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New additions dot Jays' monthly prospect report

6 0
02.08.2024

TORONTO — The lone positive in a lost season is the ability to do what the Toronto Blue Jays just did at the trade deadline.

Tear things down as much as possible, peddle the expiring contracts, and inject some much-needed depth and talent into a minor-league system that’s about to become very important once again in the grand scheme of things for this franchise.

On that front alone, three names in this monthly update weren’t Blue Jays prospects a couple of weeks ago, while two others recently made season debuts coming off injury.

This season will be remembered for one of two things — either the arm injury carnage that has felled three of the club’s top pitching prospects, now a list that includes Ricky Tiedemann, or the trade deadline haul that helped steer the club back on track.

Time will tell which it is.

Using our annual top 50 Blue Jays prospects list as a guide, here’s a look at how some of the prominent names — one notable bat and one notable arm at each of the affiliates, plus a Canadian from the annual league-wide top 20 list — fared in the month of July.

TRIPLE-A BUFFALO BISONS

Bat to watch: 2B/3B Will Wagner (NA)

The son of former Astros closer Billy Wagner, Willy Wags is an under-the-radar prospect who has produced at every stop thus far and he’s going to be viewed as the third piece in the package of prospects that the Jays were able to pry away from Houston in exchange for rental starter Yusei Kikuchi.

The lack of high-end tools is the reason for that, but all Wagner has done since being drafted in the 18th round three years ago is get on base.

In Triple-A this season, the lefty-hitting infielder has taken another step forward — albeit in a great hitting environment — slashing .307/.424/.429 with five homers across 324 trips to the plate before the trade.

Most impressively, Wagner walked 54 times and struck out just 33.

Second base is Wagner’s best position defensively, and the profile is eerily similar to the guy getting most of the run at that spot for the Jays right now in on-base machine Spencer Horwitz.

Arm to watch: RHP Jake Bloss (NA)

An early-season breakout for the Astros after being drafted last July out of Georgetown, Bloss mixes and matches a six-pitch arsenal, keeping hitters off balance rather than overpowering them.

Bloss’ analytically impressive 93-mph fastball has been hit hard in his three........

© TSN


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