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Blue Jays Minor League end of season review: Championship-winning Vancouver had plenty of standouts
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Photo credit: Vancouver Canadians PR
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Sep 27, 2026, 20:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 27, 2026, 14:50 EDT
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For the second time in four years, the High-A Vancouver Canadians won the Northwest League Championship.
It was a tale of two seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays’ High-A team. In the first half, the C’s finished with a NWL-worst 27-39 record. However, they rebounded in the second half with a 37-29 record, finishing second in the second half. Thanks to the Eugene Emeralds finishing with the best record in the first half, the C’s earned a trip to their fourth Northwest League Finals in the past five years.
There, they faced the Emeralds and soundly defeated the team that beat them in the 2022 NWL Championship Series, winning all three games in the best of five. Despite a rough first half, there were still some standout performances, and of course, the arrivals in the second half helped them win it all. If you missed the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays’ year-end review, you can read that here.
Let’s take a look at the standouts from the High-A Canadians in 2026.

Notable performances with the Canadians

Let’s start with the players who mainly played in the first half. Carter Cunningham got off to a torrid start to begin the 2026 season, slashing .250/.386/.511 with 10 home runs in 223 plate appearances with the Canadians before his promotion to Double-A. Overall, it was a terrific season for the 25-year-old.
Tucker Toman had a breakout season, slashing .274/.399/.449 with 11 home runs in 336 plate appearances with the C’s, good enough for a 129 wRC+. Drafted 77th overall in 2022, Toman had some tough years in the system before figuring it out once solely batting from the left side.
Alexis Hernandez remains one of the most underrated prospects in the system,, and he was great at any level he played at in 2026. We’ll focus on his tenure with the C’s, where he slashed .284/.382/.513 with 14 home runs in 329 plate appearances. No one on the C’s had more long-balls than Hernandez in 2026. The outfielder was a Rule 5 Draft pick in the minor league portion, by the way.
No player except for maybe Jay Harry broke out like Dub Gleed this season. The corner infielder, acquired for Leo Jiménez before the start of the season, did the bulk of his damage in Double-A, but still had a strong stint with the C’s. Over 202 plate appearances, Gleed slashed .269/.348/.463 with eight home runs for a 112 wRC+.
Eric Snow appeared in three levels this season, with his stint in High-A being the best of the bunch. Over 167 plate appearances, the infielder slashed .306/.371/.422 with three home runs for a 112 wRC+. He didn’t find the same success in Single-A or Double-A, though.
I’m not sure the last time that a Blue Jays’ prospect has hit a home run at every single “A” level, but Peyton Williams did just that in 2026. The bulk of the first baseman’s season was spent with the C’s, where he slashed .265/.355/.470 with 11 long-balls in 324 plate appearances.
Early in the season, Arjun Nimmala played some games for the C’s. In 105 plate appearances, the shortstop slashed .241/.362/.483 with four home runs in 105 plate appearances for a 119 wRC+. He was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for José Soriano and help their Double-A team win their league’s championship.
Sam Shaw’s season was cut short due to injury, but he finished with the highest wRC+ among Blue Jays prospects playing in High-A with 50 or more plate appearances. In 21 games, Shaw slashed .239/.427/.535 with six home runs in 96 plate appearances.
It wasn’t just position players who impacted the Canadians in the first half. Many of the team’s pitching prospects in their top 30 had a stint in High-A. Nolan Perry made seven starts with the C’s, amassing a 3.23 ERA and 3.17 FIP in 30.2 innings of work, with a 36.5 K% and 8.7 BB%.
Johnny King made 21 starts with the C’s, authoring a 3.21 ERA and 4.03 FIP in 84 innings of work. His BB% remained high at 13.7 percent, but the southpaw is a strikeout machine, finishing his High-A tenure with a 30.6 K%.
