Toronto Blue Jays Prospects: Young Guns Putting Themselves on the Radar, Part 1

Travis D'Arnaud. Anthony Gose.

Those are names a large number of Blue Jays fans are well aware of today.

Even casual Jays fans probably know two or three of the Blue Jays' top prospects.

What about the guys in the minor leagues who have shown steady progression through the system and are putting together a nice season so far in 2012 who aren't well known, though?

Which youngsters could we see in the major leagues in just two or three years that we may never have heard of?

Well, Jays fans, look no further, as this article will help you acquaint yourself with some young prospects who are putting themselves on the radar at the Triple-A and Double-A levels.

Part two of this mini-series will look at what youngsters are doing the same at Class-A advanced and Class-A.

Enjoy.

A few things to note before moving forward: An effort was made to ensure that most of these players are not on most "top 10 prospects lists" in order for them to be "off the radar." With the exception of Yan Gomes, each player in this article is under 25, to ensure that they're still young and not yet career minor leaguers.

Honorable Mention: Yan Gomes, C/1B/3B: Triple-A Las Vegas

The original plan for this article was to be six players putting themselves on the radar that not many Blue Jays fans know about, but by being called up to the major leagues, Yan Gomes is quickly becoming a household name.

After Adam Lind was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas last week, Gomes was the player who got the call.

He didn't waste any time either, quickly being inserted into the starting lineup (which made him the first-ever Brazilian born player to play in MLB) and racking up two hits in his first game.

Before getting the call up to "The Show," Gomes was absolutely raking in Las Vegas, posting a stat line of .359/.391/.565 (OPS of .956 for those who don't enjoy math) through 131 at-bats. Gomes also accumulated five home runs, 22 RBI and 74 total bases during his stint in Las Vegas.

So far in Toronto, Yan has has appeared in four games, going 4-for-10 with a home run, three RBI and two walks, while scoring three runs.

At 25, Gomes was also a little older than the players I was looking to include on this list.

Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, Triple-A Las Vegas

Back in 2010, Adeiny Hechavarria was the next big Cuban baseball player.

Luckily for the Blue Jays, they happen to be one of the better organizations around baseball at recruiting Latin American players.

On April 13, 2010, the Blue Jays inked the soon-to-be 21 year old (his birthday is April 15th) to a four-year, $10 million contract.

Hechavarria would start his professional career with Toronto's Class-A advanced affiliate in Dunedin and only hit .193 through 161 at-bats before he was called up to Double-A New Hampshire where he managed to hit .273 in 253 at-bats.

After splitting 2011 between New Hampshire and Las Vegas, Hechavarria was assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas to begin the 2012 season where he is currently putting up a stat line of .315/.367/.459 (good for an OPS of .825) with four long balls and 28 RBI. He has also been successful at five of his six stolen base attempts.

The one concern remaining at this point is Hechavarria's strikeout rate. Last year, it was a respectable 17.4 percent (though most of the season was spent at Double-A), while this year it's sitting at 21.5 percent.

If Hechavarria can bring that number down and continue to get on base, Blue Jays fans could be seeing the young shortstop in Toronto sooner rather than later.

Note: Hechavarria is one of the few players included in this series who is included in mlb.com's top 20 Jays prospects list.

Ryan Goins, SS, Double-A New Hampshire

Ryan Goins is one of the players who is perfect for this type of list.

There aren't many Blue Jays fans out there, if any, who know about this kid.

Goins was the Jays' fourth-round draft pick (130th overall) in the 2009 entry draft out of Dallas University.

At 24 years old, he's one of the older players on this list but was included nonetheless because he did not start his professional career until 2009.

That year, Goins made his way from playing short-season baseball in two different leagues, all the way up to Lansing, where he finished the season with the Class-A Lugnuts.

He then split the 2010 season between Class-A Lansing and Class-A Advanced Dunedin.

After another year in Dunedin last season, Goins was started off in New Hampshire for the 2012 season where he hasn't been a disappointment.

Through his first 155 at-bats, Goins has posted a .329/.371/.471 (OPS of .842) stat line, adding two home runs, 21 RBI and five stolen bases.

He has also shown very good plate discipline, walking 12 times and only striking out 20 times in his 155 at-bats, good for a solid strike out rate of just 12.9 percent.

Mike McDade, 1B, Double-A New Hampshire

Mike McDade has been another nice story for the Blue Jays organization.

Drafted in 2007 at the ripe age of 18, in the sixth round (205th overall), out of Silverado High School in Las Vegas, McDade struggled early on in his professional career.

As he has matured, however, McDade has evolved into a solid baseball player.

Since 2007, McDade has worked his way up the organizational ladder, making stops in rookie ball, Auburn, Lansing, Dunedin and now New Hampshire.

At 23 years old, McDade is raking against Double-A pitching.

So far, he has a stat line of .315/.385/.470 (.855 OPS) with six home runs and 19 RBI in 149 at-bats.

And while his strikeout rate is right at 20 percent (30 strikeouts in 149 at-bats), his 17 walks make that number a little more tolerable.

If there is one thing the Blue Jays would like to see happen in order for him to receive a promotion to his hometown, it would probably be seeing more power from the young first baseman (in over 600 at-bats, he's looking at approximately 24 home runs, which isn't a whole lot for the position he plays).

John Tolisano, LF, Double-A New Hampshire

Four rounds before selecting Mike McDade in the 2007 draft, the Jays used the 85th overall pick to select left-fielder John Tolisano out of Estero High School in Florida.

Despite struggling at the plate since being drafted, Tolisano had done enough to find himself starting out the 2012 season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, where he looks like a much improved player.

Also 23 years old, Tolisano is hitting .311/.418/.445 (OPS of .863) with a home run, 10 RBI and six stolen bases. He has also shown incredible discipline, walking just as many times as he has struck out (22).

It seems as though this is the season that Tolisano is finally turning into the player the Jays hoped they had when they drafted him in 2007.

Aaron Loup, RP, Double-A New Hampshire

Aaron Loup is a Blue Jays pitching prospect who is now in his third season of playing professional baseball.

He was drafted in the ninth round (280th overall) of the 2009 draft out of Tulane University.

Over nearly his entire professional career he has been pitching out of the bullpen (the exception being five starts in Lansing back in 2010).

After having minor struggles in 2010 and 2011, Loup seems to have found a groove at Double-A New Hampshire to begin the 2012 season.

Through his first 19 appearances, he has thrown 22.2 IP with an ERA of just 1.59 and a WHIP of 1.15. He also strikes out 3.8 batters for every batter he walks and has picked up two saves for the Fisher Cats.

If Loup can keep up this pace, it seems as though the Jays may have found a diamond in the rough in the ninth round of the 2009 draft.

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