Once you get past number seven in the Blue Jays top 30 you start getting into a lot of questions. Number 8, RJ Schreck, could just be a utility outfielder. Jake Bloss, number nine, has to return from Tommy John surgery and number ten, Fernando Perez, doesn't have the strikeout numbers you would like to see from a propect.
By the time you get into the 20's you are in a large pool of "maybe" guys. There are probably 30 players who some evaluators would put in the 21-30 range in their personal top 30's. Several of the players listed below who we dropped from the top 30 could be argued for inclusion.
The Jays do have several highly ranked prospects in their top seven. The system is top heavy but weak in depth. That is why a lot of evaluators rank the Jays system in the bottom half of teams.
Players Removed From The Top 30
The Jays released Orelvis Martinez on September 15th. He had been designated for assignment so 29 other teams could have claimed him. This was after 99 games in Buffalo where he had a .636 OPS. Washington signed him at the end of September but the didn't play a game for them. I don't see any record of him playing winter ball in the Dominican.
The Jays traded Alan Roden, Kendry Rojas, Khal Stephen and Juaron Watts-Brown at the deadline for playoff push help.
Last years top 30 had just one graduate, Mason Fluharty.
The following eight players were dropped off the list but remain in the system.
Jace Bohrofen, number 13 last year, had a bad year in New Hampshire. After playing well in Vancouver in 2024, he just couldn't get going in AA, hitting .204 with ten home runs .
Jon Clase, number 15, got into 34 games for the Jays and hit .210. His Buffalo numbers were ok, hitting .255 with a .738 OPS but there have been several comments about his lack of baseball instincts. He probably has the strongest argument of the dropped players for remaining on the list, he was our number 31.
TJ Brock, number 18, had surgery and missed the season.
Carson Messina, number 20, has never pitched professionally. He was injured this season but the Jays never revealed his injury other than some talk of inflammation. Jays personnel always talked positively about him but we never saw him.
Adrian Pinto, number 21, has always had injury issues. In 2025 he just had 74 at-bats. He just seems too injury prone.
Ryan Jennings, number 24, is still striking hitters out. His K rate in Buffalo was 13.5. His problem is his walk rate, 7.3 per nine innings in Buffalo. He also gave up 9.8 hits per nine so in total having 17.1 base runners per nine is not going to work.
Peyton Williams, number 25, hit .217 in New Hampshire and struck out in 35% of his at-bats. He hit nine home runs in 300 at-bats, not enough power for a major league first baseman.
Dasan Brown, number 27, hit under .200 between AA and short stint in AAA. He hasn't hit above .200 since Vancouver in 2024.
Players of note who missed.
Landen Maroudis returned from Tommy John surgery in 2025. He did not pitch as well as he had before the surgery. Specifically his velocity was down. There is a different regime in charge of the pitching on the farm. Justin Lehr had told Doug Fox that younger guys take longer to recover from the surgery. Maroudis will be working on arm strength through the winter and we will have to see how he returns in 2026. Remember TJ surgery doesn't work for everyone.
Jared Spencer was initially on our top 30 before dropping off. He was on the list long enough to have a write up. Here it is:
Spencer was a top 200 prospect heading into the 2024 draft. The Phillies drafted him in the 14th round but he didn't sign. He had spent three years at Indiana State but for 2025 transferred to Texas where he became their number one starter. His record was 4-1 with a 3.27 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 52.1 innings.
Spencer is 6'3" and throws from the left side. His fastball sits mid 90's, he has a plus slider and a new changeup. Coming into the spring Spencer was a borderline first rounder and his stock was on the rise. But in late April he injured his shoulder and required season ending surgery. The Jays took him in the eleventh round and paid him just $165,000. For example, Blaine Bullard, selected in the next round, was given $1.7M by the Jays.
The problem for Spencer is that shoulder injuries in pitchers do not have a good track record of recovery. The Jays obviously felt they should take the risk on picking him but they didn't pay him as a guy who will be a top prospect. The extent or nature of the shoulder injury and surgery has not been reported. Spencer appears to be still in the rehab phase of his injury and Geoff Pontes of BA suggests Spencer might not take the mound until 2027.
So we wont see Spencer on a roster to start the season. There is a chance we could see him in the second half of the year but that seems to be a 50/50 bet.
Grant Rogers made 28 starts last season, 20 of them in New Hampshire. He pitched to a 4.07 ERA in AA. At this stage his numbers seem a little shy of major league potential but pitchers develop in a non linear fashion so you never know.
Angel Bastardo was the Jays rule 5 selection at the end of 2024. He didn't pitch in 2025 and the Jays thought of sending him to the AFL but he didn't go. He has to spend time on the major league roster in 2026 but if he survives that he could be assigned to the minor leagues.
Nolan Perry made 14 starts for Dunedin in 2024 with an 11.2 SO9. But then Tommy John came calling and he missed 2025. What will he look like in 2026?
Chad Dallas is another TJ recovery pitcher. He was a AAA pitcher before the surgery, another question heading into 2026.
Daniel Guerra is a raw pitcher who started and relieved for Dunedin in 2025. His first half ERA was 4.24 and his second half was 2.03. He is still raw but has an excellent fastball up to 96 mph with a developing slider.
Connor Cooke and TJ Brock are two more TJ recovery relievers who were on or close to the top 30 before their surgeries.
CJ Van Eyk has always been on the fringes of the top 30. In 2025 he made 24 starts even though many think his path to the major league sruns through the bullpen. He had an up and down season but any pitcher in AAA is just a few tweaks away from the major leagues. Van Eyk is known for his curveball which could work in relief.
