By: Scott Mitchell
TORONTO — At the major-league level, things have changed.
The Toronto Blue Jays have very clearly shifted from the teardown stage to the process of building, spending and adding, but that doesn’t mean the rebuild is complete.
Far from it.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, a season or one off-season, and that rings true for the Jays.
From Hyun-Jin Ryu a year ago to the coup that is George Springer this winter, the Jays have not yet reached the stage where they’re employing an all-in approach like the San Diego Padres.
But that day will come, maybe as soon as this summer’s trade deadline or possibly next winter, depending how things go.
There are a lot of variables at play.
One thing that hasn’t changed — and won’t — is the focus on drafting, signing and developing young players in order to build a sustainable winner, a year-in, year-out contender that can produce cheap, young talent.
The one thing that will change is what they do with that young talent.
It’s a shift we’ve seen the Padres make and eventually the Jays will start using prospects as trade chips, something GM Ross Atkins & Co. have been hesitant to do up to this point because of the timing.
That day will come, and when it does, the Jays currently have a strong enough pipeline that will allow them to be in on every big name — very likely top-of-the-rotation starters — that hits the trade market.
For the third year in a row, this list runs 50 deep.
Two years ago, it was led off by those kids with the last names everyone couldn’t stop talking about. Last year, it was Nate Pearson at the top.
This project is a labour of love and it seems to grow each and every year thanks to the interest.
A quick shout-out to you, the readers, for making it worth it, as well as the many sources who give me their time in December and January as I talk their ears off about a large group of players that usually runs about 75 deep when I begin.
This list is built with a combination of personal opinion, preference, and the knowledge of many baseball people who are much smarter than I am.
Instead of dropping it all at once like the last two years, this time around we’ll roll out the 50 names in three instalments over the course of three days.
Today it’s 31-50.
Enjoy!
TOP 50 BY POSITION
Catchers: 7
Corner infielders: 4
Middle infielders: 10
Outfielders: 5
Pitchers: 24
HOW THEY WERE ACQUIRED
Trade: 5
MLB Draft: 21
International free agency: 22
Rule 5 Draft: 1
Undrafted free agent: 1
GRADUATED (3): LHP Anthony Kay (6); SS Santiago Espinal (18); RHP Thomas Hatch (20).
GONE (8): RHP Kendall Williams (11; traded to Los Angeles Dodgers in Ross Stripling deal); OF Griffin Conine (13; traded to Miami Marlins in Jonathan Villar deal); RHP Josh Winckowski (22; traded to New York Mets in Steven Matz deal); OF Anthony Alford (27; claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh Pirates); RHP Hector Perez (32; traded to Cincinnati Reds for cash/PTBNL); RHP Yennsy Diaz (33; traded to New York Mets in Steven Matz deal); OF Alberto Rodriguez (HM; traded to Seattle Mariners in Taijuan Walker deal); LHP Travis Bergen (HM; traded to Arizona Diamondbacks in Robbie Ray deal).
FELL OFF (7): LF/1B Ryan Noda (34); 2B/SS Logan Warmoth (38); OF Forrest Wall (39); SS Kevin Vicuna (42); 3B/2B Cullen Large (43); RHP Kyle Johnston (44); OF Robert Robertis (49).
2021 AFFILIATE LEVELS
Triple-A: Buffalo Bisons
Double-A: New Hampshire Fisher-Cats
High-A: Vancouver Canadians
Low-A: Dunedin Blue Jays
Dominican Summer League: One full affiliate/one shared affiliate
Complex league in Florida: Replacing short-season affiliates