Even though Buffalo was their last choice for a temporary home during the Covid-19 pandemic, after the Toronto Blue Jays struck out in attempts to host games this season at major league parks in Pittsburgh and Baltimore, Sahlen Field at least provides the Jays with some semblance of a homefield advantage.
More than half the Blue Jays’ roster has called the minor league park home.
Eighteen of the 33 players on the Jays’ roster, including two on the three-man taxi squad, have played for the Buffalo Bisons, the parent team’s Triple-A affiliate. Fifteen were here last year.
2019 Buffalo Bisons
(71-69 record, third place in International League North division)
Pitchers B/T Ht. Wt. Age Born
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Ryan Borucki (taxi) L/L 6-4 215 26 Highland Park, Ill.
Started two games for the Bisons on a rehab assignment last season. Also played for the Herd in 2017 and '18. Started 13 games in 2018, going 6-5 with a 3.27 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 77 innings.
Anthony Kay L/L 6-0 225 25 Stony Brook, N.Y.
First-round draft pick (31st overall) by the New York Mets out of UConn in 2016. Traded to Toronto as part of the package for RHP Marcus Stroman. Started seven games in Buffalo last season, going 2-2 with a 2.50 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 36 innings.
Nate Pearson (taxi) R/R 6-6 250 23 Odessa, Fla.
Blue Jays' first-round draft pick (28th overall) out of Central Florida Community College in 2017. Started three games for Bisons last season after promotion from Class AA New Hampshire, where he had a 2.59 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 62.2 innings. In Buffalo, went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 18 innings.
Jordan Romano R/R 6-5 225 27 Markham, Ontario, Canada
Blue Jays' 10th-round pick out of Oral Roberts in 2014 played in Buffalo the last two seasons. In 2019, he appeared in 24 games, starting three. Went 2-2 with a 5.73 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 37.2 innings.
Jacob Waguespack R/R 6-6 235 26 Prairieville, La.
Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in 2018 for LHP Aaron Loup. Played in Buffalo in 2018 and '19. Last season, went 2-6 with a 5.30 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 52.2 innings. Also appeared in 16 games, including 13 starts, for the Blue Jays, going 5-5 with a 4.38 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 78 innings.
Catchers B/T Ht. Wt. Age Born
Reese McGuire L/R 6-0 181 25 Covington, Wash.
First-round pick (14th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school in 2013. Traded to Toronto in 2016 as part of a package for Drew Hutchinson. Played for the Bisons and Blue Jays each of the last two seasons. Last season in Buffalo, batted .247 with 12 doubles, a triple, five homers, 30 runs scored and 29 RBIs in 72 games.
Infielders Pos. B/T Ht. Wt. Age Born
Bo Bichette SS R/R 6-0 185 22 Orlando, Fla.
The son of four-time All-Star Dante Bichette was a second-round pick by Toronto out of high school in 2016. Last season in Buffalo, batted .275 with 16 doubles, two triples, eight homers, 34 runs scored and 32 RBIs in 56 games. Also stole 15 bases in 20 attempts. Bichette thrived after his call-up to the Blue Jays, batting .311 with 18 doubles, 11 homers, 32 runs scored and 21 RBI in 46 games. Set a Major League record with a double in nine consecutive games.
Cavan Biggio 2B/1B/OF L/R 6-1 178 25 Houston
The son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio was a fifth-round pick by Toronto out of Notre Dame in 2016. Last season in Buffalo, batted .312 with eight doubles, a triple, six homers, 23 runs scored and 27 RBIs in 43 games. After his call-up to the Blue Jays, batted .234 with 17 doubles, two triples, 16 homers, 66 runs scored and 48 RBIs in 100 games. Hit for the cycle against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 17 at Camden Yards, becoming the third player in Blue Jays history to accomplish the feat. Craig and Cavan Biggio are the second father-son duo to hit for the cycle in Major League history, joining Gary and Daryle Ward.
Santiago Espinal SS/2B/3B R/R 5-10 175 25 Santiago, Dominican Republic
Acquired from the Boston Red Sox in 2018 for OF Steve Pearce. Batted .317 with six doubles, two homers, 11 runs scored and 14 RBIs in 28 games with the Bisons last season, after his call-up from Double-A New Hampshire.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 3B/1B/DH R/R 6-2 250 21 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The son of the Hall of Fame slugger by the same name, Vlad Jr. was signed as a 16-year-old international free agent in 2015 and was considered the top prospect in baseball last season by Baseball America. The Canadian-born Dominican was runner-up in last season’s MLB Home Run Derby, despite clubbing a record 91 homers. He broke the single-round home run record with 40 homers in the semifinals against Joc Pederson but lost in the final round to Pete Alonso. Guerrero first played for the Bisons in 2018 and ’19. In his first stint, he batted .336 with seven doubles, six homers, 15 runs scored and 16 RBIs in 30 games. He played just nine games with the Bisons last season, hitting .367 with a double, three homers, seven runs and eight RBIs before his call-up to Toronto. In the majors, he hit .272 with 26 doubles, two triples, 15 homers, 52 runs scored and 69 RBIs in 123 games.
