Digging into some position player prospects the Blue Jays could call up in 2024

With the Blue Jays, Horwitz slashed .256/.341/.385 with a homer in 44 plate appearances, along with a 9.1 BB% and a 27.3 K%. This Spring Training, he is slashing .138/.286/.172 with a double in 35 plate appearances, with a 17.1 BB% and a 20 K%.

The competition for the role Horwitz would play is fierce, as the Jays signed Daniel Vogelbach and Joey Votto to minor league deals with invitations to Spring Training. So far, it appears Vogelbach has the leg up as he has two homers, but Votto has stated he’s fine playing in the minor leagues to ramp up for the season.

Horwitz may need to do what he did last season once again to force his way into the role. Hitting for more power would certainly help his chances, as he’s had a career-high 12 homers twice in his career.

Addison Barger

Barger was the biggest breakout prospect of 2022, well, at least for position players. He showcased his power in 2021, but struggled with strikeouts in Dunedin that season. In 2022, he slashed .309/.379/.557 with 26 homers in 528 plate appearances, while dropping his K% to 25% between High-A Vancouver, Double-A New Hampshire, and Triple-A Buffalo.

Like Horwitz, Barger was added to the 40-man prior to the 2023 season, but just had a rough all-around year. In his first month, Barger slashed .237/.333/.329 with a homer in 87 plate appearances. His K% skyrocketed to 31%, while his BB% sat at 11.5%. Unfortunately, he missed time due to an elbow injury.

Upon returning to Buffalo on June 21, Barger slashed .254/.358/.424 with eight homers in 310 plate appearances. More encouraging, however, is the fact his K% dropped to 19% over this time, while his BB% increased to 13.5%.

It’s to be seen what Barger’s permanent position will be. His arm is certainly strong enough to stick at third, but there are general concerns about his infield defence. The Blue Jays have experimented with him in right field, where he uncorked a throw that came in at 103.8 mph, but he’s still green at the position.

Either way, if Barger hits anything like he did in 2022, the Blue Jays may have found their third baseman of the future.

Orelvis Martinez

Another candidate for “third base of the future” is Orelvis Martinez. The 22-year-old rebounded in a big way in 2023, slashing .247/.344/.505 with 30 home runs in 563 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.

Interestingly, if you remove the first month or so in New Hampshire where he slashed .089/.169/.266, Martinez slashed .276/.374/.545 from May 10 until the end of the season. In this time, he had a 13.2 BB% and a 23.2 K%, along with 24 of his 30 home runs in 448 plate appearances.

Martinez’s power tool is the best in the Jays organization since Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Dating back to 2021, Martinez has 91 home runs in 1534 plate appearances between all the “A” affiliates, with the next closest player being Addison Barger, who has hit 54.

The power is legitimate, the arm is strong, and the changes he made in not swinging at everything and the kitchen sink are sustainable. As to where he’ll play going forward, the Blue Jays have been playing him at second base since he reached Triple-A, but he’s certainly good enough defensively to play at third.

Rafael Lantigua

When the Blue Jays ask where Rafael Lantigua will play, all he has to say is “yes”. Last season with Buffalo, he played 69 innings at second base, 259 innings at third base, 197 innings at shortstop, 41 innings in centre field, 101 innings in right field, and 311.2 innings in left field.

Versatility is something the Blue Jays love, but what did Lantigua do with the bat in 2023? Pretty darn good, as he slashed .305/.425/.469 with 12 homers in 578 plate appearances. Moreover, he had a fantastic 17 BB% and a respectable 18.5 K%. To make matters better, Lantigua also had 28 stolen bases in 37 attempts, meaning there is some speed in his game as well.

If the Blue Jays need a super-super utility player that can do everything except pitch, catch, and play first (he’s 5’7”), Lantigua could very well be the first one called up.

Leo Jimenez

The Panamanian-born shortstop has had an interesting career to say the least. In 2021, he had an absolutely insane 21.1 BB% and .517 on-base percentage over 242 plate appearances (while being hit by a pitch 21 different times). Jimenez had one of his worst seasons in 2022 with the Vancouver Canadians, slashing just .230/.340/.385, but increasing his career-power output six fold.

Well, the 2023 season was a good rebound season for Jimenez, as he started the season in the upper minors with New Hampshire. There, he slashed .287/.372/.436 with eight homers in 333 plate appearances, along with a 9.6 BB% and a 15.9 K%. Increasing his home run total for a second consecutive season was a great sign, but so too was the batting average rising again.

The 22-year-old had a cup of coffee in Triple-A, where he slashed .190/.338/.238 with no homers in 77 plate appearances. His BB% rose to 11.7%, the highest mark since 2021 in Dunedin, while his K% increased to 19.5%, similar to BB% in Vancouver during the 2022 season.

It’s pretty clear that Jimenez will start his season in Triple-A where he’ll need to hit better than he did last season. However, the defence at shortstop is arguably the best in the organization (Josh Kasevich may have something to say about that!) and the hit tool is good. If he can have another power surge, there’s a chance he will force his way onto the 2024 Blue Jays.

