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Notable infielders that missed out on Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Top 35 Prospect list

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A common theme for the Toronto Blue Jays’ development plan is that they love their utility infielders. In this article, we’ll look at some of those players who missed out on our Top 35 Prospects list.

Prior to the list itself, we’ll look at notable players who missed the list in four separate articles – catchers (read that here), infielders, outfielders, and pitchers. This article will feature those who either fell from our Top 50 Preseason list or other notable names who’ve had a good season.

Let’s dig in!

Cristian Feliz

With Orelvis Martinez serving a suspension, the Blue Jays will finally have a new player who leads the organization with home runs, for the first time since 2019.

First baseman Cristian Feliz had the opportunity to do so, as he has 14 home runs in 259 plate appearances. However, he suffered an injury and is currently on the 60-day injured list, so it’s seemingly unlikely he will lead the organization in home runs.

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While the home run power is legit, there are concerns about his game elsewhere. This season with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, he’s slashing .189/.304/.394 with an incredibly high 42.6 K% for a 103 wRC+. The power is real, but the hit tool could be as low as a 20 grade.

Miguel Hiraldo

Miguel Hiraldo signed to a bonus of $750,000 during the 2017 international free agency period and ranked as the team’s 12th-best prospect on MLB Pipeline back in 2022. His most recent ranking in my prospect list was back during the 2022 Mid-Season ranking.

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Spending the entire 2023 season in Double-A, the infielder slashed .275/.334/.453 with a career-high 12 home runs for a 115 wRC+, along with a worrisome 31.4 K%. However, he struggled to repeat his success in Double-A to begin the 2024 season, slashing .227/.286/.299 with a home run in 168 plate appearances, while his tenure in Triple-A wasn’t much better.

On August 2, Hiraldo was released.

Ryan McCarty

It looked as if Ryan McCarty, an undrafted free agent who played five years in a Division III NCAA school, would find his way on my Mid-Season list. However, he’s cooled off considerably after a terrific start to his Double-A career.

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Between High-A and Double-A, McCarty is slashing .241/.312/.411 while hitting a career-high 12 home runs with a 7.5 BB% and a 22.1 K%. Still, the pop is interesting and if he can catch fire to end the season, he could earn a start in Triple-A next season.

Gavin Smith

One player who won’t seemingly start his career until next season is shortstop Gavin Smith, who the Blue Jays selected with their 17th-round pick in the 2024 draft.

There isn’t a lot of information on Smith, but it’s pretty funny how there were two draft-eligible Gavin Smiths from Chandler, Arizona. Prep players selected this late in the draft are always interesting.

Manuel Beltre

Moving to players who were on our Top 50 but fell off the list, we have Manuel Beltre, who ranked 41st in the Preseason list, but as high as 21st in the 2022 Mid-Season ranking.

It feels like the team’s 2021 international free agent signing has been with the organization forever, but the shortstop only recently turned 20 years old in early June. With the Dunedin Blue Jays, he’s slashing .232/.330/.314 with four home runs in 394 plate appearances, along with a 9.6 BB% and an 18.5 K%.

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Beltre’s numbers are shockingly similar to his 2023 season with Dunedin, where he slashed .231/.335/.340 with six home runs in 431 plate appearances.

Nick Goodwin

Nick Goodwin was selected in the 2023 draft with the seventh-round pick, and he got off to a great start for the Vancouver Canadians. However, he’s now slashing .202/.296/.330 with nine home runs in 389 plate appearances, along with a 25.2 K% and an 8.5 BB%.

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Coming into the season, Goodwin ranked as our 37th-best Blue Jays prospect, up from ranking during the 2023 Mid-Season, where he ranked 40th.

Rainer Nuñez

Rainer Nuñez was terrific in 2022, winning the Florida State League batting title, as well as the Dominican Winter League Rookie of the Year award. However, his first stint in Double-A didn’t go great in 2023, as he slashed .224/.273/.352 with 10 home runs in 326 plate appearances, along with a 6.4 BB% and a 27 K%.

The 23-year-old first baseman has had a much improved 2024 season with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, as he’s slashing .259/.334/.405 with 10 home runs in 332 plate appearances. His BB% has risen to 10.5%, while his K% dropped to 18.4%.

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Nuñez ranked as our 35th-best prospect heading into the 2024 season. Don’t be shocked if he finds his way into our top 30 in the 2025 Preseason list.

Adrian Pinto

Adrian Pinto was acquired in the Randal Grichuk deal shortly before the beginning of the 2022 season. After winning the Dominican Summer League MVP in 2021 with the Rockies’ affiliate, Pinto has struggled to stay healthy in his three seasons with the Blue Jays.

In three years, he has 409 plate appearances in total, including just 66 this season between the Florida Complex League, Single-A, and High-A. When healthy, he’s been great, as he’s slashing .269/.392/.395 with five home runs, along with a 13 BB% and 16.9 K%. The problem is staying healthy, though.

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Pinto ranked as Blue Jays Nation’s 29th-best prospect in the 2024 Preseason list.

Rafael Lantigua

Rafael Lantigua was one of the Blue Jays’ best hitters in the minor leagues last season, as he slashed .305/.425/.469 with 12 home runs in 578 plate appearances, along with a 17 BB% and an 18.5 K% for a 131 wRC+ with the Buffalo Bisons. However, the playoff-bound Blue Jays couldn’t find a spot on their roster for the super utility player.

The Blue Jays, as you know, aren’t doing well this season, but neither has Lantigua. This season, he’s slashing .259/.357/.326 with three home runs in 399 plate appearances, along with a 13 BB% and a 20.6 K% for an 86 wRC+.

