Shushkewich: 2024 Toronto Blue Jays Draft Review
The Toronto Blue Jays selected right-hander Trey Yesavage with their first pick in the 2024 MLB draft. Photo: Toronto Blue Jays/Twitter
August 14, 2024
By Tyson Shushkewich
Canadian Baseball Network
The Toronto Blue Jays entered the 2024 MLB Draft with the 20th overall pick.
It was their third time in franchise history with that specific spot selection.
The other two times they chose right-hander Chad Jenkins (2009) and shortstop Arjun Nimmala (2023).
The Blue Jays' farm system needed some fresh talent, as the organization’s minor league system ranked toward the bottom half of the league after years of trading away prospects for Major League talent.
The Blue Jays had 21 picks to work with this summer, as the club gained a selection following the fourth round as compensation for Matt Chapman signing with the San Francisco Giants after he rejected their qualifying offer. With just under $9 million in their bonus pool, the Jays were looking to find top talent with the eighth smallest bonus pool allotment amongst big league teams.
Overview of the Blue Jays draft
With the 21 picks, the Blue Jays drafted:
- 11 pitchers (10 RHP / 1 LHP)
- Five infielders
- Three outfielders
- Two catchers
Of the group, the Blue Jays selected 16 players from college and five from the high school ranks. All the drafted players were American and played for programs south of the border.
For the first time since the draft was condensed to 20 rounds, the Blue Jays did not take a Canadian player (Left-hander Jeremy Pilon was drafted but did not sign with the Jays in 2022).
Spending-wise, the Jays used $10,479,900 (US) to lock down the 2024 draft class.
It was a pitcher-heavy draft, with the first three picks used on players who are projected to get a shot in the rotation early in their professional careers.
Shane Farrell, the organization’s director of amateur scouting, addressed reporters earlier this month and stated that Trey Yesavage (first round) and Khal Stephen (second round) would likely not be pitching this season to manage their workloads after tossing 90+ innings with their respective college programs. This will likely also be the case for Johnny King (third round), who was the first high school arm drafted by the Jays, as the organization has not been quick to rush prep pitchers into affiliate programs under Farrell’s reign as director.
The Blue Jays were one of the last teams to sign their first-round pick in Yesavage, doing so the morning of the August 1 deadline. When the dust settled, the front office signed 19 of the selections, with two players opting not to sign and return to their respective programs (more on this later).
Getting to know some of the top-drafted players
Trey Yesavage – RHP
First Round
In his three seasons at East Carolina University, Yesavage started as a reliever during his freshman year and worked his way into an impactful arm for the Pirates’ rotation.
In total with the Pirates, Yesavage posted a 2.58 ERA through 65 outings (29 starts) but his performance this season – 11-1 record with a 2.03 ERA, one complete game, and just 21 runs allowed through 93 1/3 innings of work with a 14.0 K/9 rate - catapulted up the draft rankings. The video game numbers saw Yesavage land at No. 10 on MLB Pipeline’s pre-draft rankings and he fell to the Jays at No. 20.
Scouts believe Yesavage has mid-rotation capabilities and uses a mid-80s slider/cutter as his main offering. He pairs this with a mid-90s fastball and has a curveball with solid downward movement that helps keep hitters off-balance when they are cheating on his other offerings.
Khal Stephen – RHP
Second Round
Slotting in at No. 88 on MLB Pipeline’s pre-draft rankings, Stephen started his collegiate journey at Purdue before joining Mississippi State this past season.
With the Bulldogs, the 21-year-old posted a 3.28 ERA through 96 innings and 16 starts, amassing a 1.010 WHIP and a 10.0 K/9. He has excellent command of his pitches, posting a 2.0 BB/9, but when he does miss his spots, opponents have capitalized to the tune of a 1.2 HR/9 – belting 13 homers on the year.
Makeup-wise, Stephen throws a low-to-mid-90s fastball with a mid-80s changeup that is described as his second-best pitch. He also offers a slider and a curveball in the arsenal which only adds to his impressive command control given the ability to work with four defined pitches. Industry pundits believe he can be a back-end starter at the Major League level.
Johnny King – LHP
Third Round
King was the first prep athlete and the only southpaw drafted by the Blue Jays. The organization went almost $500,000 over slot to pry him away from a commitment to Miami.
A Florida product, King already sits in the low 90s with his fastball and could easily hit the middle-to-high 90s as he continues to grow and develop in the Blue Jays’ system. Scouts rave about his curveball and the topnotch spin rates that accompany it while he also can get plenty of swings and misses on his slurve offering, which is harder and cuts more into left-handed batters.
King will likely make his pro debut next season – following a similar path as Yesavage and Stephen.
