Farm Review: What Blue Jays bear in mind for JoJo Parker and different prime prospects

TORONTO — Between promotions and demotions to cowl the Toronto Blue Jays’ ceaseless roster churn, numerous rehab assignments and the same old calls for of participant improvement, the triple-A Buffalo Bisons made 273 transactions from April by way of September. 

At a mean of 45.5 strikes a month, with a low of 38 and excessive of fifty, that’s plenty of chaos to tame, and credit score to supervisor Casey Candaele for not solely overseeing the insanity, but additionally graduating 14 of the 15 gamers to make their big-league debuts in 2026 (Kazuma Okamoto went straight from Japan to the massive leagues). 

Between that, the progress of prime prospects resembling shortstop JoJo Parker, left-hander Johnny King and righty Nolan Perry and the grooming of gamers utilized in trades resembling shortstop Arjun Nimmala and lefty Adam Macko, the Blue Jays’ farm system delivered a productive season, extending the rebound from a dismal 2024 that began final yr.

“Our job is to help the major-league team, and there are lots of different shapes to that,” stated farm director Joe Sclafani. “With all the individual success and positive stories, there are plenty that we wish things would have gone differently, and we need to attack those and get better. But, overarchingly, we showed up to support the major-league team, and credit to Casey’s staff, all our directors and co-ordinators, all the way down the line. That’s been pretty neat.”

Focal factors in participant improvement this previous season included an emphasis on base-running and base-stealing, one thing Sclafani stated improved, particularly on the decrease ranges of the system, the place habits are much less ingrained in gamers and there’s extra uncooked pace to work with. That will proceed into subsequent season, together with the emphasis on serving to the membership’s contact-oriented hitters get to greater exit velocities. 

On the pitching aspect, director of pitching Justin Lehr’s reset constructed round strike-throwing and rely leverage continued to pay dividends. Last month, he appeared on the progress the group’s prime arms made.

Along with a couple of pitching updates, right here’s a take a look at how the membership’s prime position-player prospects fared in 2026:

The Blue Jays despatched pitchers Jake Bloss, Brandon Barriera, Fernando Perez, Gilberto Batista and Yondrei Rojas to the Mesa Solar Sox, together with catcher Aaron Parker and outfielders Jake Casey and Jake Cook. For most of them, the task is about getting extra reps to make up for misplaced time, though Barriera and Perez are Rule 5 eligible this yr, as effectively. 

Brandon Barriera: The 2022 first-round decide made it out of low-A Dunedin, ending out the season with high-A Vancouver, the place he pitched out of the bullpen, and that’s a job the Blue Jays are contemplating for him. Reconstructive elbow surgical procedure in 2024 derailed his progress and he’s logged 44.1 innings since, which is why his window as a starter is perhaps closing. He’s relieving once more within the AFL.

“The stuff still plays ridiculously well when he’s been in the zone; especially this year, he was pretty damn good,” stated Sclafani. “So seeing if he can harness it, it’s a different approach when you’re coming out of the ‘pen — he’d really never done that much before — so it’s kind of experiential for him to learn the routines and give us a look on how it looks in shorter stints. If he comes out and he shows his body can hold up, we still believe, just based on the stuff and how he’s historically carried it when he has been out there, that he has a chance to start. We saw Javen Coleman fly up (three levels, to Buffalo), unique lefty with a good fastball. Why can’t Brandon do that, at the floor?”

Jake Bloss: The Blue Jays largely need him to get innings within the AFL, the place his utilization can be capped, maxing out at 4 innings and 60 pitches an outing, however together with his stuff ticking up after reconstructive elbow surgical procedure, “it’s also trying to figure out how to harness new toys almost, to a degree,” defined Sclafani. “He loves the data part, too, so let him get into the flow of the game, keep track of how the quality of the stuff plays, how he holds things, and then how he utilizes it and executes. He’s got to throw more strikes, he was behind in the count a lot when he came back, and he knows that, so going back into attack mode and figuring that out is a part of it, too.”

