It’s time for the monthly Toronto Blue Jays minor league system and prospect update. Let’s take a look at how the top names in the system performed for the month of April. All of the top rated prospects will be accounted for with a few exceptions, Daniel Norris, Jacob Anderson, Dwight Smith Jr, Joe Musgrove and Adonys Cardona are still in instructional league (rookie ball) and do not have registered stats yet this year.
Any player rated or mentioned in my top 15 prospect piece are in bold.
LoA – Lansing Lugnuts, Record 18-6, 1st place
| Hitters | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | 2B | HR | BB | K |
| (OF) Chris Hawkins | 83 | 313 | 345 | 422 | 767 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 11 |
| (C) Carlos Perez | 70 | 271 | 342 | 414 | 756 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| (3B) Kellen Sweeney | 71 | 197 | 313 | 254 | 567 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 11 |
Chris Hawkins has shown he can hit early in the season and Carlos Perez has recovered nicely from a slow start. Kellen Sweeney has struggled immensely thus far though he batting eye has been solid (11 walks in 71 ABs).
| Pitchers | IP | H | ER | BB | K | HR | ERA | WHIP |
| Justin Nicolino | 15.0 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.93 |
| Aaron Sanchez | 15.0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.87 |
| Noah Syndergaard | 14.2 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 1 | 1.84 | 1.23 |
Wow, what a trio of starters. The Jays are treating them with care as each are going only 3 or 4 innings each start but this might be the top threesome in the minor leagues right now. Of the three Aaron Sanchez has impressed scouts the most but look at the stats of Justin Nicolino, so impressive.
HiA – Dunedin Blue Jays, 18-7, 1st place
| Hitters | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | 2B | HR | BB | K |
| (OF) Jake Marisnick | 100 | 270 | 362 | 500 | 862 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 18 |
| (OF) Michael Crouse | 72 | 167 | 265 | 264 | 529 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 25 |
| (OF) Marcus Knecht | 91 | 154 | 235 | 308 | 543 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 36 |
Jake Marisnick has recovered from a slow start and is showing a lot of confidence at the plate. Look for him to continue improving in all aspects of his offensive approach. I’d expect a promotion to Double-A sometime this season, which is always considered one of the toughest transitions in baseball.
| Pitchers | IP | H | ER | BB | K | HR | ERA | WHIP |
| John Stilson | 17.2 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 2.04 | 1.30 |
| Asher Wojciechowski | 23.1 | 22 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 0 | 3.09 | 1.16 |
| Sean Nolin | 27.2 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 2 | 2.60 | 1.05 |
A lot of Blue Jays fans are eager to see what John Stilson can do if healthy and so far he has not disappointed. Big Asher has come as advertised with the big fastball and solid control so far. Sean Nolin has outperformed almost everyone this season even though he is not a highly regarded prospect, players can come out of nowhere all the time.
Double-A – New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 11-13, 5th place
| Hitters | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | 2B | HR | BB | K |
| (1B) Mike McDade | 84 | 298 | 375 | 369 | 744 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 19 |
| (C) AJ Jimenez | 75 | 280 | 316 | 413 | 730 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
A pretty weak overall lineup but catching prospect AJ Jimenez is still a guy the Jays are high on. A lot of attention goes to Carlos Perez and Travis D’Arnaud but Jimenez still offers a solid all-around package.
| Pitchers | IP | H | ER | BB | K | HR | ERA | WHIP |
| Drew Hutchison | 16.2 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 2.16 | 1.14 |
| Chad Jenkins | 27.2 | 31 | 17 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 5.53 | 1.41 |
| Brett Cecil | 12.1 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 7.30 | 1.95 |
| Deck McGuire | 26.1 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 18 | 6 | 7.18 | 1.59 |
Drew Hutchison pitched well in the minor leagues and was summoned to the big leagues when the Jays needed an extra starter. He has looked overmatched at times in the show, not unexpectedly. Deck McGuire is off to a rotten start and his stock is definitely slipping. Brett Cecil still appears lost and his stats show the result of that.
Triple-A – Las Vegas 51s, 10-15, 3rd place
| Hitters | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | 2B | HR | BB | K |
| (RF) Travis Snider | 75 | 400 | 477 | 693 | 1.170 | 10 | 4 | 11 | 11 |
| (C) Yan Gomes | 81 | 358 | 381 | 556 | 937 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| (1B) David Cooper | 94 | 319 | 396 | 489 | 886 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 11 |
| (CF) Moises Sierra | 89 | 292 | 370 | 472 | 842 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 21 |
| (SS) Adeiny Hechavarria | 106 | 311 | 357 | 443 | 800 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 25 |
| (C) Travis D’Arnaud | 85 | 282 | 354 | 424 | 778 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 16 |
| (CF) Anthony Gose | 102 | 216 | 298 | 284 | 583 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 33 |
Travis Snider is raking, Yan Gomes has continued hitting since his torrid spring and David Cooper has been solid. The PCL and Las Vegas in general is an offensive haven and can inflate statistics which makes Anthony Gose’s rough start even more perplexing. Adeiny Hechavarria continues to put up solid Triple-A stats and gets high praise for his glove work.
| Pitchers | IP | H | ER | BB | K | HR | ERA | WHIP |
| Joel Carreno | 20.1 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 17 | 2 | 6.20 | 1.52 |
