Blue Jays Mock Draft – the First 10 Picks

 

By Mason McRae

 

Last week I released a massive 10-round MLB Mock draft that included signing bonuses as well as draft pools. It was probably the most in-depth look at the draft over the summer, and with so much information, some Jays fans might’ve been alittle lost over it.  

 

So let’s break down the ten Blue Jay selections.

 

Rd	Pk	Pos	Name	School	Slot	Bonus
1	5	OF	Pete Crow-Armstrong	Harvard-Westlake HS	$6,180,700	$6,217,500
2	35	OF	Heston Kjerstad	Arkansas	$2,095,800	$1,821,500
3	65	LHP	Burl Carraway	Dallas Baptist	$1,025,100	$942,400
4	95	RHP	Cole Henry	LSU	$610,800	$713,500
5	125	LHP	Liam Norris	Green Hope HS	$455,600	$825,000
6	155	OF	Reese Albert	Florida State	$340,000	$435,600
7	185	3B	Daniel Harris IV	Eastern Kentucky	$261,600	$261,600
8	215	LHP	Justin Thorsteinson	Langley HS	$204,800	$513,000
9	245	SS	Austin Gomm	Port Credit HS	$167,800	$185,000
10	275	SS	Nander De Sedas	Florida State	$152,000	$152,000

 

Round 1 – Pete Crow-Armstrong is arguably the second best outfielder in a deep outfielding class, he’s a plus defender with plus speed and high instinctive play. His bat is solid and has long zone time with some loud contact. He has a strong commitment to Vanderbilt which will be hard to sign him away from, but 30k added to the slot value should do the job.

 

Round 2 – Kjerstad is a highly touted college prospect by a lot of people in the industry. He’s had lots of success in the SEC and has shown elite power with the ability to play a corner outfielder role. I’m not as high on Heston compared to most, he has a high swing-and-miss swing that won’t be getting any better but he’s an ideal player for the Jays – who once again add another outfielder. Kjerstad plays similarly to Griffin Conine, a Jays second-round pick in 2018 that’s been great since being drafted.

 

Round 3 – Another college player in Burl Carraway. He’s a mid-90s lefty who’s had success, and is a steal in the third round for 200k under the slot. So far, the Jays have answered their three biggest needs, college prospects, arms, and outfielders with power. Carraway will be one of the few LHPs in the Jays’ system with upside. 

 

Round 4 – Some of the money the Jays save from Carraway and Kjerstad will go to  an extremely gifted RHP in Cole Henry. He’s a second-round talent and is getting paid like it, but the Jays have hit the nail on the head with this draft to say the least. Henry is a 93-94 righty with average secondary pitches and some starter traits that’ll help him be a bottom of the rotation contributor.

 

Round 5 – Liam Norris, a gifted high-school pitcher, gets a massive overslot in the fifth. He’s a 89-92 LHP with ideal mechanics and a repeatable delivery. He’ll be hard to sign, but he’s worth every penny. The Jays lack HS LHPs in their system and have, well – none with as much upside as Liam Norris.

 

Round 6 – Six picks, and all of them being Outfielders and pitchers. You can’t complain, Reese Albert is probably a 3rd round talent who falls into the Jays’ lap in the sixth for a slight overslot deal. He’s a LF with 40 at everything, aside from a 45 hit tool. He’s not advanced in any department but does have some speed. 

 

Round 7 – The first slot deal of the draft, Daniel Harris IV has an 80 name and a really strong swing with some loud contact. But his swing-and-miss concerns and lack of defense makes him a 7th-round talent. If he can add on to his power and work on the defense, he could be a .240/.325/.440 3B with 30 defense and a shot at being a contributor off the bench.

 

Round 8 – What’s a Blue Jays draft without a Canadian? Unfortunately, this year’s class isn’t as strong as the past year’s. But Thorsteinson is a low-90s lefty with pitchability, he struggled vs Team USA in the 18uWC but didn’t get any help defensively. The Jays will have to spend over the draft pool cap and go into the 5% over-pool, but they won’t lose any assets and lock up two solid prep arms in Thorsteinson and Norris.

 

Round 9 – Another Canadian! This one being a 2019 who that transferred into the 2020 class. Gomm was Canada’s best player at the 18UWC, and the team included 2019 Jays draftees – Owen Diodati and Dasan Brown. Gomm was flashy at short and showed off the glove but probably projects as a 2B in the minors and his bat is line-drive swing that finds holes. 

 

Round 10 – To end off the draft, the Jays do a slot deal with uber-athletic shortstop Nander De Sedas. He has an iffy bat but his defense and wheels will give him time to figure out his problems at the plate.

 

Advertisement