Electric arm Jays acquired in Hoffman trade flashes potential at High-A
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With the chaos of the Trade Deadline in the dust, the Blue Jays are suddenly hurtling back into the American League Wild Card chase.
Meanwhile, on the farm, trade chips are settling into their new affiliates. Dasan Hill, who joined the Blue Jays in the Jeff Hoffman trade with the Twins, made his second start for High-A Vancouver on Saturday night and flashed his tantalizing potential.
In the Canadians’ 5-3 win over Tri-City, Hill went toe-to-toe with Angels No. 21 prospect Mason McGwire, who also changed dugouts at the Deadline. A 6-foot-5 southpaw, Hill matched his second-longest outing of the season by tossing four innings, allowing just one unearned run while striking out three in his new home ballpark, Rogers Field at Nat Bailey Stadium.
Now Toronto’s No. 8 prospect, Hill was drafted in 2024 by Minnesota in Competitive Balance Round B (69th overall). Armed with an upper-90s fastball, he made relatively light work of his first pro assignment at Single-A. He posted a 2.77 ERA and .190 batting average against over 52 innings before moving up to High-A last year.
This season has proved more challenging for Hill. Back at High-A, he has still showcased swing-and-miss stuff but paired with additional control problems. At the time of the trade, he had a 5.80 ERA with 37 walks in 45 innings, counterbalancing his 77 strikeouts.
He made progress on that front Saturday, not issuing a free pass. He collected each of his punchouts on a different offering -- breaking ball, changeup, fastball -- and three of his four hits allowed were of the infield variety.
Hill opened eyes during Spring Breakout in March when he hit 100.1 mph on the radar gun, a glimpse into the electric nature of his left arm. Both the Twins and now the Jays have kept an eye on his workload, as Hill has thrown more than 75 pitches just once this season. Refining his command -- as he has through his brief Toronto tenure -- would allow his three above-average-or-better pitches to play up as he makes his way through the system.