Development is never linear.
That said, it’s already produced several big leaguers, namely Mason Fluharty and Alan Roden. Jose Kasevich’s big league debut could happen this year, and T.J. Brock is a wild card to pitch in the Blue Jays’ bullpen if he can stay healthy.
This doesn’t even mention Gage Stanifer and Nolan Perry, who were both picked in the latter rounds and have emerged as two of the best pitching prospects in the system the last two seasons.
Selected 77th overall, two spots before Anthony, Toman’s first few seasons in the minor leagues were disappointing. In his first full season, 2023, Toman slashed just .208/.320/.313 with five home runs in 503 plate appearances for an 81 wRC+. He wasn’t much better in 2024, slashing .221/.301/.317 with four home runs in 326 plate appearances, with his K% jumping from 26.8% to 31.9%.
After a slow start to the 2025 season, his third consecutive season that began in Single-A, Toman seemingly turned a corner at the start of June 2025. From the first of June until the end of the season, the infielder slashed .289/.381/.408 with five of his six home runs in 268 plate appearances.
It was an encouraging sign for the infielder after struggling through his first two full seasons. Even then, Toman was still just 21 years old when the 2025 season ended, so there was still hope heading into 2026.
In his first three and a half professional seasons, Toman was a switch hitter. But in a Spring Training game, he faced a southpaw from the left side, seemingly dropping his ambitions of batting right-handed. In turn, Toman has been one of the best hitting prospects in the organization this season.
The power is showing up and he’s hitting for a great average, but there are some other positive trends as well. Toman’s K% of 31.9% in 2024 was concerning, especially with just four home runs. But through his 54 games, the infielder’s K% is down to 25.6%, slightly up from his 24.5 K% last season.
He’s also improved in taking pitches, as his 14.1 BB% is trending to be a career-best. The increase in his power certainly helps (he’s also hit 11 doubles and a triple), but his swing decisions have just been better in 2026.
On top of an improved bat, Toman has improved his versatility as well. Toman has spent two-thirds of his game at the hot corner, and the other third at second base. He’s now played every infield position (except catcher), as well as two games in left field.
Toman has been in the organization for nearly four years now, but as a player drafted out of high school, he’s still young. It’s best to put it this way, had the Jays failed to sign Toman and he attended Louisiana State University, Toman’s first year of draft eligibility would’ve been in 2025.
Some players take time to develop. Solely focusing hitting from the left-side of the plate has seemingly taken Toman to that next level, regaining a whole bunch of prospect shine in the process. Double-A will still be a big test for Toman, but if his improved power and swing decisions translate to Double-A, he may just live up to the promise he had when the Blue Jays called his name in the summer of 2022.