Under the radar: A look at unheralded Blue Jays

Under the radar: A look at unheralded Blue Jays

March 17th, 2017

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- and are thriving in the World Baseball Classic. is enjoying the best spring of his career. We know which of the prominent Blue Jays players are thriving in Florida, but what about the ones who are flying a little bit under the radar?
There will never be any shortage of attention for players such as Josh Donaldson, and , but every good team needs a solid foundation. That usually requires depth, and while dozens of players will be cut at the end of camp, a select few will eventually return to prominent roles.
Here's a closer look at some of the players who haven't received much attention but could become factors in 2017:
LHP : During a recent appearance on a Toronto sports radio station, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro identified Mayza as one of the club's biggest surprises this spring. Mayza likely isn't going to make the Opening Day roster but the 25-year-old's opportunity might be coming a lot sooner than expected. He has mid-90s velocity and a wipeout slider that is ideal for high-leverage situations. Mayza did allow an inherited runner to score during his last appearance, but he has surrendered just four hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
LHP : Dermody has yet to allow a run in five appearances. He struck out four, allowed three hits and didn't walk a batter over those four innings. Dermody is competing alongside for a spot in the bullpen, and he's done nothing but impress so far in camp. Dermody advanced through all three levels of the Minors last season before joining Toronto as a September call-up. He'll be back, the only question is when.
RHP : Smith was another of Toronto's September call-ups last year. His chances of making the Opening Day roster aren't good, but a lot of that is out of his control. There are several pitchers in the mix for the final spot and most of them don't have options. Smith is one of the guys who can be sent down without passing through waivers and that will hurt his case. The 28-year-old has allowed two earned runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings and his biggest assets are a mid-90s fastball and above-average slider.

IF Jon Berti: Berti has been one of the biggest surprises with a .308 average and .823 OPS in 16 spring games. He's set to begin the year in Triple-A Buffalo, but his path to the big leagues is rather apparent. Once is healthy, back-up infielder will have to be put through waivers. That could eventually clear the way for Berti, who posted a .722 OPS in Double-A New Hampshire last season and has 212 stolen bases over six Minor League seasons.
SS : , and seemed to get most of the attention, but there's another prominent prospect who shouldn't be overlooked. Ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Blue Jays' No. 4 prospect, Urena is off to a hot start this spring with a .320 average and .753 OPS in 13 games. He's still likely not the first line of defense for a Tulowitzki injury, but Urena is rapidly approaching that point. One area to watch: Urena hit just .242 as a righty last year compared to .313 as a lefty. This spring, Urena has three hits in eight at-bats against lefties and that trend will have to continue.

 Honorable mentions: RHP (4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 5 K), LHP (4 IP, 4 H, 3 K), RHP (9 IP, 6 H, 6 K) and IF Jake Elmore (8-for- 26, 2 RBIs).