Ranking Toronto Blue Jays' Most Major League-Ready Prospects for Next Season

A large part of the Toronto Blue Jays’ 2014 season was defined by the emergence of young prospects Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez.

Stroman became a major part of Toronto’s starting rotation over the course of the season, posting a 10-6 record with a 3.29 ERA in 20 starts.

Sanchez, meanwhile, became a key component of the Blue Jays bullpen quickly after his call-up. The 22-year-old posted a microscopic 1.19 ERA in 30.1 innings pitched.

Just like how Stroman and Sanchez made an impact this season, Toronto should have a few more prospects ready to make their mark in the majors in 2015.

Let’s take a closer look and rank the Blue Jays’ most major league ready prospects for next season. Many of the prospects on this list have already made their major league debut this season after being called up to Toronto as part of the September roster expansion.

*All stats are from MLB.com and MILB.com. Stats are current entering play on September 24, 2014.

4. Sean Nolin, LHP

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Sean Nolin had a very decent season in the minor leagues this year. The 24-year-old spent the bulk of his time in Triple-A Buffalo, going 4-6 with a 3.50 ERA in 87.1 innings pitched there.

While Nolin was a starting pitcher in the minor leagues, he doesn’t have swing-and-miss stuff and likely won’t get much of a chance to crack the Blue Jays’ starting rotation any time soon. But, the southpaw’s command of the strike zone could earn him a spot on the team’s bullpen next season.

The key for Nolin is to come into 2015 spring training and have a good showing. If he’s unable to crack Toronto’s Opening Day roster, it’s likely that the Blue Jays will send him back to Buffalo as a depth starter.

It’s all but guaranteed that Nolin should see time in the majors next season in some capacity though.

3. Kendall Graveman, RHP

Kendall Graveman moved up through four different minor league levels during what was a breakout 2014 season. The 23-year-old posted a 14-6 record with a 1.83 ERA in 167.1 innings pitched during that span.

Graveman isn’t a flamethrower by any means, but he’s got good stuff. The right-hander’s fastball tops out at 92-94 mph and, like all of his other pitches, has sharp downward movement that generates lots of ground balls.

Being able to generate ground balls could make Graveman a valuable contributor in the Blue Jays bullpen next season. But will the team want to shift a starting pitcher with such dominant numbers in the minors into a relief role in the majors?

Either way, it should be interesting to see what happens with Graveman during spring training next year.

2. Daniel Norris, LHP

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Following in the footsteps of Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, Daniel Norris is the next highly touted Blue Jays pitching prospect with the talent to make an impact in the major leagues as soon as next season.

The 21-year-old Norris had a dominant 2014 season in the minors, posting a 12-2 record with a 2.53 ERA in 124.2 innings pitched between three different minor league levels.

Norris possesses a mid-90s fastball and combines that with a devastating curveball and slider. He racked up a whopping 163 strikeouts in the minors this season.

Despite his overall upside and impressive 2014 numbers, it’s unlikely to expect Norris to make the Blue Jays’ Opening Day roster in 2015 as a starting pitcher.

R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Drew Hutchison and Stroman should be locks in Toronto’s 2015 rotation. This will likely leave Norris to compete with Sanchez for the fifth spot in the rotation. Considering that Sanchez has already posted dominant numbers in the majors, it’s very likely that he wins the job.

If Norris doesn’t earn a spot in the starting rotation, it’s possible that the Blue Jays will send him back to Buffalo to start off the season and use him as a depth starter in case of an injury or trade.

Regardless of what happens, it’s reasonable to expect Norris to be pitching for Toronto in some capacity next season.

1. Dalton Pompey, Outfielder

Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press

Dalton Pompey wasn’t very high up on the Blue Jays depth chart entering the 2014 season. Now, just a few months later, the Canadian has become Toronto’s top outfield prospect.

Pompey started the 2014 season with Class A-Advanced Lansing and worked his way up to Triple-A Buffalo by August.

The 22-year-old finished the minor league season with an overall slash line of .317/.399/.479 with nine home runs, 51 RBI and 84 runs scored. He also had 43 stolen bases in 50 attempts.

With Melky Cabrera and Colby Rasmus both becoming free agents at the end of the season, the Blue Jays will be entering the offseason with two holes in their outfield.

If Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos is unable to re-sign or find suitable replacements for his departing players, that could open the door for Pompey to take over one of the team’s outfield spots as soon as next season.

Of course, it’s worth noting that Pompey played just 12 games in Buffalo this season before being called up to the Blue Jays in September. So it’s possible that he’s sent back to spend some more time at Triple-A in 2015 before getting any consideration for a major league role.