By Jay Blue

Blue Jays from Away

There were a lot of questions going into the 2019 MLB draft for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Would the club, which is much lighter on minor league talent on the pitching side of things than on the hitting side, select a college pitcher, expected to reach the major leagues faster, or a high school hitter, the way they did last year, drafting Jordan Groshans in the first round?

The Blue Jays answered those questions by selecting righthanded pitcher Alek Manoah out of West Virginia University in the first round of the 2019 draft, 11th overall.

Manoah, 21, was ranked 11th overall by MLB.com and comes with a monstrous frame, at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds. While he was a two-way player out of the Miami area in 2016, he wasn't drafted and went to WVU, starting out his collegiate career in the bullpen, but got some reps as a starter in the Cape Cod League, leading the league in strikeouts.

Starting in the rotation in 2019, Manoah improved his control and sat 94-97 with his fastball, getting good sink. His slider gets good reviews, flashing "plus at times" while his changeup was working nicely in Cape Cod but, according to MLB.com, he hasn't used it much.

According to Baseball America, Manoah was ranked #13 and was called "one of the more dominant arms in the country" with a 1.91 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 94 innings at the time of this writing. BA notes that "while his walk rate is down significantly this season, Manoah still needs to refine his command" and his body management is going to be a concern going forward.

Blue Jays draft RHP Kendall Williams with second pick

With their second round pick in the 2019 MLB draft, the Toronto Blue Jays selected high school righthanded pitcher Kendall Williams at #52 overall.

Another big-bodied righty, Williams stands 6-foot-6 and weight 205 pounds at the age of 18 (he'll turn 19 on August 24). He moved to the IMG Academy in his sophomore year of high school, working in Florida, getting himself to be seen by plenty of scouts. Williams has a commitment to Vanderbilt so it might take some money to sign him by the Blue Jays.

The word on Williams is that he's been ticking up the draft board, according to MLB.com who had him ranked #54 before the draft. He started the season sitting 87-91 mph but he sits 91-92 now, touching 94. He has "a steep plane and angle and there should be more consistent velocity to come as he matures." MLB.com likes his slider and curve although some scouts seem to think that he might need an arm-angle change. He seems to have "some feel for a future average changeup" but it may be tough to tell since he didn't have to use it much in high school. He's also seen as a strike thrower although he could be a tough sign.

Baseball America had Williams ranked #58 and say that he has "a solid mix of five pitches, clean arm action and adequate strike-throwing ability." BA writes that "each of his offerings project as average or above-average, led by a fastball that sits in the low 90s and touches 94-95 mph." At the USA Baseball National High School Invitation, he showed off his slider despite having relied on his curveball previously and he also has a low-80s changeup and a two-seam fastball.

If you like us here, like us on Facebook!

The 2019 Toronto Blue Jays Minor League Handbook is available now! Visit the Handbook page for more information!