A deep dive into the non-roster prospects the Blue Jays will have at Spring Training

Jimmy Burnette throws hard and is a left-handed reliever, what more could you want? The 25-year-old pitched in Double-A and Triple-A during 2023, and posted a 7.49 ERA and a 4.75 FIP, along with a high 30.4 K%, but struggled with the walks as he had a 16.5 BB%. In Buffalo, his two-seam fastball sat a tick below 93 mph, but has reached as high as 97 mph. Burnette also features a four-seam fastball, a curveball, and a slider, with the sinker generating the highest whiff% of 29.1%.

Connor Cooke is one of the Jays best pitching prospects. Between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, Cooke posted a 4.17 ERA and a 2.78 FIP in 45.1 innings pitched. On top of that, his 40.4 K% was the second-highest strikeout rate in the organization with 30+ innings pitched, while posting a 10.3 BB%. Like Brock, it’s hard to determine his best pitch, as the fastball averaged 94 mph in Buffalo, but has been in the upper-90s before, while his slider generated a 45 whiff% and has reached spin rates of 3200 RPM and just looks like a wiffle ball. Cooke also features a changeup, and I’d expect the 24-year-old to pitch for the Blue Jays in 2024.

Chad Dallas pitched the most innings in the organization last season, logging 123.1 innings pitched between High-A and Double-A. There, he posted a 3.65 ERA and a 4.08 ERA, along with a 27.9 K% and a 9.5 BB%, cementing himself as a notable upper-minor starting pitching prospect. The 23-year-old has one of the best sliders in the organization, and has added a cutter that he can now throw to left-handed batters. On top of that, his fastball sits in the low 90s but has touched 96 mph, while also throwing a changeup and curveball.

Brandon Eisert was picked in the 18th-round of the 2019 draft, and has had success in the Jays’ organization at all levels. Last season, the 26-year-old pitched exclusively with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and posted a 4.17 ERA and a 4.20 FIP in 69 innings, yes,  that is the best stat line in the history of the sport. He can do better though, as he had a 3.41 ERA and a 3.57 FIP in 60.2 innings pitched the season prior, all with Buffalo. The left-handed pitcher has a four pitch mix, a fastball that sits 90.2 mph, a slider, a changeup, and a curveball.

Mason Fluharty had a 3.28 ERA and a 3.72 FIP in 57.2 innings pitched between High-A and Double-A last season. On top of that, the soft-tossing left-handed reliever had a 29.9 K% and a 9.2 BB%. Fluharty sits in the low-90s with his fastball, but has a confusing delivery which helps it play up, while his slider is his out pitch. The 22-year-old will probably start the season in Double-A, but we could see him as high as Triple-A in 2024.

Devereaux Harrison is an interesting pitcher to keep an eye on, as he had a 2.95 ERA and a 5.10 FIP in 94.2 innings pitched, along with a 22.8 K% and a 9.8 BB% in High-A Vancouver. He started 16 of the 26 games he appeared in, which is interesting because he only started two of his 42 games in college ball. The 23-year-old has a fastball, a changeup, and a slider, which is his best pitch.

Ryan Jennings was drafted in the 2022 draft like Fluharty and Harrison. Last season between Single-A and High-A, the 24-year-old had a 3.98 ERA and a 3.52 FIP, along with a 30.9 K% and a 9.6 BB% in 43 innings pitched. Jennings’ fastball sat at 93.5 mph in Single-A, and also features a cutter, curveball, changeup, sinker, and a slider according to stat cast data provided by Prospects Live.

Hayden Juenger was considered a top 10 Blue Jays prospect by some publications, but had a rough season in Triple-A Buffalo, posting a 6.33 ERA and a 4.82 FIP in 75.1 innings pitched. The 23-year-old struck out a fair share of batters with a 26.4 K%, but lost his command and control at times with an 11.2 BB%. On top of that, batters had a .375 BABIP against him, meaning that he was rather unlucky throughout the season. Juenger has a three-pitch mix, a fastball that sits 94.2 mph, but has hit 97 mph, with two off-speed pitches, a slider and a changeup. All had a whiff % above 25%, with the changeup having the highest at 28.3%.

