With Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar set to serve the second of his two-game suspension on Friday and an in-game injury to outfielder Darrell Cecilliani, the Blue Jays were forced to turn to the minor leagues once again on Friday for outfield depth. HattisburgAmerican's Jason Munz reported on Friday morning that the team plans to call up outfielder Anthony Alford from Double-A, one of the Blue Jays top prospects.
Alford, who entered the season rated as a top-three prospect in the Blue Jays' system by Baseball America and MLB.com, got his first taste of Double-A ball this season. The 22-year-old crushed his competition down there, far surpassing his performance in High-A in 2016.
In 141 plate appearances, Alford posted a .325/.411/.455 slash line with an outstanding .394 wOBA and 146 wRC+. He is showing some of the power-speed combo that people get excited about with three home runs and nine stolen bases with seven doubles. This month he has seen his numbers take a slight dip, but he still posted a .280/.390/.380 with a 119 wRC+ over the month.
While there's reason to get excited about him, this is likely just a one-day opportunity. Pillar will return from his suspension soon and when he does, that will likely send Alford back down to Double-A. So fantasy owners should leave him in the free agent pool in non-keeper leagues and unless you're in a dynasty league, he isn't worth being a shallow-league keeper right now.