Jake Cook: The electrical centre fielder chosen within the third spherical two summers in the past performed in 77 video games after opening the season on account of a hamstring harm that become a possibility for the Blue Jays “to adjust his prep and recovery routines and how we’re going to attack it,” stated Sclafani. “He is so explosive, it is simply completely different than different individuals, so he is placing plenty of stress on his physique.

“He started to gain momentum throughout the year, which was really great to see and ended on a good trajectory. Felt like he was starting to figure some stuff out, make some adjustments to his swing and his approach. And it started translating to the game. So it’s more game reps, continuing to lean into his defensive prowess out there.”

Catcher Brandon Valenzuela, infielder/outfielder Charles McAdoo — who picked up second base on the fly — nook infielder Sean Keys and outfielders Yohendrick Pinango, Brett Bateman — for 2 video games earlier than he was promoted to the majors after he was acquired from the Cubs — and Rudy Martin Jr. are the six place gamers promoted from Buffalo. The Blue Jays ought to have extra on-the-cusp depth past them subsequent yr, too.

Josh Kasevich: The gifted defensive shortstop set profession highs for video games (130) and plate appearances (572), and whereas he continues to get on base (.364) and had a remarkably low strikeout fee of 11.3 per cent, he’s nonetheless trying to find extra slug (.363), too. He’s Rule 5 eligible once more this low season. 

“Many managers would tell you reliability is one of the things they look for with their players, to know exactly what version of them is going to show up every single day, and Kas fits that mould perfectly,” stated Sclafani. “Probably frustrating for him that he didn’t get an opportunity because of that logjam (at-big-league level) but didn’t waver in the way that he was attacking the day and his preparation. He’s a player that helps the team win. We still need to continue working on tapping into those EVs that have improved. He knows that and he’s aware of it and at times he’s found it. But we still have some work to do there. If he can unlock that, he’s a scary player because he’s just consistent.”

Jay Harry: The utilityman acquired from the Twins for Trevor Richards throughout the 2024 deadline selloff spent the low season locking in changes to his posture on the plate, designed to restrict his head motion and higher management his transfer ahead, and ended up mashing with an .838 OPS in 105 video games between double-A and triple-A. A stable defender at shortstop, second and centre discipline, he’s a candidate to be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from 40-man publicity. A hip harm value him a month in the summertime, slowing his progress.

“He’s the story that nobody’s really talking about,” stated Sclafani. “Last off-season he was at the PDC every day. We thought we identified something that that would really help him with his swing, and he bought it and you saw the results. Could not be happier for him. I think he’s a left-handed version of Ernie Clement with more power, if he continues on the track that he’s on. Definitely ran out of gas a little bit and the hip bothered him towards the end there, but his numbers are ridiculous. We’re pumped.”

R.J. Schreck: The left-handed hitting outfielder missed time with hand accidents in 2025 and a left-wrist harm restricted him to only 70 video games this yr, when the big-league membership may have used his on-base with energy profile.

“Frustrating year for him and he’d be the first to say, dealing with the hand stuff, and missing the time and then seeing guys get opportunities that he had felt he had earned,” stated Sclafani. “We’ve got to figure out, and he’ll tell you this as well, how to get him off to better starts. My opinion, because he’s so cerebral, what makes him good over time: he uses previous information to prepare him for future at-bats against a pitcher, so he gets better. But he’s a very complete player. He can do a lot of things, solid defender, has impact, good plate discipline, still a guy we’re high on. But I wish he would have stayed healthier to get that opportunity this year.”

Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Between promotions for Keys and Harry, together with a number of pitchers, and the commerce for Jose Soriano that despatched Nimmala and outfielder Eddie Micheletti Jr. to the Angels, together with rookie-ball righty Angel Rivero, the Fisher Cats have been extra of a transit level than stopping floor within the Blue Jays system this season. Infielder Dub Gleed, acquired from the Marlins for Leo Jimenez, ended up right here as did Danny Thompson, a righty with many followers internally, however will probably be a stage to observe subsequent yr with King on account of begin there.

