Gabriel Moreno

2022 - 6 - 11

Post cover — Image courtesy of "Sports Illustrated"

Blue Jays Officially Activate Top Prospect Gabriel Moreno (Sports Illustrated)

The No. 4 overall prospect in baseball, catcher Gabriel Moreno has officially joined the Blue Jays in Detroit.

Initially signed for $25,000 out of Venezuela, Moreno flashed elite contact skills when he first joined Toronto's organization but really raised his stock in 2018. Since that season, Moreno has done nothing but hit across the minors. He is expected to catch Toronto starter Kevin Gausman against the Tigers on Saturday.

Here is everything to know about Moreno (MLB.com)

TORONTO -- With No. 1 prospect Gabriel Moreno set to make his MLB debut, the Blue Jays are adding another pillar to their foundation.

Moreno’s early work in the Dominican Summer League didn’t bring results at the plate, but the Blue Jays saw him taking significant strides as a catcher. The difference is that most of them don’t result in a No. 4 MLB prospect. Moreno has a compact build at 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, moving quickly behind the plate to block and throw. A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Moreno grew up as the youngest of four children. The learning curve at the MLB level will be tied to his new staff. Given the Blue Jays’ existing talent, though, Moreno arrives in a dream scenario for a prospect. Scout Francisco Plasencia and director of Latin American operations Sandy Rosario asked a young Moreno to stand behind home plate and make a few throws to second base, which is where this all began. Moreno’s ability to hit for contact gives him a safe floor coming into the league and should allow him to make an impact early. April and May in the Triple-A International League don’t always offer the kindest hitting conditions, but that’s still an area of Moreno’s game that is coming along. Moreno will not be thrown directly into the fire, but he’s being called up to contribute to wins, not to sit and watch. Even at 22, Moreno looks like a veteran at the plate, calmly working his way through at-bats. He has the talent to become a perennial All-Star candidate, and with plenty of development still ahead before he reaches his ceiling, this represents another exciting beginning for an organization that’s already had so many in recent years.

Blue Jays call up top prospect C Gabriel Moreno (National Post)

The Toronto Blue Jays called up top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno from Triple-A Buffalo prior to Saturday afternoon's game against the host Detroit ...

Blue Jays call up top prospect C Gabriel Moreno Back to video Blue Jays call up top prospect C Gabriel Moreno The Toronto Blue Jays called up top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno from Triple-A Buffalo prior to Saturday afternoon’s game against the host Detroit Tigers.

Blue Jays officially recall catcher Gabriel Moreno ahead of MLB debut (Sportsnet.ca)

The Toronto Blue Jays have officially recalled Gabriel Moreno ahead of his MLB debut behind the plate Saturday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers.

Moreno's debut has been highly anticipated and comes after an opportunity opened up when Danny Jansen injured his hand on a hit by a pitch this past week. And here I am.” The Toronto Blue Jays have officially recalled catcher Gabriel Moreno ahead of his MLB debut Saturday afternoon against the Detroit Tigers.

Blue Jays officially call up top prospect Moreno (TSN)

The Toronto Blue Jays announced that they are calling up their top prospect ahead of Saturday afternoon's game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. As a ...

The Toronto Blue Jays announced that they are calling up their top prospect ahead of Saturday afternoon's game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The Toronto Blue Jays announced that they are calling up their top prospect ahead of Saturday afternoon's game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. As a corresponding move, catcher Zack Collins has been sent to triple-A Buffalo. The Blue Jays announced later Saturday that left-handed pitcher Tim Mayza has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list and will be available against the Tigers.

Blue Jays Promote Gabriel Moreno, Option Zack Collins (MLB Trade Rumors)

As expected, the Blue Jays have promoted top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno today to make his big league debut. As a corresponding roster move, ...

This is not likely to be the last time that Collins sees time in the bigs, as he has largely performed as expected, providing some left-handed pop from behind the plate. Today should be the day we get to see him on the diamond as the Jays take on the Tigers in Detroit later this afternoon. As expected, the Blue Jays have promoted top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno today to make his big league debut.

Gabriel Moreno behind the plate for Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon (numberFire)

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Gabriel Moreno is batting eighth in Saturday's contest against the Detroit Tigers.

Top Jays prospect Gabriel Moreno gets Russell Martin's old number ... (Toronto Star)

The 22-year-old catcher will wear No. 55 — once worn by Canadian-born backstop Russell Martin, who recently announced his retirement — and bat eighth in his ...

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Un premier coup sûr en carrière pour Gabriel Moreno - Passion MLB (Passion MLB)

L'espoir des Blue Jays a bien paru dans le match contre les Tigers.

On sait qu'il a un gros bras. Et au bâton, après avoir été 0-en-3, il a frappé un coup sûr en fin de match. Il y a eu une certaine période d'adaptation, mais rapidement, il a effectué un beau lancer pour tenter d'empêcher un vol de buts.

Gabriel Moreno shows glimpses of elite talent in Blue Jays debut (Yahoo Canada Sports)

Gabriel Moreno quickly showed why he's viewed as one of the best prospects in baseball.

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Gabriel Moreno's Heroes, Helpers, Home and Blue Jays Debut (Sports Illustrated)

On Gabriel Moreno's Blue Jays debut, Miguel Cabrera, the Venezuelan impact, and what the prospect catcher could do for Toronto.

When Plasencia got the call to travel to Detroit for Moreno's debut, he was excited for the young prospect, but almost as pumped to see Cabrera in person. While Hurtado didn't know back then if Moreno would push his way up prospect rankings and into the big leagues, he always saw something special in the catcher, something different, he said. It's what earned Moreno up Toronto's minors and to the top of industry prospect rankings, and it finally flashed in The Show, too. "I wanted to get it out of the way," Moreno said. Six years after the signing, Moreno proved Plasencia right, becoming the first young player the scout signed to reach the highest level. Moreno was surrounded by his new Blue Jays teammates, but also shared the day with the heroes and helpers that assisted his climb to Major League Baseball.

Gabriel Moreno gets first hit and flashes skills in Blue Jays debut (The Athletic)

Gabriel Moreno had his first hit, first run scored, first mound visit, first caught stealing (technically), first blocked ball and more.

“I think for me, that’s the most important thing as far as like fastball’s up, where I want the glove, changeup for a strike, where I want the glove, changeup with two strikes, where I want the glove, curveballs, sliders, all of them so that for me was like really important to get the initiative to get that in his mind. “He’s coming to a team with expectations and I think that should help him,” Bichette said. If Moreno does catch Stripling on Sunday — Montoyo said there’s a “good chance” he will — they’ll go over their game plan in more detail then, but getting him familiarized with his setups was important. “Having a super talented player like him come up, I think me being so close to my debut too, you kind of remember that feeling and you get excited to see him start his career,” Bichette said. Moreno has been going through a crash course of sorts in learning the Blue Jays pitchers. The Blue Jays signalled their confidence in Moreno by choosing to option catcher Zack Collins on Saturday in the corresponding roster move. “I did the best I could. He nearly beat out a groundball to short in the sixth inning. I would expect a veteran guy to come out then and so to have a young kid who comes out there, he obviously feels confident, being able to say that to me.” In the first inning, after Gausman had issued a walk to Javier Báez, his second of the game, Moreno approached for a quick mound visit, something more expected of an experienced catcher. But Bichette hit a flyout to right field and the Blue Jays fell 3-1 to the Tigers on Saturday. During Tigers batting practice, he met fellow Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera. The two chatted briefly and Cabrera gave him some advice, including to play hard, before they posed for a photo.

Gabriel Moreno

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