DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed with the Blue Jays in July 2015 and made his debut in the rookie-level Appalachian League the following year. Bo Bichette was drafted in the second round of the 2016 Draft. They played together starting in 2017 with what was then Single-A Lansing and High-A Dunedin, and by 2018, they were the top two prospects in the system en route to making their big league debuts in 2019.
Could history be repeating itself? From Vladdy and Bo to Sanchez and Jo?
COMPLETE BLUE JAYS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Now, before the indignant emails come flying that a comparison of Guerrero and Bichette to Juan Sanchez and JoJo Parker is completely unfair, this isn’t an analogy about how good both prospects might be … though they have the chance to be really good. No, it’s more about the opportunity for two young players coming into the system at around the same time to move up the ladder together and build a relationship as potential cornerstones for the future Blue Jays.
“I think they can see how special one another is, and how talented they are, and they're pushing each other, which has been really neat to see,” Blue Jays farm director Joe Sclafani said. “So I think that'll take time, and everybody else is going to make those connections [about Guerrero and Bichette] before they do, but they both go about it the right way, and it's exciting to think about what it could look like two or three years from now.”
Parker, the Jays’ No. 2 prospect (No. 45 on the Top 100), was their first-round pick last year, taken No. 8 overall. He’s yet to play an official inning of pro ball, but he’s already impressing everyone in camp with how he reported, with increased physicality, and how good he’s looked at the plate right out of the gate this spring.
“It’s remarkable; he’s been facing older, upper-level guys -- he’s got a ton of live BPs already -- and I don’t think I’ve seen him look out of sorts,” Sclafani said. “It’s really impressive, his understanding of what makes him good. It’s big moves, but he finds a way to control them really well, and he’s always on time. It’s as comfortable as anybody I’ve seen in the box as a teenager since Bo and Vladdy, and I’m not trying to make that direct comparison.”
Leave that to us. Sanchez is doing his part to have an early impact as well. Signed for just under $1 million in January 2025, Sanchez opened a lot of eyes during his Dominican Summer League debut with a .341/.439/.565 line, really impressing the Blue Jays by not expanding the zone or getting out of his game plan too much when teams started pitching around him. He’s also added strength, and the power is very real.
“I think when you see him, you'll get it immediately,” Sclafani said. “Just the body is surprisingly big, and it's athletic and dynamic. He was so comfortable and committed to what worked for him; it was pretty advanced from that aspect of it. And despite how big he is, he moves remarkably well.”
If all goes according to plan, Parker will begin the year with Single-A Dunedin, and Sanchez will hang back in extended spring training. However, they’ve challenged the 18-year-old Dominican infielder to try to join Parker in Dunedin sooner rather than later. Sclafani says both will be given every chance to stick at shortstop, though, as good as the Jays’ player development system is, they have not figured out a way to play two guys at shortstop at the same time in a game.
“We've thought about it, and we're still talking about it,” Sclafani said about how the reps at the six will be divvied up. “They’ll play the same side, probably all the way up, and push each other. We’ve already seen it in some of the work they’ve done with one another. Getting enough reps? It’s probably an even split [between short and third], but the arms are good enough to stick on the left.
“We think the two of them being together and forming a bond -- you saw how the Bo and Vladdy one played out.”
Camp standout: Blaine Bullard
It looked as if Bullard was set to stay in his home state to play college ball at Texas A&M when he didn’t hear his name called in the top 10 rounds. But the Blue Jays had other ideas, taking him in the 12th round of the 2025 Draft and setting a record for a bonus in that round when they signed him for nearly $1.7 million. Now the No. 15 prospect in the system, he’s a switch-hitter with excellent bat-to-ball skills and the kind of speed that should allow him to stick in center field. He’s already added 15 pounds of muscle, and the Blue Jays think he’s just scratching the surface as he prepares for his first season of pro ball.
“He’s a really advanced, super-dynamic athlete,” said Sclafani, adding that Bullard will likely begin the year in extended spring training, but has the chance to move over to Dunedin for a good amount of the 2026 season. “He's already applying some of the stuff we talk about in terms of base-stealing; he's going to be able to do some things, and I don't think he knows how good he is yet. And the way he's holding his own with those guys has been pretty damn impressive.”
Something to prove: Brandon Barriera
Barriera is still the No. 22 prospect in the system, and he just turned 22 earlier this month, but this isn’t exactly how he or the Jays thought things would go when they took him in the first round of the 2022 Draft. Since signing, the lefty has thrown a grand total of 27 1/3 innings, sidelined by an elbow injury that led to a hybrid Tommy John/internal brace procedure in 2024 and then a fractured forearm in 2025. There is cautious optimism that a now-healthy Barriera can start living up to his promise based on how he’s looked this spring, with a fastball he’s been getting up in the 95-97 mph range.
“He’s throwing strikes like he's feeling good,” Sclafani reported. “A couple years ago, he gained too much weight; now he's kind of gone back to the better balance, and he understands how it impacted the way he moves down the mound. He looks like the guy that we drafted, but with better stuff.”
The southpaw has yet to leave Dunedin, with his limited innings coming in either the Florida Complex or Florida State League. Could this be the time he finally gets to see some other parts of the country?
“We’ve dangled the carrot; it’s maybe not likely, but it’s not out of the question,” Sclafani said about an Opening Day assignment away from Florida. “We’re just excited for him to get back out there and compete.”
On the Shelf: Jake Cook
The organization’s No. 11 prospect might have been a good “breakout candidate,” with 80 speed and a huge ceiling as a former two-way guy still learning his way as a hitter and center fielder. But the 2025 third-rounder out of Southern Miss has a hamstring injury that could keep him out for the first six weeks or so of the ‘26 season. But even though he was limited, the player development staff couldn’t help but be impressed with how he looks and what he wants to accomplish.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an athlete like that,” Sclafani said. “I didn’t realize how good his arm was, and center field is going to be plus. And we’re going to push him to steal bags once he’s healthy.”
And Cook is determined not to be a speed-only type. In his words, according to Sclafani, he doesn’t want to be “just a Chandler Simpson,” but a hitter with some power.
“If we can get him out there regularly and he stays healthy, he has a chance to be pretty special,” Sclafani said.