MLB’s new Spring Breakout event will give every fanbase in the league a chance to see their team’s top prospects in the same place at the same time — but only for seven innings.
That means if you’re a Toronto Blue Jays fan hoping to try your hand at scouting and make your own talent evaluations, Saturday’s game might not be enough to give you anything concrete. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a few things you can watch for as 22 of the team’s top 30 prospects — per MLB Pipeline — will be in action against the New York Yankees prospect squad.
Getting an impression of a number of players should be interesting in and of itself. It’s unusual to get a look at high-profile international free agents — like 18-year-old Emmanuel Bonilla, who signed for $4.1 million last January — for instance. More defence-oriented players like Leo Jimenez and Dasan Brown may not impress box score trackers, but could have more to show than can be easily captured on paper, too.
Beyond getting a sense of less familiar prospects, there will be a few specific storylines worth tuning into on Saturday. Here are a few things to watch closely:
Will Arjun Nimmala flash his power?
The offensive calling card of the Blue Jays’ top pick in the 2023 draft (20th overall) is his power, and it’s something fans haven’t had a chance to see much of yet. That’s not a knock on Nimmala, who has just 40 plate appearances as a pro, but those trips to the plate resulted in just two extra-base hits.
Nimmala’s brief Florida Complex League experience primarily showcased his solid plate discipline as he walked 14 times.
That’s undoubtedly a good sign, but Nimmala should introduce himself to the Blue Jays fanbase in dramatic fashion if he’s able to showcase his standout tool, either by clearing the wall or generating an eye-catching exit-velocity reading.
How about some pop from Alan Roden?
Roden is a rising prospect in the Blue Jays system thanks to the outstanding season he just authored across high-A and double-A in 2023 that resulted in an .890 OPS — and crucially included almost identical production at both levels.
His ability to draw walks and limit strikeouts has led to excellent results, but he’s also a corner outfielder who hit just 10 home runs in 532 plate appearances last year, posting a .142 ISO. That’s a tough profile to succeed with at the highest level, but to Roden’s credit he’s been hitting the ball with more authority lately.
In nine spring training games he’s hit two home runs and slugged .600, and he also finished his 2023 campaign showing a little more power than usual with a .203 ISO in his last 29 games after managing a .120 mark before that. If Roden keeps demonstrating some legitimate thump, his stock will rise immensely, and Saturday is another opportunity for it to do just that.
How does Brandon Barriera’s stuff look?
The Blue Jays haven’t seen much of Barriera in the pros since making him their first pick back in 2022 (23rd overall). The southpaw has an impressive ceiling, but last year did not go well for him as injuries limited him to 20.1 innings pitched.
His strikeout rate was solid in his first taste of minor-league ball (31.3 per cent), but he also struggled with walks (11.3 per cent) and his velocity was a little worse than expected as he tended to live in the 92-93-m.p.h, range with his four-seamer. To make matters worse, concerns also arose about the 20-year-old’s conditioning in his debut season.
Barreira’s 2024 will be critical to building up his workload, but it will also be important for the 20-year-old to demonstrate that his raw stuff is still as promising as it was when the Blue Jays drafted him. His velocity, as well as the movement on his secondary pitches, will be worth monitoring in this prospect showcase game.
Checking in on CJ Van Eyk’s progress
Although Van Eyk was a second-round pick back in 2020, he’s fallen off the radar a bit since then. The right-handed starter posted a 5.83 ERA in his first pro season in 2021 then underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 that wiped up that campaign, and got him started late last year.
In 2023, he pitched just 48.2 innings across four levels and tended to pitch three or four innings per start when he was on the field. That trajectory along with his age (25) isn’t particularly encouraging, but Van Eyk pitched well in the Arizona Fall League and was recently identified by MLB Pipleline’s Jim Callis as Toronto’s ‘camp standout’ citing the excitement of the team’s farm director — Joe Sclafani — and the right-handers new two-seam fastball.
If Van Eyk is truly back on track, he could become starting pitching depth for the Blue Jays relatively soon and it will be interesting to see what he shows if he pitches on Saturday — particularly when it comes to his new two-seamer.