The middle 10 of our top 30 prospects is a real melting pot. You have players from last year's top 10 who are dropping on account of underwhelming performance. You have the players with average years who remained in the middle. You have a rising star who had a great season to put himself on the map, as well as a new draftee and a player who arrived through a trade.

It's time for the newest edition of the Batter's Box Blue Jays Top 30 prospects. This marks the fifteenth year of the top 30 here on Da Box.

As we remind readers each year, the expectation of the top 30 prospects for any team is that one third will improve, one third will regress and one third will stay as they were. The Jays front office added a lot of pieces to the system this year as part of the mid-season clear-out. Not all of the prospects added via trades have made this list. As has been discussed on Da Box, the Jays system includes a lot of players who are possible prospects. Some people see them as prospects, some as longshots and some as not a prospect. As a result there are many players who Blue Jay fans consider to be prospects who did not make it onto our top 30. In another season, or if they were on a different team, they would be on a top 30 list.

Two of last year's top 30 were traded, Conner Greene and Edward Olivares were dispatched in the off-season. Three players "graduated", Richard Urena , Ryan Borucki and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. The remaining 25 players from last year's top 30 go into Da Box's mixer with the newly drafted players, the international signings, the traded-for players and those whose performance took a step forward in 2018. The mixer goes to work, powered by the votes of our minor league team, and kicks out the definitive list of the Blue Jays top 30 prospects. Eighteen of last year's top 30 are back. As mentioned, five no longer qualify so seven have dropped off. Not all of the seven who dropped had bad years, some were injured and some just had average years and dropped off due to more competition in a stronger system.

As usual the first 10 are published today, the next 10 tomorrow, and the top 10 on the day after. Let the discussion begin!

Ask and ye shall receive.....ayjackson asked for a minor league thread to discuss BA's top 20's by league lists. I have been away so I am playing catch-up here. One thing to note about these lists is league size. For example the Midwest League had 16 teams, the GCL 18. So there is just over one top 20 spot per team. The Northwest League has 8 teams, the Appy League ten. If you play in those two leagues you have almost double the chance to make a top 20 list. Through four affiliates, the full season teams, the Jays have just five players make the lists.

With Lansing losing last night there is just one Blue Jay minor league team still in action. Your Fisher Cats take a 2-0 series lead into Trenton tonight for game three. Jordan Romano takes the mound for the Cats.

New Hampshire and Lansing resume their series tonight. Lansing must win to get to a decisive game three, lose and they go home. New Hampshire hope to build a 2-0 lead in a five game series.

The two remaining Blue Jay farm teams begin their playoff push tonight. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Lansing Lugnuts both start at home in their series.

New Hampshire and Lansing are headed to the playoffs and both won. Vancouver lost and their playoff spot is up for grabs. Dunedin split a doubleheader while Buffalo are not going to the playoffs and seem to be ready for the off-season.

The minor league season is grinding towards the end. The Bluefield Jays finished their regular season on Wednesday, they start their playoff run on Friday. Max Pentecost hit his tenth home run, his teammate Santiago Espinal hit his first, just in time before the season ends. New Hampshire lost despite the power. Buffalo lost. Ryan Noda carried Lansing to a win. Vancouver and Bluefield also won. Vancouver are closing in on a playoff spot. Assuming they make it the Jays would have four teams in the playoffs, New Hampshire, Lansing, Vancouver and Bluefield. Dunedin were rained out.

#BlueJays affiliates won two of five Tuesday. Lansing and Vancouver had the night off.

Rodrigo Orozco has played over 100 games for Dunedin this season but he had to wait until Thursday to hit his first home run of the season. Dunedin won. Every other team in the system lost.

Both Buffalo and New Hampshire swept both sides of doubleheaders. Buffalo's was not a full double header, they had to finish their Tuesday game, and then play Wednesdays game. And all were wins without much to note. Dunedin lost via the walk off home run. Lansing lost easy, as did Vancouver. Bluefield won and are in the playoffs!

The #BlueJays affiliates won five of nine Tuesday. The GCL and DSL squads split their doubleheaders while Buffalo's game ended on a cliffhanger.

With less than three weeks left in the season, I thought it would be a good idea to check out the playoff picture for each team. On the field, Eric Pardinho was perfect through six and a third and was generally outstanding. Cavan Biggio had two home runs, including a walk off, to give him 26 for the season. I think Andy McGuire doesn't get enough attention. Shohei Ohtani gets lots of attention but McGuire is hitting over .300 while holding opposition hitters to a batting average of .100. Sounds Ohtani like to me, or is that Ohtani-light?

Today I started thinking about the Blue Jays top 30 prospects, and it's not going to be easy. We have too many prospects....to easily fit into a top 30 list. On the field Buffalo won, despite an oh-for from Vlad. Vancouver, the GCL and DSL Jays also won.

Just two wins in eight tries for the #BlueJays affiliates Tuesday.