Toronto Blue Jays Honor 2024 Minor League Award Winners at Spring Training Complex

The Toronto Blue Jays honored their Minor League Hitter of the Year and Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2024 on Tuesday at their spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla.

Keegan Matheson of MLB.com said that nearly every player in the organization was in attendance as they were recognized.

Roden is listed as the No. 5 prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline. The 25-year-old was the No. 98 pick in the 2022 draft and should make his major league debut sometime in 2025. He's impressed in spring training, hitting .412 with two homers and three RBI as of this posting.

He hit .293 in the minor leagues last season with 16 homers and 75 RBI.

The following comes from a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:

Early in Spring Training this season, GM Ross Atkins went out of his way to single out Roden as one young player he’s looking forward to seeing, which echoes the sentiment you hear throughout the organization. While Roden is known as an on-base machine, he hit 16 home runs over 125 games a year ago and is built rock solid, so there’s some real pop here. Pound for pound, he’s one of the strongest players in the organization, and his peak exit velocities shot up in 2024 compared to ‘23. The Blue Jays challenged Roden to drive the ball more, and he’s done a much better job at picking his spots to take those shots.

Jennings, 25, is ranked as the No. 22 prospect in the system. He was a fourth-round pick in 2022 who had a 1.93 ERA in 21 games last year. He made 12 starts and tossed 60.2 innings.

Jennings leads with a fastball that sits 95-96 mph, reaching up to touch 98, and while his mid-80s slider projects as a legitimate MLB pitch, the depth of his arsenal (with an added curveball and changeup) is what continues to tempt the Blue Jays to keep him stretched out.

The Blue Jays went 74-88 and finished last in the American League East last season.

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