Here is everything to know about Moreno

TORONTO -- With No. 1 prospect Gabriel Moreno set to make his MLB debut, the Blue Jays are adding another pillar to their foundation.

Still just 22 years old, Moreno has rapidly risen through the Blue Jays’ system, developing into an athletic, two-way catcher built for the modern game. He has the talent to become a perennial All-Star candidate, and with plenty of development still ahead before he reaches his ceiling, this represents another exciting beginning for an organization that’s already had so many in recent years.

Moreno was called up on Saturday and made his debut in Detroit, batting eighth and catching behind starter Kevin Gausman.

• What to expect from Gabriel Moreno

Many of you already know the name Gabriel Moreno, but if you don’t, you will soon.

This is what you need to know ahead of the young catcher’s highly anticipated debut:

Why is this such a big deal?
Moreno is the jewel of the Blue Jays’ system, ranked as the No. 4 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline. Prospect fever has understandably waned in Toronto since the headlining debuts of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette back in 2019, but to put it within that context, Moreno is ranked even higher than Bichette was at the time.

This is a young catcher with the potential to be great, representing another potential long-term franchise cornerstone alongside Guerrero, Bichette and Alek Manoah.

Such a debut carries more weight at catcher, too, like we saw recently with Adley Rutschman in Baltimore. The term “catcher of the future” struggled to stick in Toronto for many years, but Moreno now joins the red-hot Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen, who was off to a fantastic start before recently fracturing a bone in his left hand. Moreno will not be thrown directly into the fire, but he’s being called up to contribute to wins, not to sit and watch.

How will the Blue Jays use Moreno?
This depends on many factors outside of Moreno’s game, most notably the play of Kirk and the recovery of Jansen, who the Blue Jays should have a clearer timeline for within the next week.

Moreno will play, though. Given that his most daunting challenge coming in at 22 will be to learn Toronto’s full pitching staff, it would be sensible for manager Charlie Montoyo and the Blue Jays to align him with one or two starters to catch for regularly in the coming weeks. This strategy worked well with Kirk and Robbie Ray in 2021 en route to his AL Cy Young season.

It’s important to focus on how Montoyo was deploying Jansen and Kirk together, just prior to Jansen hitting the injured list. The Blue Jays haven’t shied away from having both catchers in the lineup with one at DH, which is a very attractive option on days that Kirk is not behind the plate. Since the beginning of May, he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball.

What can we expect from Moreno offensively?
Even at 22, Moreno looks like a veteran at the plate, calmly working his way through at-bats. With a short, compact swing and advanced hand-eye coordination, he has the ability to drive the ball to all fields, as shown by his .324 average to open the year at Triple-A Buffalo.

Moreno’s ability to hit for contact gives him a safe floor coming into the league and should allow him to make an impact early. As far as his potential ceiling long term, though, his power is a critical factor.

Moreno’s eight home runs in 32 Double-A games last year headlined his breakout, but he has hit just one in 36 games this season. April and May in the Triple-A International League don’t always offer the kindest hitting conditions, but that’s still an area of Moreno’s game that is coming along. Given his late arrival at Spring Training due to visa issues, some patience might be warranted.

Given the Blue Jays’ existing talent, though, Moreno arrives in a dream scenario for a prospect. He won’t be asked to bat in a marquee spot, like former No. 1 prospect Bobby Witt was in Kansas City. Instead, Moreno can slide comfortably into the bottom third of the order and build up behind a lineup of stars.

What about defensively?
This has been the most interesting part of Moreno’s development. When the Blue Jays scouted Moreno, he was an infielder. Scout Francisco Plasencia and director of Latin American operations Sandy Rosario asked a young Moreno to stand behind home plate and make a few throws to second base, which is where this all began.

Some of that infielder athleticism is still present now. Moreno has a compact build at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, moving quickly behind the plate to block and throw. He has thrown out a remarkable 54% of runners attempting to steal in Triple-A this season, too, showing a unique ability to make throws from all arm angles.

The learning curve at the MLB level will be tied to his new staff. Moreno will catch Gausman’s famous splitter one day, José Berríos’ big curveball another and Manoah’s slider the next. It’s a challenge, but Moreno is not arriving as a completely finished product. This is where development continues in the Majors.

Where is Moreno from?
A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Moreno grew up as the youngest of four children. When Moreno was just eight or nine years old, he had to stop playing organized baseball because his family could not afford it, but he returned to the game with the support of the community around him.

You can read the full story of Moreno’s unlikely journey from Barquisimeto to the Blue Jays here.

How did the Blue Jays sign and develop Moreno?
Moreno was signed for just $25,000, a far cry from fellow top international prospects like Guerrero or Orelvis Martinez.

The scouting process was unique. Plasencia, the scout who followed Moreno, first noticed the teenager at his academy, where Moreno wasn’t even part of the headlining group being shown to scouts in attendance. Moreno continued to stand out, though, showing a natural feel for hitting.

That’s when Plasencia decided to come back to the field in secret on a day when the young players weren’t expecting scouts. That’s when you can get a true look at who a player is when the lights aren’t on. He saw Moreno cleaning the field and helping set up for batting practice, all while continuing to show his intriguing talent.

After working out Moreno further with Rosario, this time at catcher, the Blue Jays were confident that there was something worth investing in. Moreno was signed, but frankly, every organization has dozens of signing stories just like this. The difference is that most of them don’t result in a No. 4 MLB prospect.

Moreno’s early work in the Dominican Summer League didn’t bring results at the plate, but the Blue Jays saw him taking significant strides as a catcher. By 2019, he debuted in full-season ball with Single-A Lansing , establishing himself as a legitimate prospect, and he soon enjoyed a breakout 2021 season with Double-A New Hampshire, hitting .373 with a 1.092 OPS over 32 games.

Moreno’s development will continue in the big leagues, just like we’ve seen from Guerrero and Bichette, but the journey from 2016 to Saturday is a credit to both Moreno and the Blue Jays’ player development staff at multiple levels.