13 Former C's Slated For MLB Spring Breakout

After a successful debut in 2024, MLB Spring Breakout – a four-day event showcasing the brightest stars of Minor League Baseball – returns from March 13-16 at Grapefruit and Cactus League stadiums during Spring Training. The Toronto Blue Jays have named their roster for the event, which includes 13 former Canadians from the last four seasons.

PITCHERS

Mason Fluharty, LHP

Fluharty, 23, is on the cusp of making the Blue Jays roster three years removed from his pro debut season with the C’s in 2022. After 10 appearances down the stretch that year, the southpaw posted a sparkling 0.59 ERA in 12 High-A games to start 2023 before earning a promotion to Double-A New Hampshire and racking up an 11.5 K/9 ratio. He spent all of 2024 with Triple-A Buffalo and established career bests in appearances (56), innings pitched (67.0), strikeouts (76), opponent’s batting average (.222) and pitches thrown (1,119). The Rehoboth Beach, DE native was a fifth-round pick in 2022 out of Liberty and is ranked by MLB.com as the Blue Jays’ #19 prospect.

Kendry Rojas, LHP

Rojas, 22, electrified The Nat on August 9, 2024 with 10 strikeouts in seven strong innings, his most dominant of 10 starts with the C’s a year ago. Hampered by an early season injury, the Cuban lefty returned after a two-month absence to post a 2.43 ERA in 55.2 innings of work while K’ing 61 with just 12 walks. Rojas is ranked by MLB.com as Toronto’s #10 prospect.

CJ Van Eyk, RHP

It seems like ages ago that Van Eyk, 26, last toed the slab for the Canadians. The 42^nd overall pick in the 2020 draft had an up-and-down pro debut season with the C’s in 2021, though he did log 80.1 innings and struck out 100 hitters. Tommy John surgery scratched his entire 2022 season, which delayed his matriculation to the upper minors until 2023 when he made four starts for Double-A New Hampshire. After a trip to the Arizona Fall League in the offseason, Van Eyk returned to the Fisher Cats in 2024 and turned in a career-best 95.0 innings of work.

Juaron Watts-Brown, RHP

Watts-Brown, 23, is as intriguing as any pitching prospect in the Blue Jays system these days. A third-round pick (89^th overall) in 2023 out of Oklahoma State – after a brief stint at Long Beach State – Watts-Brown did not make his debut until last year, when he posted a 3.43 ERA in 12 starts with Single-A Dunedin that featured 74 strikeouts in 57.2 frames while limiting Florida State League hitters to a .211 average. Those numbers earned him a promotion to Vancouver, where he showed multiple flashes of what makes him MLB.com’s #17 prospect – including a 10-strikeout showing in Game 2 of the Northwest League Championship Series – but went 1-6 with a 6.35 ERA in nine starts.

POSITION PLAYERS

Victor Arias, OF

A torrid two-week stretch of Northwest League action for Arias, 21, last season introduced C’s fans to this year’s #25 Blue Jays prospect. He posted a .324 batting average and .778 OPS with 11 hits in 11 games before a nagging injury ended his season prematurely. Prior to his promotion to Vancouver, the Maracay, VZ native slashed .279/.386/.454 with 19doubles, three triples, eight homers, 40 RBI and 17 steals in 76 games for Single-A Dunedin.

Jace Bohrofen, OF

A stalwart at the heart of the order for the Canadians over 112 games last year, the #25 Blue Jays prospect finished his first full season as a pro among Northwest League leaders in home runs (14, T-4^th), RBI (57, 9^th), OBP (.364, 3^rd), slugging (.433, 4^th), OPS (.797, 4^th), hits (104, 10^th), doubles (27, T-5^th), walks (60, 4^th), extra base hits (43, T-4^th), total bases (177, 6^th) and runs scored (65, 10^th). Bohrofen, 23, was named the league’s Player of the Week for August 19-25 after he went 9-for-22 (.429) with a double, three home runs, 19 total bases, five runs scored, eight RBI and a walk in five games.

Dasan Brown, OF

One of the all-time C’s greats of the 21^st century – his 221 games played in a Canadians uniform are more than anyone since 2000 – Brown, 23, will look to continue the momentum he built in 2024 into this season. The Oakville, ON native slashed .257/.363/.411 with a .774 OPS with 15 doubles, two triples and eight homers over 74 games in Vancouver, which included 22 steals in 24 chances. He continued his fleet-footed ways in Double-A, swiping 13 bags in 15 tries for the Fisher Cats. His defensive prowess earned him a Rawlings Gold Glove award in centerfield, too. He’s Toronto’s #28 prospect.

Cutter Coffey, INF

Coffey’s, 21, stint with the Canadians was short – he came over from the Red Sox in the Danny Jansen trade at the trade deadline – but he made an impact with his glove on the left side of the infield and his bat over 22 games.

Josh Kasevich, INF

Toronto’s #7 prospect this year was at the heart of Vancouver’s Northwest League Championship-winning club in 2023. Kasevich, 24, logged a .284 average with 95 hits in 94 games with the C’s that year and, fittingly, caught the final out in Game 4 of the NWLCS in front of a sell-out crowd at The Nat. He got even better the following season, slashing .296/.348/.385 with a .733 OPS in 128 games between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo.

Orelvis Martinez, INF

He wasn’t with the C’s for a long time – he hit nine homers in 27 games with Vancouver in 2021 – and has since missed time due to suspension, but Martinez, 23, remains one of the highest-upside Canadians alums of the High-A era. Long considered one of Toronto’s top prospects, he made his MLB debut on June 21, 2024 and went 1-for-3 that day.

Alan Roden, OF

The can’t-miss prospect of Spring Training 2025, Roden, 25, won the NWL batting title with the Canadians in 2023. He hit .321, posted an .896 OPS and walked (42) more than he struck out (32) in 69 games with Vancouver, helping propel the C’s to a first half crown that secured home field advantage for the playoffs. He went on to hit .310 in 46 games for Double-A New Hampshire that year then returned to the Fisher Cats in '24 before wrapping up last season with Triple-A Buffalo. The pride of Middleton, WI is ranked as Blue Jays prospect #5.

Jacob Sharp, C

Like Coffey, Sharp, 23, was a deadline acquisition by the Blue Jays, this time from the Mariners alongside Jonatan Clase in a swap for big league reliever Yimi Garcia. He immediately acquitted himself well to the C’s faithful, bashing a homer in his Toronto organization debut on July 30.

Peyton Williams, 1B

Few C’s alums cut as an imposing figure as Williams, 24, the 6-5, 255-pound first baseman who is ranked as the #29 Blue Jays prospect. He first joined the Canadians down the stretch in 2023 and made late season contributions towards that season’s championship then returned to The Nat in June of last year after missing the first two months with an injury. The “Iowa Meat Truck” – as he’s lovingly known – wasted no time getting to work; he slashed .289/.362//476 with 20 doubles, a triple, 11 homers, 42 runs scored and 50 RBI in 77 games. After a stint in the Arizona Fall League, the Johnston, IA native has played his way onto the radar of prospect-watchers everywhere.

The 2025 season begins on April 4 when the C’s travel to Pasco, WA to take on the Tri-City Dust Devils [LAA]. Opening Night at The Nat is set for Tuesday, April 15. Tickets are available now by clicking here or calling 604-872-5232.