Rowdy Tellez 1B/DH L/L 6-4 255 25 Sacramento, Calif.
Drafted by Toronto in the 30th round out of high school in 2013, Tellez played in Buffalo each of the last three seasons. Last year with the Bisons, he batted .366 with nine doubles, seven homers, 20 runs scored and 21 RBIs in 26 games, using a mid-July demotion to work his way back to the majors. He hit .227 with 19 doubles, 21 homers, 49 runs scored and 54 RBIs in 111 games with the Blue Jays.
Outfielders B/T Ht. Wt. Age Born
Anthony Alford R/R 6-1 210 26 Columbia, Miss.
Third-round draft pick by Toronto out of high school in 2012. Alford has spent time in Buffalo in each of the last three seasons. Last year, he batted .259 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven homers, 46 runs scored and 37 RBIs in 76 games. He also had 22 steals in 30 attempts. He struggled in limited action with the Blue Jays, hitting .179 with one homer, three runs and an RBI in 16 games.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. R/R 6-2 183 26 Sancti Spiritus, Cuba
Considered one of the top international prospects after defecting from Cuba in 2016. Gurriel spent parts of the last two seasons with the Bisons. Last year, he hit .276 with 13 doubles, four homers, 18 runs scored and 26 RBIs in 31 games. With the Blue Jays, he batted .277 with 19 doubles, two triples, 20 homers, 52 runs scored and 50 RBIs in 84 games.
Teoscar Hernandez R/R 6-2 205 27 Cotui, Sanchez Ramirez, Dominican Republic
Acquired from the Houston Astros as part of a package for LHP Francisco Liriano in 2017. Hernandez spent parts of three seasons with the Bisons, including a three-week stretch last year, when he hit .253 with a triple, five homers, 11 runs scored and 11 RBIs in 19 games. In Toronto, he batted .230 with 19 doubles, two triples, 26 homers, 58 runs scored and 65 RBIs in 125 games.
Billy McKinney L/L 6-1 195 25 Dallas
First-round draft pick (24th overall) by the Oakland Athletics out of high school in 2013. He’s also spent time with the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, which traded him to Toronto as part of a package for LHP J.A. Happ in 2018. McKinney spent parts of the last two seasons with the Bisons. Last year, he batted .271 with eight doubles, four triples, four homers, 17 runs scored and 20 RBIs in 36 games. With the Blue Jays, he hit .215 with 14 doubles, a triple, 12 homers, 37 runs scored and 28 RBIs in 84 games.
Previous seasons
Pitchers B/T Ht. Wt. Age Born
Sam Gaviglio R/R 6-1 215 30 Ashland, Ore.
Former Oregon State All-American was acquired from the Kansas City Royals for cash in 2018. Gaviglio played with the Bisons in 2018, when he produced a 1.86 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 29 innings. Last season with the Blue Jays, he had a 4.61 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 95.2 innings.
Catchers B/T Ht. Wt. Age Born
Danny Jansen R/R 6-2 225 25 Elmhurst, Ill.
Drafted by Toronto in the 16th round out of high school in 2013 and played for Buffalo in 2017 and ’18. In his final season with the Bisons, Jansen batted .275 with 21 doubles, a triple, 12 homers, 45 runs scored and 58 RBIs in 88 games. Last year with the Blue Jays, he hit .207 with 12 doubles, a triple, 13 homers, 41 runs scored and 43 RBIs in 107 games.
Outfielders B/T Ht. Wt. Age Born
Randal Grichuk R/R 6-2 216 28 Rosenberg, Tex.
First-round draft pick (24th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels out of high school in 2009. The Major League veteran was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals for RHP Dominic Leone and RHP Conner Greene in 2018. Grichuk played two games with the Bisons on a rehab assignment that season, when he hit .250 with a home run and two RBIs in nine plate appearances. Last year with the Blue Jays, he batted .232 with 29 doubles, 5 triples, 31 homers, 75 runs scored and 80 RBIs in 151 games.
