Lacking a true first-round pick, the Blue Jays went to the college pipeline at pick No. 39.
Picking at No. 39 in the MLB Draft on Saturday afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Arizona State left-handed pitcher Cole Carlon. That pick was noted by Joe Doyle, the founder of OverSlot Baseball.
Here's what you need to know.
About Carlon
A junior from Arizona, Carlon checks in at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds. He spent three years with the Sun Devils, going 11-4 with a 4.54 ERA in total. He struck out 253 batters in 178.1 innings, flashing the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that teams salivate over.
He was a two-time member of the All-Big 12 team, and he also had an 82 percent strand rate this past season, which was 29th among Division I players who qualified. He was a starter this season after spending most of his first two as a reliever. He fanned 133 batters in 83.2 innings.
Kendall Rogers of DI Baseball says he should move fast through the system.
Why the Blue Jays didn't have a true first-round pick
By virtue of finishing as the runner-up in the World Series, the Blue Jays would have picked at No. 29 in the draft, but because they overspent the second level of the competitive balance tax, they were docked 10 spots to No. 39.
The Blue Jays also lost their second-round pick as a result of signing Dylan Cease, who came with a qualifying offer.
How the slot bonus impacts this selection
The Blue Jays entered the draft with the second-lowest amount of slot money, meaning they can't really afford to take too many risks in the draft. Taking college players without the real leverage to go back to college is the safest route for Toronto.
How this could impact the farm system
The Blue Jays farm system features solid middle infielders in JoJo Parker and Arjun Nimmala, but is also starting to restock the pitching portion of itself. Ricky Tiedemann, Nolan Perry, and Jake Bloss are all excited names to monitor, including Carlon. Perry will pitch in the Futures Game on Sunday.
Recent draft history for Toronto
2025: JoJo Parker (SS, high school, Mississippi)
2024: Trey Yesavage (RHP, East Carolina)
2023: Arjun Nimmala (SS, high school, Florida)
2022: Brandon Barriera (LHP, high school, Florida)
2021: Gunnar Hoglund (RHP, Ole Miss)
2020: Austin Martin (SS, Vanderbilt)
2019: Alek Manoah (RHP, West Virginia)
2018: Jordan Groshans (SS, high school, Texas)
2017: Logan Warmoth (SS, UNC), Nate Pearson (RHP, Central Florida), Chris Seise (SS, high school, Florida)
2016: TJ Zeuch (RHP, University of Pittsburgh)
2015: Jon Harris (P, Missouri State)
Elsewhere in the draft
The Jays have two more picks on Day 1 of the draft. They'll be selecting at picks 103 and 131. The draft will continue on Sunday with rounds 5-20.
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