Here are the Blue Jays' 2024 Top 30 prospects
Keegan Matheson
@KeeganMathesonThe 2023 season wasn’t exactly a raging success for the Blue Jays’ farm system, but for an organization trying to make the most of a window that won’t stay open forever, it’s all about producing present-day value.
The breakout star of 2023, Davis Schneider, represented just that. Schneider was everything the Blue Jays’ lineup needed late in the season, and did it all after opening the year as the No. 28 prospect. Looking ahead to ‘24, there are a handful of candidates to do the same.
Spencer Horwitz, Damiano Palmegiani and Alan Roden could all have an opportunity to contribute this season from outside of the organization’s top five, with Palmegiani and his power bat at the hot corner representing the easy “2024 Schneider” candidate. There’s Addison Barger, too, and No. 5 prospect Leo Jimenez, all combining to create a wave of talent arriving at the same time. There’s something to be said about quantity. If one prospect truly pops, you win.
The top tier is tantalizing, though, and the Blue Jays need to develop another star. Ricky Tiedemann has all the talent you could dream of in a starter, but like so many high-powered young arms on our Top 100 Prospects list, we need to see it stretched over 120-plus innings. Orelvis Martinez brings remarkable power that could really play up if he handles second base, too, so there’s no shortage of upside at the top of this system.
Here’s a look at the Blue Jays top prospects:
1. Ricky Tiedemann, LHP (MLB No. 29)
2. Orelvis Martinez, INF (MLB No. 89)
3. Arjun Nimmala, SS
4. Brandon Barriera, LHP
5. Leo Jimenez, SS
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2023 preseason list to the 2024 preseason list:
Jump: Leo Jimenez, SS (2023: 20 | 2024: 5)
A year ago, Jimenez had lost some of the momentum he’d generated in 2021 and hit just .230 in High-A. Even with an impressive walk rate, that number wasn’t enough given his light-hitting profile. Since then, Jimenez has bulked up, and while he’s not about to win a Home Run Derby, he now looks much more like a player who can do enough offensively to have a big league career. That’s all due to his defense, which still profiles as a legitimate strength in the Major Leagues. Jimenez doesn’t have the highest or flashiest ceiling in this system, but given his position and the likelihood he stays there, he’s one of the easiest prospects to envision still being on a big league roster six years from now.
Fall: Hayden Juenger (2023: 10 | 2024: NR)
Juenger was being actively developed as a bulk reliever, making him one of the most interesting projects in the system. The results in 2022 looked extremely encouraging between Double-A and Triple-A, putting Juenger on the doorstep of being a valuable piece of a modern MLB bullpen, but ‘23 represented a major step back. Juenger pitched to a 6.33 ERA and walked 39 batters over 75 1/3 innings in Triple-A, pitching in shorter stints than before. Juenger has all of the ability to pitch himself right back onto this list, but last season was a tough lesson for the 2021 sixth-rounder.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools – 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 55 -- Spencer Horwitz (Alan Roden, Leo Jimenez)
Power: 60 -- Orelvis Martinez
Run: 80 -- Dasan Brown
Arm: 65 -- Addison Barger
Defense: 60 -- Dasan Brown
Fastball: 60 -- Ricky Tiedemann (Yosver Zulueta, Connor Cooke, T.J. Brock)
Curveball: 60 -- Adam Macko
Slider: 70 -- T.J. Brock
Changeup: 60 -- Ricky Tiedemann
Control: 55 -- Fernando Perez
How they were built
Draft: 19 | International: 9 | Trade: 2
Breakdown by ETA
2024: 10 | 2025: 9 | 2026: 6 | 2027: 5
Breakdown by position
C: 0 | 1B: 1 | 2B: 2 | 3B: 3 | SS: 5 | OF: 6 | RHP: 9 | LHP: 4