Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Hype Builds as Blue Jays Top Prospect Gabriel Moreno Arrives at Spring Training
DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Blue Jays' 2022 spring training camp started without their top prospect.
Training out of his agent's complex in Venezuela during the offseason and lockout, and forbidden from contact with the team for almost 100 days, Gabriel Moreno's arrival was delayed due to visa issues. With an ever-changing ETA, embassy visits, and international flights, the 22-year-old catcher arrived in Dunedin on Thursday.
"[I’ve heard] he’s the real deal,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “He’s got a really good chance to be really good.”
Other young Blue Jays pointed over at Moreno as he spoke to the media for the first time since joining Blue Jays camp. Even as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked by, he turned back and smiled at the young top prospect, a position Guerrero was in just three years ago.
Moreno arrived at camp after moving from Venezuela to Colombia for a week to get his travel visa. In a normal season, players and teams would have all offseason to plan and procure travel visas but the lockout prevented organizations and 40-man roster players from talking for 99 days. Reliever Yimi García was also delayed by visa issues.
"That's one of the casualties of the lockout, you know," Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said. "A delayed timeframe and dealing with different governments and processing visas."
The 22-year-old enters camp as one of four catcher's on Toronto's 40-man roster. With Alejandro Kirk, Reese McGuire, and Danny Jansen all vying for playing time and Moreno's preseason timeline delayed, the young backstop is expected to start in Triple A. Moreno played just 37 games in Toronto's upper minors, posting a 1.060 OPS before breaking his thumb in June. After recovering, the now Top-10 prospect finished his season with time in the Arizona Fall League and Venezuelan Winter League.
"It was a little tough," Moreno said of his 2021, "But it was good because I finally came back for the games and I did really good."
Training out of the Alex Salazar Academy during the lockout, Moreno worked with 2018 Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuña Jr. and other big leaguers and prospects. Debuting at age 20, Acuña, who Moreno talked with regularly over the winter, blazed a quick path to the big leagues Toronto's top prospect now aims to emulate. Though Moreno's visa delays pushed back his preseason ramp up and could delay his eventual MLB debut, the Jays; feelings about their top prospect's future remain unchanged.
"Frustrating, certainly, for a guy that we want to watch as much as possible and get ready to play," Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro said of Moreno's delay. "But in the end, it will just be a blip in his career, which hopefully will be a bright career."
