Under the Radar: AL Edition

Last time, we examined some players in the National League; this week, we’ll examine the American League.

Under the Radar - Prospects Live

Prospects LiveRyan Epperson

Let's get to it.

American League East

Jonatan Clase, 22, OF, Blue Jays, (AAA)

Forgotten like that sock that collects dust underneath your dresser that you’re just too tired to get but will surely pick up tomorrow, Clase is the definition of the post-hype prospect. I say prospect loosely; he’s not on our prospect list, not because of his play but because of his accrual of service time in the major leagues. Following the ‘23 season, Clase ranked in our top 100, with one evaluator ranking him as high as 63. This was coming off a 20/79 season - you could understand our excitement. He started hot in the spring of ‘24, hitting .274 with 10 home runs and 26 stolen bases in 280 plate appearances at Triple-A as a 22-year-old. All the while being yo-yoed back and forth between Seattle and Tacoma. He was part of the trade at the deadline for Yimi Garcia (who incidentally went back to the Jays in the offseason.)

Clase struggled a bit when he flew literally across the country. Tacoma to Buffalo is a long way away, exactly 2,613.7 miles away, in fact. Can you really blame the kid for struggling, moving across the country to a brand new team? It looks like he was pressing too much at the plate with Buffalo. His swinging-strike rate went up a few points, along with his pull rate and chase rate. 

Why it could work: It’s an interesting profile; Clase plays plus defense, 80-grade speed, a little pop, a walk rate in the low teens, and a zone-contact rate of around 86%. And with swing data now available, I can see, even with a brief glimpse in the majors last year, that he swings faster than average and pulls the ball in the air slightly above average. I see a young player who was rushed to the big leagues too fast and then traded to a new team with several players in the same situation as he is - battling for a spot in the big leagues. He’s off to a great start to the year in Buffalo this year, with five steals already and hitting .474. Now that he’s settled into his situation on the East Coast, maybe he will take the step forward.

Why it could fall apart: He doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard, with his highest recorded maxEV of 110mph. Clase also struggles with barreling the ball, none in the majors, and 7% of the time at Triple-A. There is a decent chance that Clase never learns to handle the high heat, something that plagues most prospects, and he doesn’t hit enough in the majors to get to his decent power and blazing speed. 

What does it mean fantasy-wise? Clase won’t cost much to acquire at this point and is only rostered in 18% of Fantrax leagues, so there’s a good chance he’s just sitting on the waiver wire. That’s way too low of a roster percentage for someone with Clase’s tools. If he were still ranked on our prospect list, I imagine he would be passed over for a bunch of shiny new prospects and sit just inside our top 150. He could deliver a 15/60 season if he ever gets a full-time gig. His defense should give him time to find his bat in the majors, but he’s still been young for every level. His PLive+ score of 124 puts him just outside the top 100 batters. Clase deserves a chance to be on your roster, and the Blue Jays, for that matter.