The Toronto Blue Jays have a new opening in center field, and Brett Bateman looks like the kind of player worth finding out about right away.
Toronto picked up Bateman and Ty Southisene from the Chicago Cubs in the Kevin Gausman trade, then turned around and sent Daulton Varsho to the Houston Astros for Spencer Arrighetti. One move brought in an outfielder who is getting close to the majors. The other created a lane for him to play.
Bateman is not the sort of prospect who usually forces an immediate promotion. MLB Pipeline has him No. 20 in the Blue Jays’ system, and the power numbers are light: three home runs this season and just six in his entire professional career.
But there is more here than a lack of pop.
As of Wednesday, Bateman was hitting .309 with a .430 on-base percentage and 20 stolen bases in Triple-A. MLB Pipeline gives him a 70-grade speed tool, and his range lets him handle center field. He has also shown a disciplined approach at the plate, with strong walk, chase and whiff rates that sat in the 85th percentile entering Sunday.
That profile is not built like Varsho’s. Varsho brought elite defense, including a peak of 17 Outs Above Average in 2022, along with real power.
Bateman is a different type of player entirely. His 52.5% ground-ball rate and 105.7 mph maximum exit velocity point to a bat that is not going to suddenly turn into a home-run source.
Even a comparison to Chandler Simpson underscores the point. Simpson has not hit a Major League home run, but his 106.8 mph maximum exit velocity this season is still higher than Bateman’s, per Statcast. That does not erase Bateman’s value, but it does show why his speed, contact and center-field range have to carry the load.
That is exactly why Toronto should get a look at him now.
Myles Straw has handled the first center-field opportunities after the deadline. He can still defend, but the Blue Jays already know what they have in a 13-year veteran. Bateman would give them something different: information they do not yet possess.
There is also a roster decision hanging over all of this. Bateman can be taken in December’s Rule 5 Draft unless Toronto adds him to the 40-man roster. Promoting him would force the Blue Jays to make that call now, and that is not something to rush.
Still, if Toronto already sees him as someone worth protecting, the final two months are the perfect window to learn whether his game can survive at the Major League level.
The trades created the opening. Now the Blue Jays have a chance to find out whether Bateman can do something with it.
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