Damiano Palmegiani

Davis Schneider had a fantastic breakout season in 2023, hitting 21 homers in just 392 plate appearances in Triple-A Buffalo before getting the call up to Toronto. Of course, he didn’t slow down and had one of the best starts of any career in MLB history.

So why bring up Davis Schneider when the header clearly says Damiano Palmegiani? Well, some believe that Palmegiani could have a Schneider-esque season in 2024 and force his way onto the team just like Schneider did. I’d argue that Palmegiani is already the most underrated Blue Jays prospect.

Last season between Double-A and Triple-A, the 24-year-old first baseman/third baseman slashed .255/.366/.476 with 23 home runs in 563 plate appearances, along with a 13.1 BB% and a 27.2 K%. Out of any prospect in the organization, Palmegiani’s 23 home runs ranked second, but probably would have been surpassed by Schneider if he remained in Triple-A.

Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Palmegiani has 47 home runs, second behind Orelvis Martinez who has 62, and ahead of Schneider’s 37 home runs and Addison Barger’s 36 home runs.

The power is legitimate, the defence is improving at third base, and Palmegiani has a good eye. Moving forward, he’ll have to limit his strikeouts and continue to improve defensively at third base, but he should definitely be a top 10 Blue Jays prospect on all lists.

Cam Eden

Last season, Cam Eden slashed .257/.354/.333 with three homers in 460 plate appearances with the Triple-A Bisons, but his value comes elsewhere.

The centre fielder stole 53 bases in 57 attempts, the most of any Blue Jay prospect in the minor leagues. Those 78 singles, 16 hit by pitches, or 45 walks essentially become doubles when Eden is on the bases because of his ability to steal.

In fact, this was noticed by the Blue Jays who added him to the 40-man roster and the 26-man roster when it expanded in September 2023. Eden only had six plate appearances in the big leagues, where he slashed .167 x3 and didn’t get an opportunity to steal a base. However, the speed Eden has is incredibly valuable in the playoffs.

What’s more is that he has a little more pop than he was letting on in 2023. The prior season, Eden slashed .215/.292/.376 in Double-A, but hit a career-high 10 homers in 306 at the expense of a 35.3 K% (compared to a 24.8 K% in 2023).

If he can find a way to hit for a bit more power while also hitting for a higher average, Eden’s chances of becoming a regular outfielder will increase quite a lot. But even with how he is now, he’s a valuable bench piece on a playoff team.

Will Robertson

Moving to two prospects who played in Double-A in 2023, we’ll start with Will Robertson.

In 2022 with New Hampshire, Robertson slashed .215/.291/.401 with 12 homers in 340 plate appearances for an 89 wRC+. There’s a bit of a difference between Orelvis Martinez’s rough 2022 in Double-A as a 20-year-old, as Robertson spent that year as a 24-year-old.

However, an encouraging sign came when Robertson repeated the level in 2023, as he slashed .245/.323/.488 with 19 homers in 412 plate appearances, improving his BB% from 7.9% to 9.7%, while dropping his K% from 28.2% to 26.5%.

It’s an even better sign when you look at his numbers from July 2nd until the end of the year. In 198 plate appearances, Robertson hit 11 of his 19 home runs and slashed .317/.369/.611, while his K% increased to 30.3%. In total, he finished the last two and a bit months with a 162 wRC+.

The Jays sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .279/.449/.485 with three homers in 89 plate appearances with 19 walks to 25 strikeouts, as he helped the Surprise Saguaros to the AFL title.

Robertson has had some success during Spring Training as well, as he’s slashing .217/.333/.478 with a homer in 27 plate appearances, with a 14.8 BB% and a 33.3 K% for a 114 wRC+.

Triple-A will be a big test for the 26-year-old, but if he hits well, he could force the Blue Jays’ hands for a call-up in the summer.

Alan Roden

Alan Roden is MLB ready. Last season between High-A and Double-A, Roden slashed .313/.428/.453 with 10 homers in 540 plate appearances, and had a higher BB% (12.8%) than K% (12%). His 147 wRC+ was tied for the highest for any player with 100 plate appearances, and it wasn’t like he dominated one level and slowed down at another level.

No, Roden slashed .310/.421/.460 with six homers in Double-A, with a 12.4 BB% and a 15.3 K% for a 147 wRC+, slightly below the 150 wRC+ he had with the Vancouver Canadians earlier in the year.

Roden has continued to hit well in Spring Training, slashed .250/.333/.542 with two home runs in 27 plate appearances, including one off left-handed pitcher Andrew Chafin. His BB% is at 11.1%, while his K% is at 22.2%, but those Spring Training numbers don’t matter all that much.

Of course, Roden will need to play in Triple-A this season, but there’s a good chance his stint in Buffalo will be a rather short one. It’s only a matter of time before the Jays call up Roden, who fits the leadoff hitter role perfectly.

Out of anyone we’ve looked at, Roden and Horwitz probably have the best chance of seeing time in the big leagues this season.