Victor Arias: The outfielder returned from main shoulder surgical procedure to play in 87 video games however there was inner disappointment about his conditioning throughout rehab, and he batted simply .221//277/.379 whereas placing out 83 instances in 351 plate appearances. 

Still, Sclafani factors to Adolis Garcia and describes Arias as “a version of that” as a result of “he can just do so many things,” however “he didn’t adjust very well this year. I think he learned a lot. He’s a pending minor-league free agent and we have some interest in bringing him back and he does as well, so we’ll see what happens on that front, because I could imagine that other teams would be interested in him, as well.”

High-A Vancouver Canadians

A late-season run pushed the Canadians into the Northwest League playoffs, the place they beat the Eugene Emeralds for the championship. Like New Hampshire, Vancouver noticed loads of site visitors with gamers passing by way of, pushing up Nimmala whereas getting Parker, the eighth-overall decide final yr, for 3 weeks on the finish. Several deadline pickups, together with righty Dasan Hill and a pair of place gamers, ended up there, too.

Ty Southisene: Acquired with Bateman from the Cubs for Kevin Gausman on the deadline, the infielder was working by way of a finger harm and performed in 11 video games upon coming over. Like Bateman, he’s a novel profile as a high-on-base, low-slug participant however takes to an excessive, posting a .245/.388/.277 line final yr and a .300/.419/.380 clip this season when he hit his first professional homer.

“Really like what he brings to the table,” stated Sclafani. “Plays the game the right way, scrappy, puts together ridiculously good at-bats, pitchers can’t take a pitch off with him, he makes them work, finds a way to get the job done. He’ll walk, steal a bag, so there are a lot of tools to like. The finger was still affecting him a little bit. He wanted to play, credit to him, make an impression on the org. It did impact him a little bit, so we let him play some second base. We’re definitely going to give him a look at shortstop (next year).”

Demeury Pena: Part of the return from the Twins together with Hill and triple-A righty John Klein for Jeff Hoffman, the diminutive infielder suits the high-contact profile the Blue Jays are more and more concentrating on.

“We’d seen him a fair amount because he kicked our ass with Fort Myers” (in the Florida State League), said Sclafani. “Similar profile to Ty, scrappy, probably runs just as well if not a little bit better. Definitely going to try to lean in to see if we can leverage the athleticism for stolen bases. Defensively, definitely some work to do. Might end up being in the outfield. But in the box, doesn’t give an inch. Hopefully, we can make some progress and unlock some of the impact ability. Dynamic player.”

Led by Parker, a major wave of expertise minimize its tooth at this stage and under, and the group is taking a look at these teams to assist fill the present hole in influence expertise feeding into Buffalo.

JoJo Parker: Perhaps the membership’s greatest position-player prospect since Gabriel Moreno, the 19-year-old batted .270/.399/.460 with 28 stole bases in 108 video games between Dunedin and Vancouver. His progress in his professional debut made the Blue Jays extra comfy parting with Nimmala within the Soriano deal.

“That first pro season is always a beast and, from Day 1, great human being, cares about the right things, cares about his teammates, great worker, transformed his body, changed his body composition, put on a bunch of muscle in preparation for it,” stated Sclafani. “Defensively, we’re very encouraged with the strides he made. Definitely some opportunity still for him with the range if he can figure out how to use his body so he can let it rip, because he does have a pretty good arm. No reason to think that we shouldn’t be giving him more opportunities at shortstop going forward. He’s hungry to stick there.”

Blaine Bullard: Like fellow teenage Parker, the high-octane, switch-hitting outfielder realized to take care of the rigours of full-season ball firsthand, posting a .265/.328/.365 line with 37 stolen bases in 42 makes an attempt. 

