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Blue Jays Nation’s 2026 Pre-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 5: Juan Sanchez
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Photo credit: © Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Feb 27, 2026, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 26, 2026, 03:44 EST
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It’s been a long time since the Toronto Blue Jays have a stand out player in the Dominican Summer League, but shortstop prospect Juan Sanchez has quickly emerged as a top five prospect in the system.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s bi-annual prospect ranking, where we’ll look at the top 35 prospects in the system in the month of February. As always, I’ll look at the player’s stats, what other publications have to say, as well as my own observations of the players. If you missed the sixth-ranked prospect, you can read about Johnny King here.

Getting to know Juan Sanchez…

Position: Shortstop
Bats: Right
Born: September 27th, 2007
Acquired: 2025 International Free Agency
Previous ranking: 6th
The last time the Blue Jays had a prospect stand out in the DSL was back in 2019 when Orelvis Martínez slashed .275/.352/.549 with seven home runs in 163 plate appearances. Both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk skipped the DSL, while Gabriel Moreno actually struggled in his first season in the Caribbean country.
Signed to a bonus of a little under $1 million, Sanchez was one of three notable shortstops the Jays signed during the 2025 International Free Agency period, alongside Kennew Blanco and Cristopher Polanco. It felt like one of them was going to break out, and it just so happened to be Sanchez.
Over 253 plate appearances with one of two Blue Jays’ DSL teams, the shortstop slashed .341/.439/.565 with eight home runs, for a 156 wRC+. He didn’t sacrifice contact or walks either, as Sanchez had a 10.3 BB% and 17.4 K% for the season.
In their pre-season update, Fangraphs ranked Sanchez as their eighth-best prospect, giving him a future hit grade of 45. It’s the power that stands out, as his game power was given a future grade of 50 and his current raw power grade of 45 with projection remaining. The hit tool is the biggest concern, but he made solid contact in 2025, and it’ll be interesting to see how he does when he comes stateside.
MLB Pipeline ranked Sanchez as their 18th-best Blue Jays prospect in the mid-season update, and he’ll surely get a big jump when the pre-season update is released. They echo similar statements as Fangraphs, giving him a 45 hit tool and a 55 power tool, with average speed and a plus arm which could translate to a move to third base in the future.
There’s still a lot of ambiguity regarding his hit tool, and that won’t change until he plays in the Florida Complex League. It looks as if he could join the reigning FCL champions to begin the 2026 season, and who knows, if he hits like he did in 2025, it’s possible we’ll see him reach as high as Single-A next year.
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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