I've had several posts this year where I've paid attention to former members of a farm system and how they've fared away from their original team. And there's ways of doing that which can last you the whole year. But while thinking about an angle for this post on Gabriel Moreno, I came upon a fascinating discovery:
There are currently seven catching products of the Toronto Blue Jays' system employed by the MLB.
You'd think this wouldn't be that out of the ordinary, but it's really not. Like, here's all the former Yankee farm system 1st basemen products still fishing around the league: Mike Ford, Garrett Cooper, Luke Voit. This isn't really a game you can play with every team and every position. But there's something about Toronto catchers that has made it so that there's seven of them batting around the league, many of which barely even passed through the MLB roster before going onto better teams. And I'm not entirely sure how it's happened.
So let's go through all seven of them and see how they're doing with and without the Jays.
Gabriel Moreno: Yes, the reason I came up with this post. Moreno came up last year, and with the dual, at-times-triple, catching situation at the front of the pack, there wasn't a ton of room for him, and so he was dealt for Daulton Varsho. Somehow, the Varsho-for-Moreno/Gurriel deal might be one of the most crucial ones of the year, because all of those pieces have succeeded for their new teams, and Moreno might be most important one. Moreno was expected to back up Carson Kelly, then Kelly got injured and Moreno got the Opening Day gig. Moreno has hit .282 this year with 35 RBIs, as well as being one of the most impressive defensive catchers in baseball. As the D-Backs remain in the playoff picture, excellent defenders like Moreno, Gurriel, Christian Walker and Alek Thomas have kept this team relevant and made them continue to be talked about even if they're no longer a division leader.
Alejandro Kirk: The guy the Jays went with, especially after his 2022 ASG year. Kirk has had a different approach this year, focusing more on his defense than his power hitting, and that's led to a less thrilling year for the team hero. Kirk is less than halfway to his 2022 totals at RBI and homers, and he's hitting below .250. I think it's just a sophomore slump kind of thing, but it does make me wonder if Kirk's 2022 was a fluke.
Danny Jansen: The Jays' perennial backup, Jansen has never been flashy, but he's been relatively consistent. Even if he doesn't start, even if he did earlier on this year, he's still capable of some choice highlights and defensive plays. It's looking like 2023 will be an average year for Jansen, as he's hitting .224 and has 50 RBIs, which is incidentally a career high. The fans love him, he's been a solid piece of the team as it's grown, and he's at times been more reliable than Kirk.
Reese McGuire: Prior to Kirk's come up, McGuire was Jansen's primary back-up. McGuire was known for his power hitting in addition to his domestic abuse charges. Once Kirk showed up, and once Jansen hit more consistently, McGuire was dealt to Chicago, and eventually to Boston. Even though he was heavily favored to start behind the plate this season, McGuire has been backing up Connor Wong. And while on one hand he's hitting .299 with 15 RBIs so far this year, his defensive abilities have trailed off even further, and he might just be a backup guy going forward.
Riley Adams: Adams was one of the many catchers called upon in 2021 once people started dropping, and he was alright in that position, though he couldn't quite crack MLB pitching. Most famously, Adams would eventually become one of the many prospects shuttled to Washington as they dealt several of their own products: Brad Hand wouldn't spend much time in Toronto, but he was a crucial enough piece to get Adams out of there. Since then, Adams has been the primary backup to Keibert Ruiz, himself a fellow 2021 Nationals trade deadline addition [a deadline that resulted in yet another Jays catcher being dealt as well, but we'll get to him shortly]. He's been sharp this year, hitting .278 with 19 RBIs in 36 games, but as the Nats bring up their own catching prospect, it's not certain how much longer Adams will be in the picture.
Travis d'Arnaud: These next two you may have forgotten about. D'Arnaud was a Blue Jay so briefly, and was famously part of the package that the Jays sent to New York in exchange for R.A Dickey, along with Noah Syndergaard. And with all of the injuries that D'Arnaud struggled with as a member of the Mets, it is still hard to believe that D'Arnaud is currently employed by an MLB team and Thor is not. That does speak to d'Arnaud's consistency since turning thirty- once he joined the Rays and figured things out, he was reliable for everyone he suited up for since. The Braves first used d'Arnaud as their All-Star starting catcher last year, then once they upgraded and got Sean Murphy, d'Arnaud became the backup. And as backups go, he's been a pretty solid one, with 32 RBIs and 9 homers in 56 games. It's a step down from last season, but he's still a reliable catcher a decade after breaking in.
Yan Gomes: It was a trade for reliever Esmil Rogers that brought Yan Gomes to Cleveland, meaning that the prior three years in the Blue Jays system has been lost to time. Gomes did suit up for the Jays as a backup in 2012, and while his defense was decent he only hit .201 that year, the first year of the Jays' rebranding. Of course, he comes to Cleveland and slowly becomes their starter, helps them get to a World series, then is traded to Washington and helps them WIN a World Series. Since then he's been a steady catching option for a few different teams, and while he joined the Cubs last year to back up Willson Contreras, he's taken the starting job himself and is having a wonderful year, hitting .268 with 46 RBIs and 9 homers. I'm glad Gomes is still in the league, and still a reliable catching option.
So that's all seven. It is wild that there's so much to say about all of them, and about this many Jays catching products in general, but sometimes bizarre things like this happen.
Coming Tomorrow- Ironically, someone on the opposite side of the battery for the Blue Jays.
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