Today, I have a list of guys who I personally find interesting as deep sleepers in the Jays system. These are all distant or very flawed players, but I think they have something that might lead them to have a role at some point in the future.
Michael Mesa received the second highest bonus of the Jays’ 2026 International Free Agent Class. The Dominican outfielder has a smooth left handed swing geared for loft, with burgeoning power. He’s an average runner, with the potential to see time in all three outfield spots. This is purely a bet on talent, as Mesa hasn’t even had a chance to appear in the Domincan Summer League yet.
Jackson Wentworth was a fifth round pick out of Kansas State in 2024. He spent all of last season at A+ Vancouver, posting middle of the road results over 26 starts. It’s a deep arsenal of pitches, with a fastball at 90-94 and touching 96, a solid average change-up, and a cutter, slider and curve that can blend into each other, ranging from 80-88 or so. None of it is plus, although if he were to move to the bullpen and get into the mid 90s more regularly the arsenal would be a bit more imposing. I just like the combination of repertoire depth and solid command. I could see him maturing into a #6 starter type, or carving out an MLB role as a middle reliever who can go multiple innings.
Eric Snow was drafted in the sixth round last year. He’s undersized at 5’8” and 190lbs, without loud tools, but he makes elite rates of contact and is a technically sound defender who can handle himself anywhere on the infield. He looks like a depth infielder, but you need that, and I think his well rounded game and hit tool give him a high probability of seeing some kind of MLB time.
Enmanuel Bonilla was a huge bonus signing in the 2023 International Free Agent Class, getting most of the Jays’ bonus pool that year. He hasn’t worked out, failing to get to his calling card power in games while striking out way too much. This is just me not wanting to give up on tools and pedigree in a guy who just turned 20 two months ago. This is his last chance, though. Either he’ll actualize some of the hitting talent that got him signed as a teenager, or be out of consideration.
Irv Carter has climbed the ranks slowly since being picked in the fifth round back in 2021. In 2025, he made 27 appearances as a multi-inning reliever for A+ Vancouver, posting ugly surface stats (a 5.67 ERA) but striking out 62 against 20 walks and allowing just a 69% contact rate. Carter doesn’t throw hard, sitting in the low 90s, but he has a slider and change that both flash above average and solid average command. He’s another guy I could see pitching himself into a depth role, able to get through a lineup once with feel and a complete repertoire in spite of a lack of big stuff.
Elaineiker Coronado was a big bonus signing in the 2025 International Free Agent class. He has no power at all, posting a 6% hard hit rate in the DSL last summer, and his narrow 5’10” frame doesn’t exactly look primed to pack on muscle. On the plus side, he has everything else. A terrific contact hitter, he has an uncommon eye for a hitter of his type and age. If the bat doesn’t get knocked out of his hands at higher levels, he should be a significant OBP threat. In the DSL, his .504 mark was one of the five best in the last five seasons for everyday players. He’s also a plus runner with good hands who projects as an above average glove, although a weak arm likely limits him to second base. Coronado is a study in how good a prospect can be with a true bottom of the scale grade on one of his most important tools, and I’m very interested to see how he fares as he moves over to the US this year.
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