Future Watch: Reid-Foley's strong start good news for pitching pipeline Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Sean Reid-Foley spins a pair of gems for New Hampshire to start his 2018 season.

These rankings are put together based on information gathered from various prospect sources, conversations with evaluators inside and outside the Jays organization, as well as personal opinion.

I am not a scout, so any notes gathered on pitcher mechanics or notable swing changes throughout the season are coming from an outside source.

While the first list on April 4 outlined who the top 20 prospects in the organization are, the purpose of this weekly ranking from this point forward is to highlight how players have done over the past seven days (from Wednesday through Tuesday) and shuffle them up accordingly.

If you see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as the seventh name on the list one week, it doesn’t mean he’s suddenly the seventh-best prospect in the system. It just means six other prospects from this top 20 performed better over a seven-day period.

We hope you enjoy this weekly snapshot that will run through the end of August when minor league seasons come to a close.



1. RHP Sean Reid-Foley

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 22 (08/30/1995)

Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 220

Projected MLB ETA: 2020

Season stats: 2-0, 1.46 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 6 hits, 4 BB, 10 K at Double-A

Past week: 1-0, 2.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 6.1 IP, 5 hits, 1 BB, 3 K at Double-A

It feels odd not to be writing either the name Guerrero Jr. or Bichette in ink atop this list, but Reid-Foley’s start to the season has been a great story for a pipeline in need of pitching. Reid-Foley couldn’t live up to the high expectations and aggressive assignment to Double-A last season, but he’s turned that around in a hurry, spinning a pair of gems to start 2018.



2. 2B Samad Taylor

Current affiliate: Low-A Lansing

Age: 19 (07/11/1998)

Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 160

Projected MLB ETA: 2022

Season stats: .333/.455/.529 with 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB in 33 plate appearances at Low-A

Past week: .462/.500/.846 with 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SB in 14 plate appearances at Low-A

Since he’s a second-base-only prospect and weighs about 160 pounds soaking wet, Taylor is going to fly under a whole lot of radars. If he continues to hit like he did this past week, however, he’ll get his due, and he’s sporting a .973 OPS in Lansing.



3. 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 19 (3/16/1999)

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 200

Top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (3), MLB Pipeline (3), Keith Law ESPN (2), Baseball Prospectus (4), FanGraphs (3)

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .317/.375/.561 with 2 HR, 12 RBI, 0 SB in 49 plate appearances at Double-A

Past week: .333/.368/.389 with 0 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB in 19 plate appearances at Double-A

After earning Eastern League player of the week honours, Guerrero Jr. continued to pound out base hits, before suffering through a rare 0-for-5 night Tuesday. Just like last year, he’s walking more than he’s striking out and he’s making a whole lot of loud contact.



4. C/1B Max Pentecost

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 25 (03/10/1993)

Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 191

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .182/.240/.455 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB in 25 plate appearances at Double-A

Past week: .273/.333/.727 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB in 12 plate appearances at Double-A

As healthy as he’s been in some time, Pentecost has started five games behind the plate already this season. He’s well on his way to surpassing last year’s total of 20 games caught, and a full, healthy season is the only way the Jays are going to be able to figure out what they have in their 2014 first-round pick.



5. SS Bo Bichette

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 20 (03/05/1998)

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 200

Top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (8), MLB Pipeline (13), Keith Law ESPN (17), Baseball Prospectus (19), FanGraphs (9)

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .341/.420/.432 with 0 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB in 50 plate appearances at Double-A

Past week: .250/.400/.375 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB in 20 plate appearances at Double-A

You know you’re pretty good when you get on base at a .400 clip and it’s considered a down week. While he’s yet to hit his first Double-A homer, since going hitless on opening day, Bichette has hits in nine straight games, including five multi-hit efforts.



6. RHP T.J. Zeuch

Current affiliate: High-A Dunedin

Age: 22 (08/01/1995)

Height: 6-foot-7 | Weight: 225

Projected MLB ETA: 2020

Season stats: 2-1, 2.89 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 18.2 IP, 14 hits, 4 BB, 17 K at High-A

Past week: 1-1, 1.42 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 10 hits, 2 BB, 12 K at High-A

Following Reid-Foley’s lead a level above him, Zeuch has also started the season strong, authoring a pair of excellent starts over the past week. Like a good portion of the current Jays rotation, Zeuch is a worm-burning machine, inducing 29 ground-ball outs in three starts.



7. 2B/SS Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 24 (10/19/1993)

Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 185

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .341/.383/.463 with 0 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB in 47 plate appearances at Double-A

Past week: .294/.333/.294 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB in 18 plate appearances at Double-A

Gurriel continues to sting the ball in his second go-round at Double-A, but his main priority is finding a home defensively. After seeing the majority of his time last season at shortstop, Gurriel has played seven of his 10 games at second base to start 2018.



8. OF Anthony Alford

Current affiliate: High-A Dunedin (rehab)

Age: 23 (07/20/1994)

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 215

Top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (60), MLB Pipeline (47), Keith Law ESPN (44), Baseball Prospectus (58), FanGraphs (36)

Projected MLB ETA: Made MLB debut May 19, 2017

Season stats: .286/.412/.357 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB in 20 plate appearances at High-A

Past week: .231/.375/.308 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB in 16 plate appearances at High-A

Alford continues to rehab the right hamstring injury he suffered in March at Dunedin complex, but he should be ready to return to Triple-A at some point in the near future. Alford has not attempted to steal a base in six games.



