TORONTO — Just like the parent club at the big-league level, the Toronto Blue Jays’ farm system rebounded in a significant way last season.
Addison Barger, Trey Yesavage, Braydon Fisher, Mason Fluharty, Joey Loperfido, Paxton Schultz and Lazaro Estrada all made varying degrees of contribution to a team that advanced to the World Series. Prospects Khal Stephen, Juaron Watts-Brown, Alan Roden, Kendry Rojas and Will Wagner built up enough currency to be used for deadline adds. Yesavage was an obvious headliner, but there were several other developmental successes, too.
In the process, the Blue Jays moved from a consensus bottom-third farm system among public third-party evaluators to the middle tier of organizational rankings.
10. Trey Yesavage; 62. Arjun Nimmala; 66. JoJo Parker
14. Trey Yesavage; 52. JoJo Parker; 76. Arjun Nimmala; 85. Johnny King
8. Trey Yesavage; 48. Arjun Nimmala
12. Trey Yesavage; 45. JoJo Parker; 77. Arjun Nimmala
*End-of-2025 ranking; others are as of spring 2026
The goal for 2026, then, is simple.
“We want to continue building off that because they set the standard up there and ideally we’re preparing our guys to contribute to that when they get up there and not just be a part of it,” said Joe Sclafani, the director of player development for the Blue Jays.
“The pitching was outstanding, honestly. They took jumps much quicker than even I thought was going to happen and that’s a testament to Justin (Lehr, the director of pitching), Ricky (Meinhold, the pitching co-ordinator), all the pitching coaches. They did a really good job of everybody getting on the same page, same language, messaging, guys attacking the zone, understanding themselves better, so building off of that, for sure.”
On the hitting side, “I think our damage development has been pretty good,” added Sclafani.
“Guys are coming in and they’re seeing meaningful gains, not only in bat speed but in EVs, as well. We have opportunities. Definitely continue getting better with the defensive development. We were just OK last year comparatively. Baserunning is the lowest-hanging fruit for us. We were bottom three in all of baseball in a lot of those things. We’re going to try to steal more bags. We are just going to be better on the basepaths, knowing how important it is up there. We want to make sure we’re consistent with it.”
There’s a lot to unpack there and the theme of building organizational continuity across all levels is an important one. But given where the Blue Jays were on the pitching side after a dismal 2024 that included eight prospects needing reconstructive elbow surgery, the gains in a pipeline that had been broken were perhaps most vital.
Certainly, Yesavage’s five-level surge culminating in a star turn during the post-season represented a massive victory, but so too did Fisher and Fluharty being promoted to log meaningful innings for the bullpen, and Schultz and Estrada filling in some gaps.
“We haven’t been able to do that in the past, to bring up guys that contribute right away, are comfortable right away,” said pitching coach Pete Walker, who described the difference that makes in dealing with a season’s attrition as “huge.”
Driving that production are changes to the organization’s approach in developing pitchers, a byproduct of the internal evaluation that followed the 2024 season. Walker described it as “getting back to pitching, to be honest with you,” with alignment from the majors on down.
“Obviously, velocity is important, maintaining health and having good pitch shapes and working on your arsenal,” Walker continued. “But it’s more about locating your fastball, locating your pitches, knowing how to get ahead in the count, knowing how to expand, the running game, simplifying some deliveries. There are a lot of things that we are emphasizing at the minor-league level that are imperative to pitch in the major leagues. It’s about developing pitchers — not throwers, not guys with great stuff who can’t control the running game and walk too many guys. That does nothing for us. It’s about the complete pitcher.”
The Blue Jays are seeking to extend that continuity on the pitching side to their position players this season.
For hitters, that means “helping educate them on what makes them successful and helping them figure out how to build a plan against different pitch shapes,” explained Sclafani.
Based on the big-league’s club success, it makes sense to add “a renewed emphasis on situational hitting, learning to take your shots, understanding what the pitchers are trying to do to you, and making sure that when you get up there and you’re in a high-stress situation, you’ve been there and done it,” per Sclafani.
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Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins preaches the same things. He and major-league assistants Lou Iannotti and Cody Atkinson spoke to the minor-league hitting group led by director Craig Parry about the qualities they value and skills needed to succeed.
