It’s that time of the year!

On Monday, Keegan Matheson and MLB Pipeline released their top 30 prospect list for Pre-Season 2024. That begs the question, who are some big surprises? Who dropped? Who should we look forward to in 2024? The entire list can be found here.

As you can imagine, Ricky Tiedemann ranks first on the list with 60 grades across the board, along with a 45 control grade and a 55 overall grade. Like pretty much every other list, Orelvis Martinez ranks second, with 60 (plus) grades in both power and arm, along with a 45 hit and 45 field.

Their 2023 first-round pick Arjun Nimmala ranks as their third-best prospect with 50 or above grades across the board, while their 2022 first-round pick, Brandon Barriera, ranks fourth with all pitches having a 55 grade and a 50 control grade.

To round out their top 10, Leo Jimenez is fifth, Addison Barger is sixth, Alan Roden is seventh, Enmanuel Bonilla is eighth, Adam Macko is ninth, and Kendry Rojas is tenth. Four prospects in the top 10 are left-handed pitching starters, which is cool but also worrisome.

Never fear, right-handed pitcher Landen Maroudis is here. The Jays selected him with their fourth-round pick in 2023 and he’s already looking like a steal. His bio reports that he’s sitting in the 94-96 mph range with the fastball, which is similar to when Tiedemann was drafted. Moreover, the changeup is “promising” and the breaking ball (slider) will be a difference maker.

A common phrase I throw around is that “Damiano Palmegiani should be a Top 10 Blue Jays prospect”, and MLB Pipeline is close to having him there, as he ranks 14th. The power is legitimate and his bio also states he’s made strides defensively at third base and the Jays could run him in left field. With a good start to his season, Palmegiani may finally rank in the top 10.

Like most lists, Tucker Toman dropped on MLB Pipeline’s list, but only to 21st overall. His strikeouts remain a concern, but the Jays believe in him due to the work ethic he shows and the fact that he’s still only 20. Another prospect, Dahian Santos, also had a drop as he spent most the second half of the 2023 injured. His bio notes he added weight, but seems as if he’s better suited as a reliever with a plus slider and where his walk rate won’t really matter.

Fernando Perez is a rookie-ball pitcher who made his debut on MLB Pipeline’s list. He sits around 93-94 mph with the fastball with a changeup and slider, but relies heavily on command and control, with Pipeline giving him a 55 grade for the latter. It’s to be seen how far he can go, but the Jays believe he has projection and the building blocks are there for an exciting pitcher.

There’s a handful of 2023 draftees on the list, including Juaron Watts-Brown (19) and Jace Bohrofen (23), but the most interesting one is Canadian Sam Shaw, who ranks 29th-overall. I personally got to see him play at the 2022 Canadian Futures Showcase in Ottawa and liked the contact he was able to make. The Jays see a future with more power in it for Shaw, but his defensive home is yet to be determined, as he’s played in the outfield, shortstop and second base.

As it stands, there are no catchers on the Top 30 list, and they only have two Top 100 prospects in Tiedemann and Martinez. With an additional pick in the 2024 draft, hopefully the Jays can move up the farm system rankings with a good draft.

As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D.

ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO





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