending on their play, the Canadians’ roster could be entirely different in a month than it is now.

As the lone Canadian on the Canadians to start this season, Connor O’Halloran has flashed serious upside throughout his baseball career. The left-handed starter has shown off a wicked slider as his best pitch and threw 37.1 innings of 3.13 ERA ball for A Dunedin last year.

That earned the former University of Michigan and fifth round draft pick his promotion to A+ ball, but he struggled in his first games back north of the border. In 66 1/3 innings, he was unable to find his best stuff, resulting in a 7.06 ERA.

Because of that, he missed a spot on the top 30 Jays prospects list entering this year, but he still has the tools to get back on. With the right adjustments, expect him to get back to dominating hitters with his breaking pitches just as he did in Dunedin.

Blue Jays Nation has had the opportunity to interview Orf multiple times for insights on the minor league grind and this season was no different. If you haven’t had the chance to read the interview with him ahead of the 2025 campaign, it’s definitely worth checking out.

A 13th-round draft pick in 2023 out of Southern Illinois University, Orf is most well-known for his incredible eye at the plate. Despite a shoulder injury part way through last season, the young outfielder still managed to hit to a .240/.358/.419 slashline.

With him fully healthy once again and expecting a full season of production for the team, he could end up being a key contributor for the Canadians in 2025.

While Cutter Coffey didn’t quite crack MiLB.com’s top 30 Jays prospects, he did make it in the 30 spot on BJN’s chart. As part of the Danny Jansen trade last year, the fielding first infielder Coffey will attempt to better show off his bat in 2025.

Between the Greenville Drive (Boston Red Sox affiliate) and Canadians, he hit to a .224/.318/.414 slash in A+ ball last season. As mentioned before, his fielding is his strongest suit, with his arm clocking in at a 60 on the 20-80 scale.

If he’s able to improve his batting numbers, he’ll be a serious threat to continue climbing the ranks of the Jays’ system.