The Toronto Blue Jays' Top 10 Prospects

The Blue Jays don’t have a lot to get excited about, especially when you look at all of the prospects the other AL East teams have.

I’ve taken a look through the Jays’ minor league system from Syracuse to the Gulf Coast League and formed a list of their best prospects. I should qualify this before the J.P. Arencibia and Justin Jackson fans out there become enraged.

As much as I like pedigree and tools, I didn’t overlook minor league failures (so that means Arencibia and Jackson rank lower than they do elsewhere). And as much as I like minor league success, I didn’t overrate it (so that rules out John-Ford Griffin and Kevin Barker).

So, without further introduction, here are my top Blue Jays prospects going into the 2008 season: 

10. Matthew Liuzza, C, Born: Feb. 3, 1984 

One of many catchers with upside, Liuzza has more power than any of his fellow backstops in the system. He’s hit 20 HR to go along with 31 2B and four 3B in 503 minor league at bats. Liuzza showed impressive patience last year, boosting his walk rate from 7.6 percent to 13.3 percent in 2007. He’s only reached A ball, but his power should carry him far. Could he become a poor man’s Jason Varitek? 

9. J.P.Arencibia, C, Born: Jan. 5, 1986

Arencibia is a 21-year-old, high-ceiling catcher selected 21st overall in the ’07 draft. He hit 254/309/377 in 228 ABs in low A.

8. Justin Jackson, SS, Born: Dec. 11, 1988

Jackson, selected 45^th overall in the ’07 draft, hit 187/274/241 in rookie ball.

7. Jonathan Diaz, SS, Born: April 10, 1985

Diaz made huge strides last year, though, at 22, he’s never played above A ball. He was bumped a level in 2007 and still managed to raise his average by 47 point, his OBA by 80 points and his SLG by 97 points. He’s struck out exactly 55 times each of the last two years, but in 2007 he walked 82 times as opposed to 30 in 2006. Diaz has little power, but does have good base-running abilities.

6. Seth Overbey, RP, Born: April 30, 1984 

The Jays could have two Overb*ys on the active roster soon. Seth (who is not related to Lyle, of course) was phenomenal at A ball, allowing no runs and only 12 hits in 24.2 innings, striking out 21. He moved up to AA and was decent, but not overly impressive in his stint with the Fisher Cats. Still just 23, he could surface in Toronto in 2008.  

5. John Tolisano, 2B, Born: Oct. 2, 1988

Tolisano made his pro debut in the Gulf Coast League as a rookie-baller in 2007. He impressed with his power and plate discipline, hitting 246/336/437. He added 10 HR and, though he struck out a lot, walked in 12.4 percent of his plate appearances. Though he played at second last year, Baseball America notes that he could end up in the outfield. There’s no reason that Tolisano shouldn’t be a regular for the Jays by 2011.

4. Kevin Ahrens, SS, Born: April 26, 1989 

Their 16th overall pick in the ’07 draft was this 18-year-old third baseman. Kevin Goldstein suggests that Ahrens has an All-Star ceiling. The switch-hitter was solid without overwhelming anyone in his debut season. He hit 230/339/321 in the Gulf Coast League, but walked 25 times in 190 PA.

3. Brett Cecil, SP, Born: July 2, 1986 

The lefty has only appeared in 14 games as a pro, so we can’t get too excited about Cecil. It’s hard to get off to a better start than he did though. Cecil’s ERA was 1.27 and he allowed only one homer in 49.2 innings in low A ball. Eased into a starting role as a pro after a college career as a closer, Cecil struck out 56 and only walked 11 in his pro debut.

2. Brian Jeroloman, C, Born: May 10, 1985 

Catchers who contribute offensively are few and far between (just ask Jason Kendall or Gerald Laird), but the Jays are stacked with them. Funnily enough, Jeroloman, still just 22, actually resembles Jason Kendall. He doesn’t hit for much power (28 XBH in 431 minor league ABs) but he’s extremely patient, drawing 85 walks in 375 plate appearances. That projects to about 125 times over the course of a 550 PA season, enough to make Jeroloman very appealing to the Jays. His defense—which Baseball America ranks as best in the Toronto system—would represent a huge upgrade over the Jays’ current catchers. He’s topped out in high A ball so far, but could be in the bigs by 2009 if he finds the fast track.

1. Travis Snider, OF, Born: Feb. 2, 1988 

The lone true bright spot in the Jays’ system is as good as it gets. He is consistently ranked as a top 10 prospect for good reason. He followed up his 325/412/567 2006 campaign with a 313 /377/525  last year as a 19-year-old. Patient enough to earn a walk rate of 10 percent, Snider hit 58 XBH in the pitcher-friendly Mid-West League before lighting it up in the AFL. He’s built like a tank and could end up being the best hitter the Jays have had since Delgado. 

Don’t Forget About:

Curtis Thigpen, Adam Lind, and Jesse Litsch. These three made it to the show in 2007 for their first extended taste of the bigs (or they’d be on this list). They saw limited playing time, but the Jays will rely on them this year.