The goal is to “free them up to be the same way we are here — athletic, adjustable, dangerous hitters,” said Popkins. “You’re trying to make the transition as smooth as possible. They have the same plans that we have, the same preparation styles that they can pull from some of the things that we do. You’re trying to do that but also give some creative freedom for other people to explore different ways to solve things. Sometimes if you try to do everything the same swing-wise, you get into trouble. So just making sure there’s individuality and that guys are able to solve things pretty uniquely.”
Here’s a look at where various Blue Jays prospects are starting the season:
Notable assignments: Pitchers – Austin Voth, Adam Macko, Grant Rogers, C.J. Van Eyk, Chase Lee, Chad Dallas, Yariel Rodriguez; Position players – C Brandon Valenzuela, SS Josh Kasevich, OF R.J. Schreck, OF Yohendrick Pinango, INF Josh Rivera, 3B Charles McAdoo, OF Jonatan Clase.
Outlook: The Blue Jays have already dipped into their depth here by recalling Estrada and several players listed above are expected to see time over the course of the next six months. Kasevich and Schreck, in particular, impressed during camp. But the jockeying among pitchers to move up the depth chart may be the most important thing that happens in Buffalo this season.
Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Notable assignments: Pitchers – Gage Stanifer, Fernando Perez, Javen Coleman, Nate Garkow; Position players – INF Sean Keyes, INF Cutter Coffey, OF Eddie Micheletti Jr.
Outlook: Stanifer jumped three levels last year in a remarkable rise that nearly mirrored Yesavage. He earned an invitation to big-league camp and his stuff is big enough that Blue Jays people believe he has a chance to force his way up with another strong season. Coleman, a hard-throwing, one-inning lefty, is a name to keep an eye on as is Garkow, whose bread-and-butter changeup is a pitch that generates buzz.
High-A Vancouver Canadians
Notable assignments: Pitchers – Johnny King, Landen Maroudis, Austin Cates; Position players – SS Arjun Nimmala; C Edward Duran.
Outlook: Nimmala, still just 20, begins the season back at Vancouver after starting strong at high-A last year before fading in the second half. A good opening would set him up for a quick promotion. King, 19, struck out an eye-popping 105 batters over 61.2 innings between rookie ball and low-A last season and there’s lots of internal excitement about his potential. Maroudis is seeking to regain the form he showed during an exciting A-ball debut before reconstructive elbow surgery that spring and a rough return last season.
Notable Assignments: Pitchers – Brandon Barriera, Nolan Perry, Karson Ligon; Position players – SS JoJo Parker, OF Blaine Bullard, OF Enmanuel Bonilla.
Outlook: Parker, the eighth overall pick last year, jumps right into full season ball after impressing immediately at camp. The 19-year-old’s progress will be very closely watched. Barriera, the club’s first-round pick in 2022, returned last season from reconstructive elbow surgery and pitched in only five games before suffering a mini-fracture in his ulna. He’ll be built up with caution as he tries to regain his past momentum. Bonilla, inked to a $4.1 million bonus in the 2023 signing period, hasn’t made good on his big power yet but gets a bump after two years of rookie ball.
Notable assignments: Pitchers – Seojun Moon, Carson Messina; Position players – INF Juan Sanchez, INF Tim Piasentin.
Outlook: Sanchez, 18, was one of the club’s biggest spends in last year’s international free-agent period and immediately tore up the Dominican Summer League last year, batting .341/.439/.565 in 56 games, earning him a quick promotion stateside. Moon was signed with some of the bonus pool money the Blue Jays acquired while pursuing Roki Sasaki. Piasentin’s raw power has earned him lots of attention.
INJURIES: Righty Jake Bloss, recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery, is trending well with his current buildup. … Lefty Ricky Tiedemann, who began camp feeling healthy after undergoing his own elbow surgery, was shut down in late February with elbow soreness and is progressing slowly. … Outfielder Victor Arias is still recovering from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder last fall. He should be in rehab games by the month’s end or early May before he rejoins New Hampshire. … Infielder Adrian Pinto is also bound for the Fisher Cats once he finishes his rehab progression after visa issues delayed his arrival to camp. … Righty Silvano Hechavarria is being built up slowly after experiencing some elbow soreness last fall. The plan for him is to be in Vancouver by May. … Righty Micah Bucknam is likely to miss the season after exiting a game with an elbow injury during the second week of March. As an advanced college arm, the 22-year-old had a chance to move through the system quickly.
