The 22-year-old is one of the top catching prospects in baseball, with plus tools at the plate and behind it.
Gabriel Moreno’s numbers in his first 32 games with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats last season were the kind you needed to see to believe — a .373 average, a .441 on-base percentage, an OPS of 1.092.’ top prospect was one of the hottest players in the minor leagues — his 45 RBIs were seven short of his career high after little more than a month’s worth of games — when a pitch caught him on the wrong spot on one of his thumbs in June, causing a fracture that derailed his season.
“The first game, I was a little scared,” the 22-year-old catcher said at Toronto’s player development complex in Dunedin, Fla. last week, “and then I was … just playing my game.”“He’s a very good balance of confidence and humility,” said Gil Kim, the Jays’ field co-ordinator and the former director of player development. “He’s sure of himself, he’s convicted in what he does and how he goes about his business. He knows that he’s there to compete … he wants to win and beat you.
Moreno was a converted shortstop when the Jays signed the then-16-year-old Venezuelan for a reported $25,000 in August 2016, and a lot of his early catching projection was based on the hope his athleticism would translate into the skill needed behind the plate. “He has absolutely done that,” Kim said.
But if Moreno’s parallels with Alejandro Kirk continue, he could be a swift study. The Jays picked up Kirk, now 23, the same year as Moreno, and Kim remembers Jays staff members talking about the pair as somewhat under-the-radar options who impressed with how quickly they were able to handle professional baseball.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Vancouver Canadians open season on road with come-from-behind victoryThe Toronto Blue Jays\u0027 farm club will play its home opener on April 19.
Read more »
Woman faces charges after punching officer at Toronto Blue Jays home openerA woman is facing charges after punching a police officer at the Toronto Blue Jays home opener Friday evening.
Read more »
Woman faces charges after assaulting officer at Toronto Blue Jays home opener: policeA woman was arrested and faces charges after hitting a police officer at the Toronto Blue Jays home opener Friday evening, Toronto police say.
Read more »
Video captures woman punching cop during Blue Jays home openerA woman is accused of punching a cop after a fight erupted between baseball fans during the Blue Jays home opener Friday night.
Read more »
Hernández leads Blue Jays to wild 10-8 win in Toronto's first home opener since 2019Teoscar Hernández had a three-run blast and scored the game-winning run as the Toronto Blue Jays rallied for a raucous 10-8 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday.
Read more »