Daniel Guerra finished the season in the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons’ bullpen, but he began the year in the C’s rotation. In 14 starts, Guerra finished his High-A tenure with 3.20 ERA and 3.54 FIP in 59 innings of work, with a 31.3 K% and 11.6 BB%. Look for him, King, and Perry to make their big league debuts next season.
Like Guerra and Perry, Danny Thompson Jr. had a breakout season. Drafted in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft and signed to a bonus of just $5,000, Thompson Jr. broke onto the scene and posted a 3.80 ERA and 3.47 FIP in 12 outings (47.1 innings) with the C’s. He was even better in Double-A, leading to him emerging as a top 30 prospect in the organization.
The last of the first-half standout is Austin Cates. His 2025 season was a breakout year, finishing the year with a  3.12 ERA and 3.55 FIP. He made just five starts in High-A this past season, posting a 3.38 ERA and 5.81 FIP in 24 innings of work. He struggled upon his promotion to Double-A.
All of those players finished the 2026 season at a higher level, or not even in the franchise (in the case of Nimmala). By August 10th, only Guerra remained with the team, and he was promoted after just two more starts. Those players had an impact on the team, but the nine players were on the roster in August and beyond, helping the C’s capture the championship.
Acquired in July for Tommy Nance, Ryan Sprock hit the ground running after joining the Jays’ organization, slashing .307/.410/.553 with six home runs, eight doubles, and a triple in just 139 plate appearances. The catcher is a fantastic get for the Blue Jays’ farm system, and it helps that he drove in the championship-winning run in the top of the 12th inning in Game 3.
Late in the season, the Blue Jays signed Canadian David Calabrese to a minor league deal. He joined the C’s, where he slashed .348/.386/.545 with three home runs in 72 plate appearances, good for a 143 wRC+. In the postseason, Calabrese finished with six hits in three games, including a game-tying three-run home run in the top of the ninth in Game 3.
Like Sprock, Ty Southisene was acquired ahead of the deadline. Coming back the other way alongside Brett Bateman in the Kevin Gausman trade, the infielder hit his first career home run in just his fourth game after joining the Blue Jays. Unfortunately, his season came to an end in mid-August due to an injury.
Jake Casey appeared in 57 games with the C’s, slashing .244/.373/.502 with 12 home runs for a 129 wRC+. Very few position player prospects rose their stock in the Jays’ system like Casey did in 2026. That said, Casey had a 27.8 K% in the regular season, and mustered just one hit in the C’s three playoff games. He’ll head to the Arizona Fall League in October.
Maddox Latta is the only player mentioned in this article who remained healthy and played his full season with the C’s. His 443 plate appearances were the most for any C’s player, and he slashed .243/.366/.362 with nine home runs for a 101 wRC+.
There were several other players who joined the season late who made an impact. JoJo Parker, was of course one of those players. After a great second half to his Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays stint, Parker slashed .316/.443/.418 with six doubles and a triple in 97 High-A plate appearances. The Blue Jays’ top prospect hit a pair of doubles in the NWLCS.
Austin Smith was the team’s playoff MVP, going deep twice in the three games. Beginning the season as a two-way player in Single-A, Smith focused solely on hitting when he joined the C’s, hitting five home runs and slashing .294/.357/.529 in 116 plate appearances, giving him seven total in just 29 games.
Two left-handed starting pitchers joined the C’s midway through the season, one returned from injury, the other was acquired via trade. Canadian Connor O’Halloran was selected in the fifth-round of the 2023 MLB draft, but has spent most of the last two seasons injured. Joining the C’s late in the year, he posted a 3.63 ERA and 5.61 FIP in 22.1 innings of work, making five starts in his seven appearances.
The other southpaw, Dasan Hill, was acquired from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Jeff Hoffman before the trade deadline. He made five regular season starts after the trade, posting a 3.86 ERA and 2.62 FIP in 16.1 innings of work, with a 29.2 K% and 9.7 BB%. Hill also started Game 1 of the NWLCS, going two innings with two runs allowed (one earned) and striking out four.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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