AL Eastbound & Down

Toronto Blue Jays prized pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez is getting a lot of love from the scouting department and has gotten off to a great start in the Low-A minor league Jays affiliate.  Through 12 innings Sanchez has yet to give up an earned run and has struck out a ridiculous 17 batters while allowing only four hits.  The walk rate has been a bit high early on but he has truly been dominant.

12 ip, 4 h, 0 er, 8 bb – 17 k, 0.00 ERA, 2.37 FIP.

Here is what I wrote about him after ranking him 9th in the Blue Jays system:

Baseball America says Sanchez offers plenty of projection with his 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame, and he has present stuff to go with it. His fast arm generates fastballs that sit in the low 90s and touch 95. He adds in a high-70s curveball that has crisp rotation when it’s on. He shows feel for a changeup, though it needs refinement. Sanchez’s numbers don’t jump out because his command has been inconsistent.

Possible front-line starter if everything goes right.

Fangraphs prospect guru Mike Newman recently took a couple reader questions with respect to the Blue Jays farm system and Aaron Sanchez in particular and had this to say:

Q: Toronto is stocked with good young arms. Which one do you think makes the Big Show first and which one has the higher upside?

A: I heard ridiculously good things about Aaron Sanchez.  Like how the heck did this guy last to the draft slot good things.

Q: Sanchez, Nicolino or Syndergaard?

A: From what a contact said: Sanchez, Syndergaard and Nicolino a distant third.

Q: What type of play will Anthony Gose be in the bigs?

A: Gold glove quality CF with some power, walks and elite SB’s.

Just in case you needed another reason to remain optimistic about the Blue Jays future and farm system, an arm (Sanchez) not as highly touted as others coming into this season is already pushing himself into a prominent role among the systems best.