Prospects I Look Forward To Seeing Develop In 2018
The Blue Jays have a strong farm system and many of their top prospects are reaching the upper minors. While most Jays fans will be keeping a close eye on guys like Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette, Logan Warmoth and Nate Pearson, there are some other top prospects who are also worth keeping a close eye on. These prospects may not have the same upside as the guys at the top, but if they have a strong development year in 2018 they could be valuable pieces for the team either on the big league roster or as trade pieces.
Reese McGuire has the defensive skills to be a big league back-up catcher right now. If Luke Maile won't cut it as Russell Martin's caddy, McGuire could step in to fill the role. I look forward to seeing how McGuire's bat develops this year, because it will determine whether he is anything more than a defensive first back-up. Danny Jansen has the inside track as the team's future starting catcher. If McGuire can show that last year's 134 wrc+ at AA wasn't a total fluke he could challenge Jansen for the starter's role after Martin leaves, or be an excellent trade piece. McGuire has an excellent contact rate and draws enough walks to be a decent hitter. It will be his power that determines his ceiling. He had never had an ISO above .100 prior to putting up .217 last season.
2018 is a big year for Sean Reid-Foley to prove that he can stick in the Blue Jays' future rotation plans. He has a big fastball and the breaking pitches to succeed in the rotation, but may be destined for the bullpen if he can't get better control of his pitches. He strikes out a lot of batters, but since he also walks his fair share of hitters he tends to not go very deep in games. He has mid-rotation potential so the Jays will give him every chance to succeed and reach that ceiling. One down season is not enough to abandon him as a starter, but 2018 could be the year where the Jays front office has to determine whether he is better suited in a relief role.
Taylor Guerrieri has the potential to be found money for the Blue Jays. The former first round draft pick and top 100 prospect was picked up on waivers in November. He is an extreme groundball pitcher who relies on weak contact and limited walks to produce solid results. Across parts of 6 seasons in the minors he has a 2.51 ERA and has allowed only 18 home runs in 361.2 IP. That innings total is the reason the Jays were able to pick him up on waivers. Injuries and a drug of abuse suspension have kept him off the field. He may be shifted into a relief role in order to keep him healthy. If he can remain healthy and stick as a starter he could eventually join Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez to form one of the most groundball heavy rotation trios in baseball.
Lourdes Gurriel struggled during his first season in America. Much of his offensive struggles can be attributed to a low .266 BABIP that likely had more to do with bad luck than anything in his hitting profile. He had a healthy amount of line drives, but a high number of infield flies is likely the culprit for the low BABIP. It will be interesting to see if he keeps popping the ball up so often. He doesn't have much swing and miss in his game, so it will be the quality of contact that determines how he does with the bat. Gurriel is a versatile defender and could work his way into a super utility role for the Jays in the near future if he can prove that his bat is major league quality. Some of Gurriel's struggles in 2017 could be from shaking off rust from missing most of 2016 after defecting from Cuba, as well as dealing with nagging injuries. Hopefully 2018 is the year that he shows why he was so highly regarded when he left Cuba.
Rowdy Tellez had a miserable 2017 season. His mother battled Melanoma and it understandably took a toll on his mind and that affected his game. The great news came when his mother was determined cancer free in July. Tellez hit just .222/.295/.333. His 73 wrc+ was the first time that stat had dipped below 130 since he has reached full season ball. The strong strikeout and walk numbers were still there and Tellez still hit the ball to all fields. It was his power that disappeared completely. The .110 ISO was the lowest of his career and a major drop from .233 the year before. Tellez will need to prove he can hit for power if he wants to have a future as a starting first baseman in the majors. He will get another shot at AAA in 2018 and it will likely be a make or break year for the once first baseman of the future for the Jays.
All of these players were once regarded as solid prospects, but they have had lost some of their prospect shine for one reason or another. Each of them are set to start the year in the upper minors so they are already knocking on the door. A step forward from any of these players could result in seeing them make their major league debut in 2018.
