Blue Jays Youngster Shockingly Falls out of Team's Top 10 Prospect Rankings
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The Toronto Blue Jays' farm system, overall, isn’t very highly regarded.
Kiley McDaniel of ESPN had them ranked at No. 24 in the preseason, but things are certainly looking up for a lot of the youngsters in their farm system.
Recent top draft picks, such as Arjun Nimmala, Trey Yesavage, Johnny King and Khal Stephen, are all making positive progress in their development, moving up the team’s prospect rankings in a recent update.
Outfielder Yohendrick Pinago, while not inside their top 10, is making strides in 2025 as well.
With several of their other top prospects dealing with injuries, it is encouraging that they have been able to stay on the field, showcasing their immense talents.
Unfortunately, 2025 hasn’t been all positive for Blue Jays prospects.
With those four players all moving up the board, that means there are players who are sliding in the opposite direction.
How Far Did Orelvis Martinez Drop in Blue Jays’ Prospect Rankings?
One of those prospects would be second baseman Orelvis Martinez, who was ranked by McDaniel originally, but has fallen outside of the top 10 because of a slow start and his skill set not developing beyond one aspect.
“Second baseman Orelvis Martinez fell to 11th after a pretty mediocre start to the season, increasing the odds that he's a one-tool utility guy with big power,” McDaniel wrote.
He got a small taste of the Major Leagues in 2024, making one appearance on June 21, going 1-for-3 against the Cleveland Guardians before returning to the minor leagues.
A top 100 prospect in 2022 and 2024, some of the shine has certainly worn off Martinez since he was signed as an international free agent in 2019. Some of that has to do with the 80-game suspension he received in 2024 because of a positive performance-enhancing substance test.
His production has fallen off a cliff in 2025, producing a .204/.287/.376 slash line with five home runs, 10 doubles and one triple in 179 plate appearances.
As McDaniel stated, power is about all that Martinez is bringing to the table right now and even that part of his game hasn’t been popping too much thus far this year.
