Spring Training C's: 9 Position Player Alums Get Non-Roster Invites

Baseball is officially back. With the first Spring Training games in the books for all 30 MLB teams, the six-week sprint to Opening Day has left the starting line. With all systems go down at the Blue Jays Player Development Complex in Dunedin, FL, C’s fans can expect to see many familiar names penciled into manager John Schneider’s lineup. We profiled the seven former Canadians pitchers who received a non-roster invite to big league camp two weeks ago; now we’ll take a look at some old friends on position player side who will be in the mix with the major leaguers over the next month.

C Robert Brooks

While not a ranked prospect or even a highly touted player, Robert Brooks has found a way to make his mark both on and off the field. As affable of a guy as they come, Brooks joined the organization in 2024 as a free agent after a stint in indy ball (where he hit .354 and posted an eye-popping 1.160 OPS) and was assigned to Vancouver, where he batted .262 with an .816 OPS in 28 games as the backup catcher. Brooks split 2025 between Double-A and Triple-A, and will likely do the same this season.

Fun fact: Brooks is not afraid to keep things loose. Among his many lovable quirks, he would often imitate Spiderman shooting his web when foul balls hit the protective netting or went into the stands, almost as if he could bring it back to the field with his superpowers.

3B/SS Cutter Coffey

Like his name suggests, Cutter Coffey can provide a jolt. The infielder arrived in the Blue Jays organization in 2024 in the trade that sent big leaguer Danny Jansen to Boston and joined the C's for the second half of the season. He returned in 2025 and went on to rack up career highs in games (99), hits (105), doubles (26), RBI (62) and slugging percentage (.427). Those numbers were good enough to make him Vancouver's offensive player of the year. While he's not as close to the big leagues as a few other infielders on this list, Coffey will percolate in the upper minors this year in his age 22 season.

Fun Fact: With a name like Cutter, it shouldn’t come as a complete shock that one of his hobbies is cutting hair. He was the team barber last year, providing pregame “Cuts by Cutter” in a barber’s chair in the clubhouse.

C Edward Duran

Are the members of Duran Duran baseball fans? Because baseball catchers are always in touch with the ground and are on the hunt down (of would-be base stealers). While admittedly not a fan of one of the eighties’ biggest bands – it’s a few decades before his time – Edward Duran could very well take center stage in the near future. He started 2025 with Single-A Dunedin then joined the C’s on July 18. Between both teams, the Caracas, VZ native posted a combined slash line of .275/.362/.404 with a .766 OPS in a career-high 100 games. Originally signed as an international free agent by Miami in 2021 and traded to Toronto in 2022, Duran will likely return to Vancouver to begin this year before attacking the upper minors.

Fun fact: Duran tied Single-A Dunedin’s hitting streak record when he recorded a knock in 22 consecutive games from May 2-31. That was part of an impressive stretch of 31 of 33 games with a hit dating back to April 13.

SS Josh Kasevich

Playing for the Canadians in 2023 was somewhat familiar territory for Josh Kasevich. The former Oregon Duck made multiple returns to his alma mater that year when the C's visited the Eugene Emeralds, who share PK Park with Oregon Baseball. Kasevich was one of the league's top hitters, ranking second with a .284 batting average in 94 games. He was also among the circuit's best in OBP (.363, 4th) and OPS (.728, 9th). The Palo Alto, CA native went on to have a career year in 2024 between Double-A and Triple-A then suffered a back injury that derailed much of his 2025 campaign. He's considered by many to be on the short list of next men up to the big leagues.

Fun fact: Kasevich caught the final out of the 2023 Northwest League Championship Series, a line drive to shortstop in Game 4 to close out a 10-2 C’s win and the club’s fifth league title since 2011.

1B/3B Sean Keys

No matter how his career turns out, Sean Keys has already etched himself in Canadians history. The Centerport, NY native slugged a single-season franchise-record 19 home runs in Northwest League play this year – including a pair of dramatic walk-offs – for the fourth-most among the league’s hitters. Keys is a bona fide power threat who handled the rigors of his first full pro season especially well, even if his overall numbers (.217/.365/.408 with a .773 OPS) don’t necessarily jump off the page. He was the most patient hitters in the circuit (86 walks ranked him first) and provided plenty of strong defense at the corner infield positions. “Sean Keys Kong” will be terrorizing Double-A pitchers in 2026.

Fun fact: Keys isn’t just physically gifted. He received his Mechanical Engineering degree from Bucknell last year. One May day at The Nat, he walked into the clubhouse watching his commencement on his phone before gearing up for the game that night.

2B Rafael Lantigua

Of all the players on this list, few have as much big league Spring Training experience as Rafael Lantigua. This is his second go-round with the Blue Jays; he was originally signed by the club in 2016 and played in the organization for seven seasons before his contract expired. He joined the Phillies last year and spent its entirety with Triple-A Lehigh Valley then came back to Toronto on a free agent deal during the offseason. His time as a Canadian came in 2021 – the “home away from home” season in Hillsboro – and was a mainstay on the infield, appearing in 80 games and racking up 80 hits. The 27-year-old has a chance to be one of the feel good stories in camp this year.

Fun fact: Lantigua is not only a veteran of the Blue Jays system. He has played for three different teams in the Domincan winter league (LIDOM): Aguilas Cibaenas, Gigantes del Cibao and Toros del Este.

SS Arjun Nimmala

If you came to The Nat only once last season, you almost certainly have heard of the 20-year-old Arjun Nimmala. As Toronto’s first pick in the 2023, he was immediately burdened with the expectations of a top prospect. Most talent evaluators pegged him as the Blue Jays system’s best minor leaguer heading into the 2025 campaign, and he showed every bit of his talents over the first two months. The Florida native posted a combined .900 OPS between April and May, which included 14 homers in 45 games. But his production took a steep dive the rest of the way, finishing the year slashing .224/.313/.381 with a .694 OPS (.700 is considered average, .800 is above average, .900 is excellent and 1.000 is elite). Despite those numbers, Nimmala is still one of the youngest players in the organization that wasn’t drafted in the last two years and remains an excellent defender at shortstop. The Blue Jays may challenge him with a promotion to Double-A to start this season, which makes Spring Training especially pivotal for him.

Fun Fact: Nimmala has professed his love for romance movies and romcoms, with The Notebook ranking as his favorite.

C Aaron Parker

2025 was Aaron Parker's first full season as a pro, spending it with the C's over a span of 63 games. His tenure began with an .820 OPS in April but his momentum was stalled by three separate trips to the Injured List that summer. Parker - a former UCSB Gaucho - could return to The Nat to start this season now that he's back to full health before getting the call up to New Hampshire for the second half.

Fun fact: One look at Parker and you can tell he doesn’t skip the gym. But he’s not the buffest Parker; his brother Ben is both a bodybuilder and a catcher for the Loco Beach Coconuts in the Banana Ball Championship League.

1B/3B Riley Tirotta

There’s always that one player whose jersey is the dirtiest after every game. That was Riley Tirotta during his tenure with the C’s. He played all over the field in 2022, but limited offensive production brought him back for another turn in 2023. He broke out in a big way, slashing .303/.411/.539 with a .950 OPS that earned him a midseason promotion to Double-A. He spent only 18 games in New Hampshire the next year before bumping up to Triple-A Buffalo, to which he returned in all of 2025 and established a career high by appearing in 116 games. The South Bend, IN native has a chance to be a dark horse candidate for a midseason call-up to Toronto if the stars align.

Fun fact: Tirotta played collegiately at the University of Dayton, the same alma mater as NFL coaching great Jon Gruden and former big leaguer/current San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen.