When the Blue Jays turned the page on their attempt for a third straight trip to the post-season at the July 30 trade deadline, they added 13 prospects to an organization that, to this point, has failed miserably at fulfilling club president Mark Shapiro’s early promise of “wave after wave” of talent coming through to bolster the big-league club.
Deadline acquisitions Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner have made a solid impression, with Wagner already in the Jays rookie record book with hits in each of his first three big-league at-bats as well as a five-hit game in Saturday’s 15-0 win in Minnesota.
Outfielder Jonatan Clase, who last year became the first minor-leaguer since at least 1961 to hit 20 home runs and steal more than 70 bases in the same season, and pitcher Jake Bloss, with a 2.33 ERA over 17 starts at three levels of the minors this year, will be called up soon.
Not to be lost among the shiny new toys, though, are two young players who have spent the last couple of years working their way up through the system and could each wind up playing a big role in any future聽 success: shortstop Josh Kasevich, the Jays’ second-round pick in 2022 out of the University of Oregon, and outfielder Alan Roden, selected one round later from Creighton University (where the teams are called Bluejays).
Both started last season with the High-A Vancouver Canadians and have already made it up to Triple-A Buffalo. Kasevich is No. 10 on , while Roden is No. 13.
“This guy over here has never stopped hitting once in his entire life,” Roden told me of Kasevich as the teammates sat in the Bisons dugout last weekend. The joint interview will air later this month on 鈥Deep Left Field,鈥 the Star’s baseball podcast.
The compliments flowed the other way, as well.
“He was a great hitter in college,” Kasevich said of Roden, who batted .383 over three seasons with those other Jays, with an eye-popping 1.125 OPS.
“Just to watch his video then and look at where he is now, it is unbelievable the amount of changes he’s made that have shown in his success. And that’s a testament to all the work that he puts in.”
No. 13 prospect Alan Roden has eight hits in his last 13 at-bats, including a pair of doubles and three RBIs.
鈥 Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons)
Kasevich has been in Buffalo for less than a month, having started the season with Double-A New Hampshire, but his .293 batting average and .380 slugging percentage are higher than he’s posted at any other professional level.
The 23-year-old credits his teammate’s helping hand.
”(Roden) came up here and then I came up (two months later),” said Kasevich. “I got to talk to him and pick his brain about what the differences are. He made it very comfortable coming in.”
BIG first hit in a Bisons uniform for Kasevich!
鈥 Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons)
Roden, who is a year older, hit his way onto the prospect radar by putting up an .896 OPS in Vancouver last season. That got him promoted to New Hampshire, where he continued to hit and earned an invite to major-league spring training this year. Kasevich spent the whole season in B.C., winning a Northwest League championship with the Canadians.
The time in big-league camp served Roden well. For the most part, he kept his mouth shut and his eyes open.
“The coolest part was being in the room and seeing how the veterans go about their business,” said the 24-year-old, who earned a degree in physics at Creighton. “It’s always the details. It’s always the little things in the routine that set the big leaguers apart, the veterans who stick around.”
Sharing a field with Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho in Dunedin made a big impression.
“To be completely honest, I thought they were a little bit weird,” said Roden, laughing either at the memory or at his chutzpah in describing the superstar defenders that way.
“Just how hard they went every time. It’s really impressive, and it answers every question you could have about: How could they be this good? It’s answered in those little things.”
The big-leaguers’ commitment to preparation and routine is not lost on these two, nor is the fact that some recent teammates聽鈥 including聽Spencer Horwitz, Leo Jim茅nez, Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes and Wagner 鈥 are getting opportunities in the majors.
“It helps a ton,” said Kasevich. “Just to see their successes (down here) leading to them living out that dream. It’s exciting and it shows us that it is possible to do, which is encouraging as a player.”
Roden believes it sends a positive message to the Jays front office as well.
“It maybe makes the organization think: Well, maybe other young guys can have success as well.”
They’re certainly doing their part from Sahlen Field in Buffalo, where if you go up to the roof and squint hard, you can see all the way to Canada.
“It’s exciting,” said Roden, avoiding the cliche answer about taking things day by day. “You feel so much closer in Triple-A, so much closer, and that’s invigorating.”
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