TORONTO — Math and science always came naturally to Sean Keys, which is why he chose to major in mechanical engineering at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Penn. One of his assignments involved building and programming a robot that could follow a jagged line on the ground.
“I know it was a lot of work,” he said, “but looking back, some of the labs that we did, some of the projects that we did were really cool. Got to be thankful for that.”
Keys enjoyed robotics but would likely have ended up in one of the automative, aeronautic or locomotive industries if he wasn’t crushing baseballs right now in the Toronto Blue Jays system.
The 22-year-old corner infielder from Huntington, N.Y., a fourth-round pick in 2024, is “definitely all in on” building a career on the diamond, adding that “it’s nice having my degree behind me so that I can put everything into it.”
Since signing with the Blue Jays, he’s done precisely that, following up a short 22-game stint in low-A Dunedin after he was drafted with a .217/.365/.408 season with 19 homers and 72 RBIs at high-A Vancouver last year.
The underlying numbers around his exit velocities and swing decisions had player-development staff excited by his progression — and that’s showed up in a strong start at double-A New Hampshire, where he pounded a Fisher Cats record nine homers in April.
He’s also posted a .310/.429/.667 line across 24 outings, springboarding from his first big-league camp and 19 Grapefruit League games backfilling for World Baseball Classic absences.
“Obviously coming off the World Series, just being there was a dream come true,” said Keys, who went 6-for-31 with a homer and two doubles in 19 Grapefruit League games. “I leaned on stuff I worked on in the off-season with my swing, being in my legs, not needing to jump at the ball, letting the ball come to me and putting barrel on the ball.”
The way he did that opened some eyes, with manager John Schneider noting that hitting coach David Popkins “was pretty encouraged with this dude” alongside his own positive impression.
“He grew on me, big time,” added Schneider. “He’s got a pretty good idea of what he’s doing and understands, like, hey, I’m in here to hit the ball hard. He’s off to a really good start.”
Helping to fuel that strong start are some adjustments he made in the off-season after Keys broke down video of his at-bats in Vancouver.
What he found is that he shifted his body too far forward in the box as pitches were coming and he wanted to reduce that movement and be simpler. That makes sense, since he’s built at a solid six-foot-one, 232 pounds and doesn’t need a big move to generate power, just a clean and consistent swing to leverage his strength.
“A lot of times less is more,” Keys explained. “A lot (of) times last year I was taking some big swings and either pulling the ball foul or just missing it. Whereas this year, I am a strong guy and I swing the bat hard, so really the most important thing is to just put the barrel on the ball.”
He’s pairing that with a refined mental approach at the plate that’s been a focal point with Fisher Cats hitting coach Mitch Huckaby, sitting more on certain pitches and using pitcher tendencies in certain counts to his advantage.
“Before pro ball, in college and high school, I was always looking for the fastball and never really deviating from it,” Keys explained. “In pro ball, because of the good pitchers that we’re facing night in, night out, you’re not always getting a fastball, obviously, with certain pitchers. Knowing what he’s going to give you and what you want to hit is what I’ve worked on and homed in on.”
-
MLB on Sportsnet
Watch the Toronto Blue Jays, Blue Jays Central pre-game, marquee MLB matchups, Jays in 30, original documentaries, the wild card, divisional series, championship series and entire World Series on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Broadcast schedule
Naturally, as an engineering grad, he’s embraced the new baseball tech available to him in New Hampshire.
Keys loves hitting off the Trajekt pitching machine, which pairs video of specific pitchers with the exact specs of how their pitches move. He uses HitTrax to judge ball flight in the cage and is using Hawk-Eye to assess his range defensively and his baserunning decisions.
“I’m always asking questions. I’m curious,” he said. “I hope (the engineering degree) helps me. It could problem-solving, I guess.”
A look around the rest of the Blue Jays farm system:
The Buffalo-Toronto shuttle has been busy with the slate of injuries to the Blue Jays, with catcher Brandon Valenzuela and Yohendrick Pinango both debuting in the majors and having some success. Lazaro Estrada was recalled and ended up on the injured list, Chase Lee was up for a day, and four minor-league free agents have found their way to the majors, with lefty Joe Mantiply still providing innings in the bullpen. … Outfielder Jonatan Clase was activated from the injured list Tuesday, having missed nearly a month. … Canadian lefty Adam Macko has been shortened up into a relief role, striking out 17 batters in 14.2 innings with a 4.91 ERA across 11 appearances.
Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats
Keys is far from the only Fisher Cats player off to a strong start. Outfielders Jace Bohrofen (seven homers, 19 RBIs, .990 OPS) and Eddie Micheletti (four homers, 16 RBIs, .866 OPS) have also done damage at the plate and the arrival of Arjun Nimmala should only make the lineup more formidable (more on him later). … Righty Gage Stanifer has struck out an eye-popping 27 batters in 18.2 innings over five starts, but he’s also walked 16 and allowed 20 hits, leading to a bloated 7.71 ERA. Command has been one of his focal points this season after a breakout 2025. … Righty Nate Garkow, invited to big-league camp this spring, has yet to allow a run in 11.1 innings over nine outings, allowing only five hits but walking nine against 10 strikeouts. … Injury and visa issues behind him, infielder Adrian Pinto joined the club and has a homer and three RBIs in his first four games of the season. … Centre-fielder Victor Arias, returning from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, is in rehab games at Dunedin.
High-A Vancouver Canadians
The Blue Jays started Nimmala back in Vancouver, where he faded in the second half of the season last year, and are excited about the way he responded, leading to his promotion to New Hampshire. He hit .241/.362/.483 with four homers, nine doubles and 20 RBIs in 23 games and now gets challenged with a new level, where the 20-year-old will again play against much older competition. One point of emphasis for him will be maintaining his level across a full season. … Lefty Austin Cates, a seventh-rounder in 2024, has quietly built up some internal buzz and earned a quick promotion to New Hampshire after logging 24 innings in five starts, walking 11 and striking out 24 with a 3.38 ERA. … Electric lefty Johnny King, 19, has struck out 22 in 14.1 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits and nine walks.
Nolan Perry, a 12th-round pick in 2022, struck out 32 batters in 21 innings over five outings, four starts, to earn a promotion to Vancouver. 2025 eighth overall pick JoJo Parker, who at 19 is 2.2 years younger than league average, has run hot and cold out of the gate, hitting two home runs and walking 20 times in 23 games, but also striking out 28 times in 108 plate appearances. He’s mostly played shortstop but also started three games at third base. … Left-side infielder Juan Sanchez, who dominated the Dominican Summer League last year and was initially slated for rookie ball, is instead at Dunedin, batting .120/.228/.140 through 13 games. … Baserunning has been a system-wide focal point and Blaine Bullard is literally offand running on that front, swiping 16 bases without being caught. The outfielder taken in the 12th round last year and signed for $1,697,500 — the club’s second-largest bonus in 2025 — is doing damage at the plate, too, with four homers, a double and two triples to go with 14 RBIs.