Blue Jays top prospect Gabriel Moreno moves one step closer to big leagues

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This article was published 21/09/2021 (1500 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Blue Jays’ top prospect, catcher Gabriel Moreno, is one step closer to the big leagues.

Moreno, 21, will be promoted from the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats to the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons for the team’s final homestand, which begins on Wednesday against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Toronto’s No.1 prospect, who is considered the No. 8 prospect overall in baseball by Baseball America and the No. 33 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, started the season ranked seventh in the Jays pipeline. He earned top spot after posting a .373/.441/.651 slashline and 1.092 OPS, with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 32 games with New Hampshire. At the time, Moreno led the Double-A Northeast League in various individual statistic categories.

His progress was halted in late June, when Moreno sustained a fractured right thumb injury. He was sidelined until Sept. 7, when the Fisher Cats sent Moreno on a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League. In two games with the Blue Jays rookie ball affiliate earlier this month, Moreno hit .750 with a 1.750 OPS.

Looking like he hasn’t lost a step at the plate likely helped the Jays decide to promote Moreno ahead of the final 10 games of the Bisons season. The promotion also gives Moreno a shot at getting a few more at-bats and games behind the dish in this injury-plagued year after the Fisher Cats season wrapped up on Sunday.

Moreno is still currently behind the likes of Danny Jansen, Reese McGuire and Alejandro Kirk on the Jays catching depth chart, but playing with major-league calibre players is not foreign to the youngster, who Toronto signed as a free agent in Aug. 2016. Moreno spent time at Toronto’s alternate site last summer, drawing eyes for his patient approach and hard contact at the plate as well as his agility and arm behind it.

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The No. 2 catching prospect in baseball may not be at the major-league level just yet, but he’s certainly closing in.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy