Blue Jays Prospects lost 9-1 to New York Yankees prospects in the first Spring Breakout game

Tucker Toman had a hit and drove in the Jays’ only run of the afternoon. The 20-year-old switch-hitting infielder had a rough first professional season, slashing .208/.320/.313 with five homers in 503 plate appearances in Single-A. Toman’s 2024 season will be a big one in determining his ceiling.

Enmanuel Bonilla had the only other hit of the afternoon, a single that moved catcher Maykel Minoso to second base, giving the Blue Jays runners on first and second with no outs. Unfortunately, the team followed with two strikeouts from Yhoangel Aponte and Manuel Beltre, before Palmegiani grounded out to end the inning.

There were three drawn walks from Blue Jays hitters, as Horwitz, Edward Duran, and Minoso all drew walks during the afternoon. Duran, a catcher, was acquired in the Anthony Bass/Zach Pop deal at the 2022 trade deadline. Last season, he slashed .315/.422/.417 with two homers in 154 plate appearances between the Florida Complex League and Single-A.

Landen Maroudis made his Blue Jays debut in this game, finishing with a line of 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. Obviously, the line leaves something to be desired, but his fastball averaged 94-95 mph and touched a tick under 97 mph, a very encouraging sign.

CJ Van Eyk picked up half of Toronto’s strikeouts, as he finished with a line of 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K while giving up a home run. The fastball touched as high as 96.6 mph, but averaged 93-94 mph.

Kendry Rojas was one of just two pitchers to pitch a full inning without giving up a run (Connor Cooke pitched two thirds of an inning). Rojas allowed a hit, but his fastball was sitting 94-96 mph, and touched a tick under 97 mph, which seems to happen a lot.

Brandon Barriera was the other pitching prospect to pitch a full inning without giving up a run, as he walked two batters and struck out one. Unlike the other pitchers we looked at, the young left-handed pitcher reached 97.6 mph with the fastball that was paired with a low-mid-90s cutter. Last season wasn’t great for the 23rd overall pick in 2022, but he is a breakout candidate for 2024.

Although the game itself was a mess for the Blue Jays, it’s not a determining factor in whether their farm system is good or not. Moreover, it’s just a single game, and I’d bet quite a few of the players involved in this game are going to have great seasons. Still, it’s a fun event and hopefully, it’s an annual game for each team.