Blue Jays trade Seunghwan Oh to Rockies for prospects Forrest Wall, Chad Spanberger

Last night the Toronto Blue Jays traded right-handed pitcher Seunghwan Oh to the Colorado Rockies for two prospects: outfielder Forrest Wall and first baseman Chad Spanberger. The Jays will also receive a player-to-be-named. Here’s a quick look at the two newest members of the Toronto farm system.

Chad Spanberger, 1B: The Rockies drafted Spanberger in the seventh round in 2017 from the University of Arkansas. He had an excellent college year (.305/.389/.619, 20 homers) but concerns about defense and a high strikeout rate (65 whiffs in 239 at-bats) kept him out of the earlier rounds. He’s remained very productive in pro ball, hitting .315/.363/.579 this season for Low-A Asheville, with 22 homers, 16 steals, and a 20/82 BB/K in 349 at-bats.

Spanberger is a left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, age 22, listed at 6-3, 235. His profile hasn’t changed much since draft day 2017: power is his best tool but his glove is nothing special and there are still some questions about how his bat will play at higher levels.

His home park at Asheville is notoriously good for left-handed power bats and his home/road split reflects this: he’s at .359/.413/.683 at home but just .275/.316/.474 on the road. The later still shows substantial power potential but until we see him in a more neutral environment, he’s more of a C+ type than a certain impact prospect.

Forrest Wall, OF: Wall was drafted by the Rockies in the compensation round of the 2014 draft, 35th overall, from high school in Winter Park, Florida. He was supposed to be one of the best pure hitters in the draft but hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. He hasn’t been bad by any means, just not the offensive force that was anticipated.

He got off to a good start in High-A in 2017 (.299/.361/.471) but ended up missing most of the season following a shoulder injury. Wall returned to High-A to open 2018 and hit .305/.352/.483 in 203 at-bats but has struggled since being promoted to Double-A, hitting .206/.289/.359 in 170 at-bats.

Wall is a left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, age 22, listed at 6-1, 175. The pretty line drive swing that attracted scouts in high school is still here and he shows a good eye for the strike zone but his power hasn’t blossomed as hoped. He runs well but shaky defense at second base forced a move to the outfield last season. He runs well enough to handle center but his arm is below average and left is probably the long-term destination, increasing the pressure on his bat.