KANSAS CITY – This is the beginning of a new era behind the record for the Toronto Blue Jays. Gabriel Moreno, the club’s No. 1 prospect and Major League Baseball’s No. 4 prospect, joined the club ahead of Friday’s series opening in Detroit.
The club did not add Moreno to the list for Game 1, but the 22-year-old will be activated during the series in Detroit.
Moreno received the news after the match with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday.
After exploding on stage at the prom all season with Single-A Lansing in 2019, Moreno’s real breakthrough came in 2021 with Double-A New Hampshire. Before an arm injury shortened this season, Moreno hit .373 with eight home runs and 1,092 OPS.
In 36 games this year in Triple-A, Moreno scored .324 with .784 OPS, while showing a significant improvement over running play, throwing out 54% of runners trying to steal.
“He wants to be great,” said Buffalo manager Casey Kandal. “He is motivated to do the things he needs to do to get better. No problems. When I think of a child who is that age and has already received so much publicity, it’s very difficult to deal with. In order to think that he has to go through these things and keep his sanity, he does a great job of understanding. “
The Blue Jays had believed in Moreno’s bat since he was a teenager, but his defense took significant steps.
In fact, when Moreno was written off from Venezuela, he was an internal player. Scout Francisco Placencia and Latin American Operations Director Sandy Rosario asked young Moreno to stand behind the home board and make a few throws to the second, and the rest is history.
“He has made significant progress in every aspect of the catch,” General Manager Ross Atkins said recently. “He has become a better successor. He became a better blocker. He became a better player in the game. But the most encouraging growth is on the part of leadership. He is aware of the importance and power of pitchers, who feel his confidence and conviction behind the things, the use or the overall point of view of the performance. It was really exciting to teach him the power to influence the serve. “
This opportunity opened up due to a recent injury to Danny Jansen, who broke the fifth metacarpal part of his left arm. Alejandro Kirk has been one of the hottest baseball hunters over the past month, building an All-Star case that will continue to bring him regular replays, but Moreno’s talent is poised to influence a contender right now. He was brought up to be part of the winner, not just a development project.
So much of this rapid ascent is due to Moreno’s physical talents, but from top to bottom in the Blue Jays organization you will hear about Moreno, the man before Moreno, the player.
“There’s a lot more confidence in his game,” said Andrew Tinisch, vice president of international scouting at Blue Jays. “Part of that can be an experience, to be in the camp, to be in [Arizona] Autumn league and knowledge of more English. Maybe part of that is the vision and his name there quite a bit. He did well. He was quiet from the beginning, but he was always very approachable. He was not shy, but a very cheerful and respectful child. ”
All this has become what the organization considers to be one of the most important final steps in its development, namely the management of the presentation team. Kevin Gaussman, Jose Berios, Alec Manoa, Ross Stripling and Usai Kikuchi are five very different players and Moreno will be responsible for leading this group. At first this will come in small doses, but one day the keys will be thrown to him.
“He acknowledges responsibility,” Atkins said. “Secondly, he has something you can’t learn. He has an incredible pulse. He is very calm. This will benefit him as a leader. “
From now on, it depends on Moreno, who must eventually have every opportunity to succeed in a daily role, even in one of the most talented and crowded baseball groups when Jansen is healthy. For now, however, he is at the beginning of something, with high expectations and opportunities ahead.
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