Ricky Tiedemann is the top Blue Jays prospect for a reason (spoiler alert). Last season, Tiedemann had a 3.83 ERA and a 1.98 FIP in 47 innings between Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. On top of that, he had a 43.7 K% and a 12.2 BB%, with his 31.5 K-BB% ranking just second behind Rowan Wick, who had a 33.7 K-BB%. Tiedemann features a hard fastball that has touched as high as 99 mph but sits in the mid-90s, as well a plus changeup and slider. The command needs to improve, but there’s ace potential here.

Zach Britton is the first position player we’ll look at, with the 25-year-old slashing .218/.427/.309 with a home run in 75 plate appearances with Double-A New Hampshire in 2023. Unfortunately, Britton spent the majority of the season on the injured list, but broke out the year with the High-A Canadians and Double-A Fisher Cats, slashing .237/.380/.443 with a 16.9 BB% and a 28.1 K% for a 132 wRC+. Interestingly, he’s listed as a catcher instead of an outfielder, which is something to note. Hopefully, he can stay healthy because he’s electric.

Phil Clarke, like Andrew Bash, had an under the radar, sneakily good season. With the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the 25-year-old catcher slashed .260/.381/.391 with six homers in 259 plate appearances, along with a 12.7 BB% and a 14.3 K% for a 121 wRC+. The defense needs some work, as he allowed eight passed balls and 11 errors, along with throwing out just under 20% of batters, but the bat is of note.

Cam Eden played for the Blue Jays in 2023, as they added him to the 40-man roster in September to be their base stealer, registering a hit in six plate appearances. In Triple-A, he slashed .257/.354/.333 with three homers in 460 plate appearances. The 25-year-old also led the organization in stolen bases, stealing 53 in 57 attempts. Fast, plays well defensively, and has a little bit of pop in the bat.

Damiano Palmegiani slashed .255/.366/.476 with 23 homers in 563 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last season. On top of having the second-most home runs in the organization, he also walked 13.1% of the time, while his K% jumped up to 27.2%. Still, the 24-year-old has a good approach at the plate with tons of raw power, and can hit fastballs really well. First base will likely be his home, but he works hard to improve at third base.

Will Robertson was once a top 30 prospect, but fell off most lists around 2021. Well,, the 26-year-old outfielder had an impressive 2023 season with New Hampshire, slashing .245/.323/.488 with 19 home runs in 412 plate appearances. On top of that, he had a 9.7 BB% and a 26.5 K%, as well as a career-high nine stolen bases in 12 attempts. The power is what really stands out, but he is a solid corner outfielder defensively as well.

Alan Roden’s hit tool is arguably the best in the organization, with Spencer Horwitz being the only contender. Last season, the third-round pick in the 2022 draft slashed .313/.428/.453 with a 12.8 BB% and a 12 K% in 540 plate appearances. Roden’s power tool is still under development, hitting just 10 home runs as a corner outfielder, including six at the left-handed hitter-friendly Delta Dental Stadium in New Hampshire. Still, his 147 wRC+ was the highest among batters in the organization with 200 or more plate appearances. Some see him as a good defender, but Fangraphs is not one of those publications.

Brian Serven is one of two players with major league experience (Cam Eden being the other one). In 228 plate appearances with the Colorado Rockies, Serven slashed .195/.248/.314 with six homers, along with a 5.7 BB%, a 23.7 K%, and a 42 wRC+. He’s an excellent framer and can help pitchers in Triple-A this season, even with automatic balls and strikes.

Andres Sosa had an excellent season in 2022, slashing .226/.397/.404 with five homers in 273 plate appearances with the Vancouver Canadians for a 132 wRC+. Unfortunately, his 2023 wasn’t nearly as good, as he slashed .237/.356/.341 with two homers between Single-A, High-A, and Double-A. The 26-year-old is incredibly athletic having played shortstop in college and is an excellent leader. Very composed behind home plate as well, and is a calming presence for pitchers.

All in all, I think we’re all just happy that baseball has finally started.