Sean Keys – INF
Fourth Round
The first position player to be drafted by the Blue Jays, Keys spent three seasons at Bucknell University in the Patriot League and posted solid numbers in the batter’s box.
Through 110 games, the lefty bat authored a .358/.476/.711 slash line with 27 home runs, 124 RBIs, and a 1.187 OPS. He didn’t find his power until last season but a strong performance in the Cape Cod League with Cotuit showed that the trend wasn’t short-lived and was here to stay. He had four more home runs through just 10 games in the wood-bat league.
Keys spent all of his time at Bucknell at third base but scouts feel he will move somewhere else on the diamond over time given his average arm and fielding abilities. There is a chance he moves to first base given his frame but if he continues to hit for power in the minors, the former Patriot League Player of the Year could be a quick riser in the system.
Nick Mitchell – OF
Fourth Round – Compensation
As compensation for losing Matt Chapman this offseason, the Blue Jays drafted Mitchell from Indiana University. He was the club’s second position player selected in the draft. After spending his first two collegiate campaigns at Western Illinois, Mitchell joined the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Conference and found success as an everyday player – posting a .335/.458/.512 slash line with 15 doubles, five home runs, and 49 RBIs with a .970 OPS.
With Indiana, Mitchell spent most of his time in right field but has experience playing centre field as well during his sophomore campaign at Western Illinois. He has plus wheels on the base paths (45 stolen bases in college) and there is potential that he can handle centre field in the future given his speed and arm. However, a move to right field shouldn’t be ruled out of the cards.
Other intriguing names to know
Aaron Parker – C
Sixth Round
Two catchers were drafted by the Blue Jays and the first to go off the board was Parker, a Junior out of UC Santa Barbara.
At the plate, Parker produced with consistency in the Big West Conference, posting a career .351/.437/.592 line with 84 RBIs and a 1.029 OPS through 385 at-bats. He did struggle a bit with the wood-bat Cape Cod league last summer through the limited sample size, which is likely one of the reasons he fell a bit lower on the draft boards even after a stellar Junior season with the Gauchos.
Behind the plate, Parker can hold his own but will need to refine his tools over time if he wants to remain a catcher. Considering Blue Jays catching prospects are few and far between in the higher levels, Parker’s bat is likely the major carrier for his way up the farm system but playing time is available.
Carson Messina – RHP
12th Round
Messina was an intriguing high school senior. The Blue Jays went $400,000 over the $150,000 slot to sign the right-hander, who was ranked at No. 222 heading into the draft. The Blue Jays saved some bonus money from their Day 2 draft selections, which helped allocate enough funds to persuade Messina from heading to South Carolina. His brother, Cole Messina, a fellow Gamecock, also turned pro this summer – a third-round selection of the Colorado Rockies.
Messina is a power pitcher by trade, with a fastball that sits in the low 90s but can touch the higher levels at times. Standing at 6-foot-2 already, the right-hander has the potential to add even more velocity while also working with a curveball that has some spin action that generates a ton of whiffs. He likely could have gone a bit higher in the draft but missed some of his senior campaign with a hamstring injury.
The biggest question, however, will be his trajectory and whether the South Carolina product will stick in the rotation or become a bullpen piece. One would imagine the Blue Jays will give him a shot to start games to begin his pro career and should his command and health hold up, they will continue to have him work as a rotation piece unless things fall off the rails.
Who didn’t sign
D’Marion Terrell – 1B
19th Round
With Terrell’s commitment to Auburn and a late Day Three selection, there was limited hope that the first baseman would sign with the Blue Jays. After the Yesavage, King, and Messina deals, it didn’t seem like enough was left over to sign Terrell as well, with the prep star heading to college instead.
One of the top prep players from Alabama this year, the 6-foot-3 lefty batter possesses a ton of raw power and has double-digit home run potential. There is some swing-and-miss to his game that deterred some scouts but his bat speed is off the charts.
Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek – SS
20th Round
Son of former Expos infielder Mark Grudzielanek, the shortstop from USC saw his draft stock drop this season due to injuries that limited him to just 20 games and 74 at-bats. Canadian Baseball Network’s Danny Gallagher reported that the Jays would need to offer up half a million dollars to persuade the shortstop to turn pro and there just wasn’t enough funds left over to get the job done without tax and draft implications.
When healthy, Martin-Grudzielanek can swing the bat well – posting a .297/.388/.457 slash line with eight home runs and a .844 OPS through 76 at-bats with the Trojans. He played second base all of the 2023 season but made the move to the other side of second this year, posting a collective .956 fielding percentage through both campaigns.
The infielder will return to USC for another campaign and is eligible for the draft again as a Junior next summer.