Jays From the Couch Will Review the Seasons Of Many, Hopefully, Most, Of The Toronto Blue Jays Prospects. Not Just The Top Prospects.
Gabriel Moreno
The Blue Jays Moreno signed as a Free Agent on August 3rd, 2016. He made his professional debut on June 3rd, 2017, and appeared in 32 games while batting .248 with 4 doubles, a triple, 6 walks, and 5 strikeouts as a member of the DSL Blue Jays.
In 2018, the talented catcher split the year between GCL and Bluefield. The catcher slashed .359/.395/.575 with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 4HR, and 36RBI with 7BB and 20K in 40 games.
He made his full-season debut in 2019 with the Lansing Lugnuts. Gabby put himself on the prospect map putting up Top Prospect numbers across 82 games. Moreno hit .280 with a .822OPS, 17 doubles, 5 doubles, 12 home runs, 52RBI, 22BB, and 38K.
In 2021, Gabriel Moreno spent a big chunk of time on the IL but managed to impress in 32 games at AA. The native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela went 47-for-126, batting .373 with 9 doubles, a triple, and 8 home runs.
Month-By-Month
The 22-yr-old opened the season with a 2-for-5 game with one run batted in on April 12th. He struggled a little in the first month, batting .255 with 4 doubles, 8RBI, 3BB, and 11RBI. He stepped it up in May, slashing .380/.443/.479 with 4 doubles, one home run, 14RBI, 7BB, and 11K in 18 games.
In June, the catcher made his major league debut on June 11th, going 1-for-4 with a run scored, a strikeout, and 2 hard hit balls. He went 3-for-4 on June 14th and June 17th showing his special ability to make consistent contact. He finished the month with a .300BA, collecting one extra-base hit in 40 at-bats, striking out twice, and walking twice.
Moreno was returned to Buffalo in July, playing 5 games with the Blue Jays. He only batted .222 with no extra-base hits, no walks, and 5K. He played 10 games with the Herd, slashing just .243/.364/.405 with 3 doubles, his 2nd home run, 6RBI, 6BB, and 7K. He put together a 9-game hit streak which included a 3-game doubles streak.
In August, Moreno found his stroke, finishing the month with a .365 with 5 doubles. Gabby walked 5 times and struck out 8 times. Between August 16th and August 24th, Moreno went 14-for-27, collecting 7 hits in two games.
He played sparingly in September, going 3-for-5 with his 3rd home run on the 2nd. He was called up to Toronto on September 7th finishing his 2022 Triple-A.
At the End Of the Day
The budding catching stud finished his Triple-A season slashing .315/.386/.420 with 16 doubles, 3HR, 35 runs scored, 39RBI in 62 games. Offensively, Moreno produced above average with a .365wOBA and 120wRC+. His .105ISO was disappointing but his .377BABIP made up for it.
His plate discipline and ability to make contact continue to impress with a 9.0BB% and 16.9K%. He finished with an impressive 25.8LD%, pulling the ball 45.1% of the time and going the opposite field 37.4% of the time. He had the Vladdy issue of hitting too many balls on the ground at a rate of 52.6GB% with a flyball rate of 21.6FB%.
Best Game
The Blue Jays top prospect produced four 4-hit games with three coming in the month of May. One of those games saw Moreno produce his only 4RBI game. He had four multi-walk games, walking three times on August 30th. His best game was on May 21st when Gabriel went 4-for-5 with a run scored, a double, a home run, 3RBI, a walk, and 8 total bases.
LHP vs RHP
Gabriel Moreno had a lot of success against LHP, hitting all his home runs against southpaws and finished with a .380BA and .987OPS. Against righties, Moreno doubled 13 times with a .287BA and .729.
Fielding
Moreno played 51 games behind the plate with 4 games as the DH. He had 6 passed balls and committed zero errors. So kinda a big deal. He continues to show off an amazing arm behind the plate, gunning down 18 stolen base attempts, and allowing 26 stolen bases. According to Baseball Savant, Gabriel Moreno’s pop time to 2nd base is in the 90th percentile at the Major League level.
Looking Ahead
Gabriel Moreno has all the makings of a major league catcher. He can hit for average, call a good game, control the running, and hit for extra bases. I have some concerns about his lack of power at the highest level of the minor leagues but I’m hoping that has more to do with being 22-yr-old facing pitchers 4.3 years older than scouts getting his power potential wrong.
I am also a little worried about his durability. He has only played 121 games over the past two seasons. I factored in the additional Fall and Winter league games he played during the offseason, putting my mind at ease. Gabby played 40 games last offseason to bring his two-season total up to 162 which is pretty good when factoring in the 2 months of development time lost from a broken thumb he suffered during the 2021 season.
The biggest hurdle facing Moreno is Toronto’s depth behind the plate. Danny Jansen is having a very good year, hitting for a nice average and setting a career-high in HR despite missing time to the injury bug. Alejandro Kirk has established himself as a major league catcher with the bat and the glove, attending the All-Star game this season. Where does that leave Moreno? Will the Blue Jays trade one of the young catchers? If so, which one?
I do think it’s possible all three catchers return in 2023. Putting Moreno back at Triple-A for more seasoning and hopefully finding that power stroke.
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