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Which pitcher in the Blue Jays system are you most excited about, not currently in the majors?
— Blue Jays Ball Talk (@BallJays) April 10, 2018
Great question, BJBT (I hope you don’t mind if I call you that). Do I have to select one? I think the Jays are actually a lot deeper with pitching talent than people think. Usually, the deepest most people go with the Blue Jays prospects is down to Nate Pearson, with Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. getting the most attention. And while I’m excited to see Pearson get into games (he hasn’t been put on the Dunedin roster yet), I’m going to go with Patrick Murphy. There is probably a half dozen pitchers I could write about here (and you can read about them all in The 2018 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook and get scouting reports for many of them in our Premium Content Section) but I’ll go with Murphy. He just looked really dominant and confident on the mound in spring training and had better stuff with more velocity than I’d ever seen him with before. After two years of regular work on the mound (after several years of constant injury), I think he’s ready to move quickly this season.
I’m also really excited by T.J. Zeuch, who had a solid start to his season and, if Sean Reid-Foley can do what he did in his first start, I think he’s poised to reassert himself on the prospect scene. In New Hampshire, Jon Harris and Jordan Romano are also really exciting and Ryan Borucki, in Buffalo, is also really close. Finally, there are several intriguing pitchers in Lansing including Maverik Buffo, Yennsy Diaz and Maximo Castillo, all of whom have a ton of potential.
Will Bo & Vladdy he kept in the Minors for safety reasons? I mean, it’ll be dangerous to have them barrel up the new MLB balls.
— C. Hill (@hill_chris) April 11, 2018
Sure but that danger isn’t directed at them, just the other team. And do we care about them being on the receiving end of Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s hits (I’m sure they’re nice people)? So, no I don’t think safety will keep them in the minors all season. I think other factors will.
Do u think that Anthony Alford will be brought up to the jays after he finishes rehab.
— Pat Suddes (@suddsyont) April 11, 2018
Thanks for the question, Pat. The answer is no. While Alford is likely going to challenge for a Blue Jays roster spot by the end of the year, I don’t think right now things are going to facilitate the Blue Jays’ calling up of Alford right away. First of all, the Jays have a vested interest in getting Randal Grichuk going. He’s not nearly as bad at the plate as he’s been so far this year (small sample sizes can be a killer) and since the current brain trust acquired him this offseason, they have several reasons to stick with him as long as possible. That said, if the Jays are in a playoff hunt and Grichuk’s bat hasn’t come around or Kevin Pillar cools off significantly, Alford’s chances of returning to Toronto increase dramatically.
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