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The past two seasons have been a tale of “wrong place at the wrong time”, as he deserved an opportunity in the big leagues in 2023, but the Jays had the infield depth. When the opportunity finally arose this season, he hadn’t earned an opportunity.

Lantigua ranked as our 26th-best prospect heading into the season.

Tucker Toman

The Blue Jays selected prep infielder Tucker Toman with the 77th-overall pick in the 2022 draft, a pick they received from the Texas Rangers as Marcus Semien signed with the eventual 2023 World Series champion.

Toman’s first half-season in professional ball was solid, as he slashed .289/.391/.368 with no home runs in 46 plate appearances with the FCL Blue Jays in 2022. However, his 2023 season with the Dunedin Blue Jays didn’t go great, as he slashed .208/.320/.313 with five home runs in 503 plate appearances, along with a 12.5 BB% and a 26.8 K%.

The switch hitter’s 2024 season with Dunedin hasn’t gone much better, as Toman is slashing .231/.305/.343 with four home runs in 282 plate appearances. While those numbers are better, his BB% decreased to 7.8%, while his K% increased to 31.9%.

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There’s still a lot to like about Toman. For starters, he’s still only 20 and he has legitimate pop on both sides of the plate. However, the hit tool needs to improve quickly, especially as he climbs the minor league ladder.

Toman had one of the biggest falls on our list, as he ranked 13th heading into the season.

Cade Doughty

Immediately after drafting Tucker Toman, the Blue Jays selected Cade Doughty with the 78th-overall pick, thanks to Robbie Ray leaving the Jays for the Seattle Mariners.

It’s a bit of a different situation, as Doughty was selected from Louisiana State University (funnily enough, where Toman was committed to). Doughty got off to a hot start in his professional career, hitting six home runs in 119 plate appearances with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.

The 2023 season was solid, but a bit concerning. Overall, he slashed .264/.342/.459 with 18 home runs in 424 plate appearances. However, his 29.7 K% was on the high side and is something worth monitoring.

Doughty has missed the majority of the season, missing the beginning of the year before finally going on a rehab assignment in mid-June. His numbers in Double-A aren’t great, as he’s slashing .213/.248/.287 with a home run in 114 plate appearances, along with a 4.4 BB% and a 27.2 K%. To make matters worse, he was placed on the 7-day Injured List recently.

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Doughty ranked as our 18th-best prospect on our Top 50 Preseason list, but has ranked as high as 13th. With a healthy 2025 season, don’t be surprised if he finds his way back on the list.

Alex De Jesus

Of any trade Ross Atkins has made at the helm of the Blue Jays, trading Nick Frasso and Moises Brito for Mitch White and Alex De Jesus could be the worst. Frasso was a top 100 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline heading into this season, while White’s tenure with the Jays wasn’t great.

Alex De Jesus is an intriguing prospect, as he has solid pop and a solid hit tool with a penchant to strike out. After a rough 2022 season in the Jays’ organization, De Jesus slashed .248/.340/.466 with 11 home runs in 344 plate appearances with the Vancouver Canadians in 2023 for a 114 wRC+. That season saw him overcome a rough start, before spending the last month or so injured.

High-A to Double-A is a tough transition, and the 22-year-old had a rough start to his season again, slashing .218/.299/.353 with five home runs in 174 plate appearances from the start of the season until the end of May. Since June 1 though, De Jesus is slashing .293/.352/.394 with two home runs in 228 plate appearances for a 114 wRC+.

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Overall, De Jesus is slashing .261/.329/.376 with seven home runs in 402 plate appearances. His 27.6 K% is concerning, while his 8.5 BB% is the second lowest of his career at any level. De Jesus is still a prospect worth monitoring, though.

Coming into the 2024 season, he ranked as our 16th-best prospect, while his best ranking of 15th came shortly after the Blue Jays traded for him in our 2022 Mid-Season ranking.

Spencer Horwitz

Switching gears to the two graduated infielders, Spencer Horwitz always ranked in my top 10 since I started covering prospects. Heading into the season, he ranked as my fifth-best Blue Jays prospect.

Admittedly, I’m higher on Horwitz than most are, as I believe his hit tool is plus at worst, potentially even better. The way he commands the strike zone, is able to take walks, hits for high contact rates and shoots the ball to all fields has always made me highly intrigued. He’s found a nice home at second base and second in the Jays’ lineup, finally earning him a much-deserved roster spot.

Prior to his call-up, Horwitz was slashing .335/.456/.514 with four home runs in 2569 plate appearances, along with a higher BB% (17%) than K% (15.8%) for a 158 wRC+. As of Friday evening, Horwitz is slashing .264/.355/.408 with six home runs in 234 plate appearances with Toronto for a 118 wRC+.

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There are definitely some concerns regarding his game, as his limited hitting against left-handed pitchers is significantly worse than against righties. Moreover, he’s cooled off since the All-Star break, as he’s slashing .204/.286/.327 with two home runs in 112 plate appearances, along with a 9.8 BB% and a 22.3 K% for a 73 wRC+.

Teams have clearly made an adjustment, and now the ball is in his court to make his own adjustments.

Davis Schneider

It’s the same scenario for Davis Schneider, who ranked as our fourth-best prospect in the 2024 Preseason Top 50.

Schneider’s debut was one of the best in baseball history when he was called up in early August 2023, as he slashed .276/.404/.603 with eight home runs in his first 141 plate appearances, along with a 14.9 BB% and a 30.5 K%.

The 25-year-old started the season off well, but has been in a rut since June, as he’s slashing .168/.244/.255 with three home runs in 180 plate appearances for a 45 wRC+.

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Pitchers are adjusting to his problems with high heat, and the onus is on Schneider to fix the problem.

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