“Really good defender and plays his ass off. Love watching him play,” stated Sclafani. “Plays (with) his hair on fire, trying to make a play at all times. He fully took to our challenge on the base-stealing piece and he’s determined to make that even more of a threat. The hitting was up and down, and he learned a lot of things playing against pitchers that were a lot older than him. We fully anticipate him to continue to improve on that side. TBD on where he starts next year, but I’m very confident he’ll at least spend a significant chunk of time in Vancouver, no matter where he’s starting.”

Juan Sanchez:The lately turned 19-year-old infielder lit up the Dominican Summer League a yr in the past and was given an aggressive task in Dunedin. After a gradual begin, he pulled his numbers as much as .213/.296/.342 with seven homers in 94 video games.

“The biggest thing for him was the experience,” stated Sclafani. “The thing that stood out was whether he was swinging it well or, in one of the tougher stretches, he had a smile on his face every day. He showed up. Was asking questions. He was on top of his routines. Great teammate. Worked his tail off. He didn’t let it impact him. It’s a massive jump. Overall, felt like he held his own. Quality of the at-bats were probably another thing that stood out. When he first got there, he looked like he got hit by a bus. By the time, I want to say mid-May, rolled around, the at-bats were consistent no matter what, good at-bats, taking his walks, finding stretches where he found the power. The ability is there. We believe in the upside. It was a good learning year for him. Now all that matters is how he responds to it.”

Cole Carlon: The six-foot-five, 230-pound lefty chosen thirty ninth general in the summertime was shut down after 83.2 innings at Arizona State and given an early begin on his low season program. He’s acquired an opportunity to maneuver quick subsequent yr.

“Feel really good about where he’s at,” stated Sclafani. “He’s been engaging with us in the weight room. Everybody wants to throw and show off what they want to do, but he really leaned in to his opportunities and understood our reasoning behind stuff. He knows himself pretty well, which is a great start. In the next month or two, we’ll start mapping what does ideal look like. This is a dude with a bunch of major-league pitches already. We’ll factor in everything that we always do, how does he show up in spring training, assessments, all that stuff. We’ll see if he does what we think he can do, and he’s really damn good, (so) I would anticipate we’re probably putting together a plan where at the upper levels there’s an option later in the year.”

A Trey Yesavage-like plan? 

“Yeah, similar,” replied Sclafani. “The only difference with Trey is he had posted in college for years and Cole made that transition last year. Did it remarkably well, but it’s still a little bit of a different workload background, so we’ll have to be thoughtful about it and maybe we control the innings for a little while, dial it up, dial it back, but we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make our best options, options for the major-league team next year.”

Will Brick: Prep catcher Brick performed solely within the unofficial Bridge League, a loop organized by big-league golf equipment for his or her current draftees, however the 18-year-old made a direct impression on and off the sector.

“He’s special,” stated Sclafani. “I joked that he’s going to be the mayor of Dunedin in two weeks. Positive energy every single day. Literally loves being here, befriends everybody, works his tail off, he wants to live here and work all the time, constantly asking what else he can do. Already, he’s one of those guys we’re going to have to monitor and pull the reins back a little bit. His first game, he threw two guys out, he also had a homer of about 430 feet. Just incredibly talented, but the combination of who he is and the impact he can have so broadly because of the position he plays and how he goes about it is exciting. I can’t guarantee it right now, but I think he’s going to start in Dunedin. He’s talented enough and will be prepared enough to potentially move at some point next year.”

Ryan Cooney: The infielder picked within the third spherical out of Oregon State acquired into 23 video games with Dunedin earlier than his season wrapped up. 

“He’s a grown-up,” stated Sclafani. “That stands out. He does things the right way. He’s prepared. Just a sound, sound baseball player. The plate discipline and the contact ability are obviously appealing. We see some ways to unlock, because he’s a good athlete, some of that athleticism in the swing. It was a good taste this year and we think we have a good plan. He’s going to go crush the off-season and, hopefully, he comes back and we start to see it translate into games pretty quickly.”