Daniel Norris is well on his way to becoming the consensus top prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays’ organization. Ten days after Baseball America ranked Norris tops among Blue Jays prospects, ESPN’s Keith Law ranked him as Toronto’s best prospect and the 37th-best prospect in MLB.
Norris has cleaned up his delivery and features three above-average pitches including an impressive slider, according to Law, who worked in the Blue Jays’ baseball operations department under general manager J.P. Ricciardi. While Norris still needs to work on his command, he has still passed right-hander Aaron Sanchez as Toronto’s top prospect, according to both Baseball America and ESPN.
Norris started the year with Class A Dunedin, where he posted a 1.22 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 66.1 innings before earning a promotion to double-A. He has started four games with New Hampshire, posting a 4.24 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Norris, and Canadian outfielder Dalton Pompey are quickly becoming prospects to watch in the Blue Jays’ organization, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi recently reported. Norris obtained a $2 million bonus when he signed, but he chose to donate and live out of a Volkswagen microbus instead of spending lavishly, as Gare Joyce wrote in Sportsnet Magazine.
Sanchez, 22, has started six games with Toronto’s triple-A Buffalo affiliate since earning a promotion to the Bisons. He has a 4.18 ERA in Buffalo, but has allowed 17 walks in 32.1 innings.
Chicago Cubs third base prospect Kris Bryant and Minnesota Twins centre field prospect Byron Buxton top Law’s list at ESPN.
