Six of the Toronto Blue Jays’ minor-league prospects have been named to the roster of the Australian Baseball League’s Canberra Cavalry, who open the season Thursday night against the defending champion Brisbane Bandits.
Canadians Mike Reeves and Andrew Case will be joined by Josh DeGraaf, Jackson Lowery, Josh Almonte, and former first-round pick D.J. Davis.
Davis earned a $1.75 million bonus as the 17th overall pick in 2012, but has not reached his potential in five seasons with the organization. The outfielder hit just .197 with a .558 OPS over 83 games at the advanced-A level last season, but he did use his elite speed to improve his efficiency on the bases with 22 steals in 28 attempts. MLB.com currently lists Davis as the organization’s No. 24 prospect.
Reeves, 26, is coming off the strongest season of his minor-league career offensively. The catcher from Peterborough, Ont. hit .244 over 53 games with a .365 on-base percentage and has topped out at advanced-A Dunedin each of the past three seasons.
Case, the 23-year-old right-handed reliever from Saint John, N.B., was suspended for 50 games to open 2016 after failing to take a required drug test. He pitched primarily with the single-A Lansing Lugnuts upon his return, posting a 2.28 ERA with 10 saves and 19 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.
The Australian season runs through the end of January with the ABL playoffs scheduled for the first two weeks of February.