9. C Reese McGuire

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 23 (03/02/1995)

Height: 5-foot-11 | Weight: 215

Projected MLB ETA: 2018

Season stats: .167/.231/.167 with 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB in 13 plate appearances at Triple-A

Past week: .286/.375/.286 with 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB in 8 plate appearances at Triple-A

McGuire has only made 13 trips to the plate this season, so there isn’t much to read into at this point. Internally, the Jays are hoping last year’s offensive breakout in the second half of the season is a sign of things to come.



10. INF Cavan Biggio

Current affiliate: Double-A New Hampshire

Age: 23 (04/11/1995)

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 203

Projected MLB ETA: 2020

Season stats: .267/.371/.567 with 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB in 35 plate appearances at Double-A

Past week: .154/.353/.308 with 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 SB in 17 plate appearances at Double-A

The Fisher Cats are clearly the affiliate to keep an eye on this season, as the lineup is loaded with not only big names but players with legit major-league futures. The Jays are trying to build up Biggio’s versatility, using him five times at first base and twice at his natural spot of second base.



11. C Riley Adams

Current affiliate: High-A Dunedin

Age: 21 (06/26/1996)

Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 225

Projected MLB ETA: 2021

Season stats: .206/.229/.382 with 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB in 35 plate appearances at High-A

Past week: .278/.316/.389 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB in 19 plate appearances at High-A

High contact rates likely won’t ever be a big part of Adams’ game, evidence by his 34.3 per cent strikeout rate to start the season. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder has the frame to grow into more power to offset the swing and miss.



12. C Danny Jansen

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 23 (04/15/1995)

Height: 6-foot-2 | Weight: 225

Top 100 prospect rankings: FanGraphs (71)

Projected MLB ETA: 2018

Season stats: .389/.522/.667 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB in 23 plate appearances at Triple-A

Past week: .182/.357/.182 with 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB in 14 plate appearances at Triple-A

Jansen’s line is being carried by his 4-for-4 game on opening day, but the offensive breakout from a year ago still looks legit. Jansen has caught 3-of-5 games, spending the other two as the DH.



13. SS Logan Warmoth

Current affiliate: High-A Dunedin

Age: 22 (09/06/1995)

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 190

Projected MLB ETA: 2020

Season stats: .200/.317/.286 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB in 41 plate appearances at High-A

Past week: .190/.346/.333 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB in 26 plate appearances at High-A

Warmoth bashed his first home run of the season last Thursday against the Palm Beach Cardinals, but other than that it’s been a quiet start to the year for the 2017 first-round pick. One bright spot is that he’s walked four times already, after drawing just seven free passes in 174 plate appearances during his debut last summer.



14. OF/1B Ryan Noda

Current affiliate: Low-A Lansing

Age: 22 (03/30/1996)

Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 217

Projected MLB ETA: 2020

Season stats: .240/.500/.360 with 0 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB in 38 plate appearances at Low-A

Past week: .100/.400/.100 with 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB in 15 plate appearances at Low-A

Noda wasn’t barrelling up many baseballs over the past week, but he’s still been getting on base a whole lot, walking 12 times already this season, compared to just seven strikeouts.



15. 1B Rowdy Tellez

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 23 (03/16/1995)

Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 220

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: .105/.261/.105 with 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB in 23 plate appearances at Triple-A

Past week: .083/.214/.083 with 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB in 14 plate appearances at Triple-A

Like the rest of the Bisons, Tellez hasn’t been able to find a groove early in the season, with weather wreaking havoc on the International League schedule. The 23-year-old has just two hits in 19 at-bats.



16. LHP Ryan Borucki

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 24 (03/31/1994)

Height: 6-foot-4 | Weight: 175

Projected MLB ETA: 2018

Season stats: 0-1, 3.60 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 5 IP, 6 hits, 2 BB, 3 K at Triple-A

Past week: N/A

Since throwing five innings of two-run ball in his season debut April 10, Borucki hasn’t pitched. That has to do with all the postponements the Buffalo Bisons have endured, as they’ve only played five games thus far.



17. RHP Eric Pardinho

Current affiliate: Extended spring training

Age: 17 (01/05/2001)

Height: 5-foot-10 | Weight: 155

Projected MLB ETA: 2024

Season stats: N/A

Past week: N/A

Pardinho will marinate in extended spring training as a 17-year-old until further notice. The right-hander already sits at No. 7 on MLB Pipeline’s list of top 30 Blue Jays prospects.



18. RHP Nate Pearson

Current affiliate: High-A Dunedin

Age: 21 (08/20/1996)

Height: 6-foot-6 | Weight: 245

Top 100 prospect rankings: Baseball America (91), Keith Law ESPN (100), FanGraphs (76)

Projected MLB ETA: 2020

Season stats: N/A

Past week: N/A

The start to Pearson’s first full minor-league campaign has been delayed by a minor back issue that isn’t believed to be serious. The Jays say they’re just being cautious with their prized pitching prospect and he won’t need a DL stint.



19. SS Richard Urena

Current affiliate: Triple-A Buffalo

Age: 22 (02/26/1996)

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 185

Projected MLB ETA: Made MLB debut Sept. 1, 2017

Season stats: N/A

Past week: N/A

Urena is currently in extended spring training, working his way back from an undisclosed injury. He’ll be back in Buffalo when he’s ready to go.



20. LHP Thomas Pannone

Current affiliate: Suspended

Age: 23 (04/28/1994)

Height: 6-foot-0 | Weight: 195

Projected MLB ETA: 2019

Season stats: N/A

Past week: N/A

Handed an 80-game suspension by Major League Baseball last month for testing positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), Pannone isn’t eligible to return until June 30.​