After redshirting at Creighton in 2019 and playing just three games during the shortened season in 2020, Roden won Big East Conference freshman of the year honors in 2021 and shared the league's player of the year award this spring. He turned down interest from pro teams a year ago because he wanted to complete his physics degree in 2022, when he has again put up big numbers and established himself as one of the top contact hitters in the Draft. He batted .387/.492/.598 and ranked first in NCAA Division I in BB/K ratio (3.6) and second in strikeout rate (3 percent).
Roden has elite bat-to-ball skills and does a nice job of using the entire field while masterfully controlling the strike zone, with outstanding rates of swings and misses (9 percent, including just 4 percent on fastballs) and chases (15 percent). There is a divergence of opinion as to how he'll fare in pro ball because he operates out of an open stance with a deep crouch and a high back elbow. His biggest supporters point to his exit velocities and hitting prowess and believe he'll be able to add more loft to his left-handed swing to provide 15-20 homers per season, while some scouts question whether he'll offer enough pop to profile as a regular. He also performed well with wood bats in the New England Collegiate League last summer.
Roden is opportunistic on the bases despite fringy speed and swiped 28 bags in 29 attempts in the NECBL. He gets the job done at first base with decent range and hands. He has seen some action on the outfield corners for the Bluejays and may have enough range and arm strength to play there at the next level.
Roden put up a .383/.484/.640 line over 91 games of NCAA ball with Creighton and had “Blue Jays Draft pick” written all over him. Toronto selected him in the third round in 2022, and he has quickly become the face of the Blue Jays’ hitting development, which has worked to produce high on-base hitters with elite plate approaches. Roden’s ‘24 season, when he put up a .293/.391/.475 line between Double-A and Triple-A, put him on the doorstep of the big leagues.
Early in Spring Training this season, GM Ross Atkins went out of his way to single out Roden as one young player he’s looking forward to seeing, which echoes the sentiment you hear throughout the organization. While Roden is known as an on-base machine, he hit 16 home runs over 125 games a year ago and is built rock solid, so there’s some real pop here. Pound for pound, he’s one of the strongest players in the organization, and his peak exit velocities shot up in 2024 compared to ‘23. The Blue Jays challenged Roden to drive the ball more, and he’s done a much better job at picking his spots to take those shots.
Roden’s defense in the corners won’t be flashy, but it should play just fine in the big leagues. Coaches and development staff immediately point to Roden’s intelligence, which they believe will help him adapt to MLB-caliber pitching, and he’s been praised as a teammate at every stop. Another wrinkle? He's one of the top-rated baserunners in the entire organization. The Blue Jays are long overdue to develop a legitimate outfielder. Not only does Roden have a chance to be that player, but he’s got a shot at being this organization’s leadoff hitter at some point in 2025.
Roden enjoyed an impressive NCAA career at Creighton, finishing with a .383/.484/.640 line over 91 games. Selected in the third round of the 2022 Draft by the Blue Jays, Roden fit the growing trend in this system of players with high-end approaches and elite on-base percentages. That carried over from college immediately, and in Roden’s first full professional season in ‘23, he hit .317 with a .431 on-base percentage between High-A and Double-A.
After using a low, wide stance in college, Roden adopted an extremely upright stance with the Blue Jays, with his hands well above his head, almost like he’s screwing in a ceiling light bulb. Those hands have lowered just slightly for ‘24 after some offseason work as he and the Blue Jays recognize adding some power would take him to a different level entirely. Roden hit 10 home runs over 115 games in ‘23, but adding more pop is the primary focus, and he’s been working with staff to better use his whole body through his swing instead of relying on arms and shoulders. Regardless, Roden’s on-base skill and underrated baserunning give him a high floor as a corner outfielder.
The Blue Jays are long overdue to develop a starting MLB outfielder. While Roden’s current profile points more toward a corner outfielder who faces right-handed pitching, it’s difficult to teach his plate discipline, and he’s earned praise from all corners of the organization for his team-first approach. As the Blue Jays continue to preach “competitive at-bats” at the big league level, Roden does that as well as anyone in their system, though he hasn't taken off at Triple-A as well as hoped this summer.
A Big East Freshman of the Year in 2021 and a conference Co-Player of the Year in 2022, Roden enjoyed a stellar career at Creighton, finishing with a .383/.484/.640 line over 91 collegiate games. He went from Bluejays to Blue Jays as a 2022 third-round pick, signing for a below-slot $497,500. After an unspectacular debut at Single-A Dunedin last year, Roden has been an on-base machine this summer, starting with a .321/.437/.459 line and lowly 9.9 percent K rate at High-A Vancouver before he was promoted to Double-A in mid-July.
Roden’s calling card has always been his ability to put the bat on the ball when he decides to swing, and he makes pitchers labor with the way he can control the zone. Toronto hitting coaches have worked with the left-handed slugger to stand more upright to the point where he holds his hands almost comically high, and that’s helped him get a little more power on his swing. It still isn’t average pop just yet, but the overall offensive package is there to be a potential everyday player.
A part-time first baseman in college, Roden has impressed Blue Jays officials with his solid play in the outfield corners, and while it’s fringe-average speed, he’s a savvy basestealer. He has enough arm strength for either right field or left field but has featured more at the latter since joining New Hampshire. Roden’s bat will be his primary driver toward Toronto, and with more high OBPs and low K rates, he could be north of the border in a year.
After redshirting at Creighton in 2019 and playing just three games during the shortened season in 2020, Roden won Big East Conference freshman of the year honors in 2021 and shared the league's player of the year award this spring. He turned down interest from pro teams a year ago because he wanted to complete his physics degree in 2022, when he has again putting up big numbers and establishing himself as one of the top contact hitters in the Draft. He batted .387/.492/.598 and ranked first in NCAA Division I in BB/K ratio (3.6) and second in strikeout rate (3 percent). Roden went from the Bluejays to the Blue Jays as a third-round pick.
Roden has elite bat-to-ball skills and does a nice job of using the entire field while masterfully controlling the strike zone, with outstanding rates of swings and misses (9 percent, including just 4 percent on fastballs) and chases (15 percent). There is a divergence of opinion as to how he'll fare in pro ball because he operates out of an open stance with a deep crouch and a high back elbow. His biggest supporters point to his exit velocities and hitting prowess and believe he'll be able to add more loft to his left-handed swing to provide 15-20 homers per season, while some scouts question whether he'll offer enough pop to profile as a regular. He also performed well with wood bats in the New England Collegiate League last summer.
Roden is opportunistic on the bases despite fringy speed and swiped 28 bags in 29 attempts in the NECBL. He gets the job done at first base with decent range and hands. He saw some action in the outfield corners for Creighton and may have enough range and arm strength to play there at the next level.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
