We’re now climbing into some prospects with actual potential impact as we get into the meat of the system.
24. Cutter Coffey, LHP, Age 22 (DOB: 5/21/2004), Grade 35+, 2025: 30th
Part of the return for Danny Jansen, the 2022 Red Sox second round pick got off to a tough start in the Jays organization, posting a .581 OPS in Vancouver after the trade. He bounced back last year, though, trimming his strikeouts and showing some pop on his way to a .273/.359/.427 line that was 19% better than the Northwest League average.
Coffey has MLB average raw power right now, and probably
has room on his 6’1”, 190lb frame for another half grade of growth. His swing does a good job of using that power, producing a lot of line drive and low fly contact, leading to the hope that he can produce above average game power. His contact ability is fringy, and he especially struggles with breaking balls. That may prove to be a major Achilles’ heel as he continues to move up the levels and begins to face pitchers who can regularly throw quality sliders and curves for strikes.
Coffey mostly played third this year, and he profiles as an above average defender there with the plus arm to go with. He can also play second and while he’s not a true shortstop he can fill in there in an emergency. In the best case scenario, Coffey proves himself able to adapt to spin and becomes a low average high slug regular at third. More likely, he’s a power over hit utility infielder who needs to be sheltered from righties with good breaking balls.
23. Tim Piasentin, RHP, Age 19 (DOB: 3/25/2007, Happy Birthday Tim!), Grade 35+/40, 2025: High School
Piasentin is a local boy for me, having been drafted in the fifth round last year out of Foothills Composite High School in Okotoks, Alberta. He was the consensus top Canadian prospect in the 2025 draft, and it took three quarters of a million dollars to buy him out of a commitment to the University of Miami.
Power is what got him taken that high. Piasentin is a well built 6’3” and 205lbs, and he produces 70 grade bat speed that leads to light tower flies in batting practice. He has some feel to hit, but his contact ability is fringy and he profiles as a three true outcomes type hitter. He’s a below average runner and may not stick at third base long term due to his size and just ok athleticism, but his plus arm would be an asset in right field if he had to move.
It’s a prototypical slugger package, with the potential to be a middle of the order hitter if everything comes together. That’s a long ways away with a lot of questions to answer between now and then, though, as he’ll being his pro career this spring at the complex level.
22. Austin Cates, RHP, Age 22 (DOB: 5/20/2003), Grade 35+/40, 2025: NR
A seventh round pick out of UNLV in 2024, Cates hasn’t drawn a lot of heat yet, but he’s produced big results so far in his pro career. In 25 appearances between A and A+ last season, he struck out 113 against 33 walks in 109.2 innings, with a 3.12 ERA and peripherals that back it up.
Cates pitches with a short stride and a high release, allowing him to create big backspin on his fastball. It sits just 90-93 with the odd 95, but the spin induces near elite vertical carry and big arm side run for a four seamer. I think it can play above average, especially if he adds another tick of velocity after already adding a couple MPH since college. His main secondary is a splitter with similar arm side movement but 14 inches of vertical drop, and he can locate it down or just out of the zone for both called and swinging strikes. His slider is a clear third pitch, but it’s been effective because of its contrast to his other two offerings. He commands everything to an above average level, living in the zone while avoiding the heart of the plate.
If all that sounds a little like Trey Yesavage, well, no, because Trey throws 98. But you can see the outlines of a poor man’s version of the same general skill set here. Where Yesavage is a potential ace, Cates profiles more as a #5 barring an unexpected leap in his stuff. That’s still a very valuable outcome, though, and Cates has so far passed the tests that have been set for him.
21. Adrian Pinto, Age 23 (DOB: 9/22/2002), Grade 35+/40, 2025: 13th
Pinto has been a prospect crush of mine for going on four years now, since he was acquired as part of the Randal Grichuck trade with the Rockies. At just 5’6” and listed at 156lbs (though he’s surely somewhat heavier than that now), Pinto somehow generates slightly above average raw exit velocities with his long-ish, whippy swing. It’s a full body effort, but he’s a superior athlete with great hands and he manages to corral it enough to still make average rates of contact. His approach is aggressive, but he has an idea of the zone and has at times run high walk rates while always limiting his strikeouts. Over the past two seasons he’s learned to get the ball off the ground a little more and the whole package has come together to produce extremely loud results. Mostly at Vancouver, he’s put up a .310/.376/.588 line that was 64% better than the Northwest League Average across 197PA.
Aaaaaand, there’s the reason he’s down here at 21. Pinto has manage to appear in just 45 games over the past two years, 35 the year before that, then 47 before that. The injuries have been diverse, including ribs, hamstrings, and quads among others, but the overall conclusion seems to be simple: he’s small and he plays extremely fast and hard, and that takes a toll. He’s the kind of athlete whose body can do things it can’t sustain, and so he ends up on the IL.
At 23, the clock is ticking on Pinto’s career. He has the twitch and hands to be an above average defender at second base, and his above average speed looks like it could translate to centre field as well. That gives him multiple ways to get into an MLB lineup at premium positions, where he has the potential to be an above average producer. He needs to stay on the field to make any of that a concern, though.
