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Round 3 - 98th overall. 1B/OF Alan Roden, Creighton.. Bats Left, Throws Right. 6-foot-2, 215 pounds. Slot Value $833,200.
MLB.com - After redshirting at Creighton in 2019 and playing just three games during the shortened season in 2020, Roden won Big East Conference freshman of the year honors in 2021 and shared the league's player of the year award this spring. He turned down interest from pro teams a year ago because he wanted to complete his physics degree in 2022, when he has again put up big numbers and established himself as one of the top contact hitters in the Draft. He batted .387/.492/.598 and ranked first in NCAA Division I in BB/K ratio (3.6) and second in strikeout rate (3 percent). Roden has elite bat-to-ball skills and does a nice job of using the entire field while masterfully controlling the strike zone, with outstanding rates of swings and misses (9 percent, including just 4 percent on fastballs) and chases (15 percent). There is a divergence of opinion as to how he'll fare in pro ball because he operates out of an open stance with a deep crouch and a high back elbow. His biggest supporters point to his exit velocities and hitting prowess and believe he'll be able to add more loft to his left-handed swing to provide 15-20 homers per season, while some scouts question whether he'll offer enough pop to profile as a regular. He also performed well with wood bats in the New England Collegiate League last summer. Roden is opportunistic on the bases despite fringy speed and swiped 28 bags in 29 attempts in the NECBL. He gets the job done at first base with decent range and hands. He has seen some action on the outfield corners for the Bluejays and may have enough range and arm strength to play there at the next level. Video
Baseball America - With an open, crouched stance and the barrel resting on his shoulder with a stance reminiscent of Sean Casey, the 6-foot, 210-pound Creighton first baseman delivered 25 doubles this year with four home runs in the pitcher’s park of Charles Schwab Stadium, home of the College World Series. Roden’s most impressive stat of the spring is the fact that he only fanned eight times in 194 at-bats. Roden was the second toughest hitter in Division I to strike out. Scouts seem to be less enamored with Roden, as he’s a contact-first first baseman with a somewhat stiff swing and he hasn’t been challenged much by top-level competition. Between Creighton and his stint last summer in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, Roden has rarely seen premium velocity. Almost assuring contact every at-bat, his team-leading .387 average is no surprise and his numbers will likely intrigue analytically-inclined teams. Playing mostly first base, Roden is comfortable playing right field as well, adding some versatility to his profile. Roden has a chance to get selected in the eighth-to-10th-round range.
Twitter Reaction
Joe Doyle @JoeDoyleMiLB Oh man. Alan Roden to the #BlueJays. For an organization that develops hitters better than most, Roden is a money pick. One of the better pure hitters in the draft. Sneaky thump. Probably a 1B, but *might* be able to handle 2B. Max Muncy?
Mitch Bannon @MitchBannon With their first Day 2 pick (Round 3, 98th overall) the #BlueJays take OF Alan Roden from Creighton. He was ranked 290th on Baseball America's pre-draft rankings and 175th on MLB Pipeline's.
Scott BlueJaysAlways @BluejaysAlways With the 98th pick of the #MLBDraft, our #BlueJays have selected college OF/1B Alan Roden from the Creighton Bluejays.
JJ Cooper @jjcoop36 We'll see how the Blue Jays third-round pick, Alan Roden from Creighton works out. Was seen as a analytics/draft model darling because he never strikes out. Scouts I talked to were less enamored with how his approach/tool-set will play in pro ball.
Scott BlueJaysAlways @BluejaysAlways With the 98th pick of the #MLBDraft, our #BlueJays have selected college OF/1B Alan Roden from the Creighton Bluejays. A lefty bat & considered one of the best contact hitters in the draft he lead the NCAA Division 1 in BB/K ratio. #NextLevel
Taylor Blake Ward @TaylorBlakeWard Alan Roden to #BlueJays, from Creighton Blue Jays - kid can hit and can do it enough to profile as 1B/DH
Geoff Pontes @GeoffPontesBA Alan Roden (2022 Eligible) @CU_Baseball @WarehamGatemen had two singles on Thursday and shows the ability to make consistent line drive contact. He hit .387/.492/.598 in 49 games for the Blue Jays this spring. #BACape22
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Round 4 - 128th overall. RHP Ryan Jennings, Louisiana Tech. Bats Right, Throws Right. 6-foot-0 , 190 pounds. June 23, 1999. Slot Value $465,600.
Baseball America - Jennings is older for the class and is probably a senior sign money saver, but he has been a consistent arm for Louisiana Tech over the last two seasons. This spring he posted a 3.59 ERA over 14 starts and 90.1 innings with 95 strikeouts and 37 walks. Jennings has a big arm. He sat at 93-95 mph as a starter and touched 97. He mixes in a hard mid-80s sliders as well. He uses a curve and change less regularly. Jennings' fastball-slider combo gives him a viable fallback option as a power reliever.
Twitter Reaction
Marc Westy Nolan @MarcWestyNolan #Bluejays 4th rounder Ryan Jennings, a senior, was a college starter but I think they will view him as a relief option. Tricky deceptive motion & velocity bumped up into mid-high 90s in relief. Good curve as well. Low signing cost and solid back end relief potential. Solid pick
Gideon Clarke @clarke_gideon Blue Jays' 4th-round pick: Ryan Jennings, RHP reliever, Lousiana Tech. FB as high as 99 in relief, was 92-94 as a starter, good curveball, "funky arm action, hard to pick up."
Mitch Bannon @MitchBannon In Round 4 (pick 128), the #BlueJays go RHP Ryan Jennings from Louisiana Tech. Unranked on BA and MLB Pipeline's pre-draft rankings, it appears. Posted a 3.59 ERA in 14 starts (21 appearances) for LA Tech last year.
Brennan Delaney @Brennan_L_D The Live Article has been updated with Ryan Jennings information! This is likely the first under slot so that they can give Toman his bonus. #BlueJays #NextLevel
Round 5 - 158th overall. LHP Mason Fluharty, Liberty. Bats Right, Throws Left. 6-foot-2 , 215 pounds. Born August 13, 2001. Slot Value $347,600.
Baseball America - A 6-foot-2, 210-pound lefthander, Fluharty has been a full-time reliever for three years with Liberty and has steadily improved his craft and performance in that time. During the 2022 spring, Fluharty turned in his best year yet, posting a 2.84 ERA over 26 appearances and 50.1 innings, with 83 strikeouts (37.9%) and just 10 walks (4.6 BB%). Nothing Fluharty throws is straight. He misses barrels and limits hard contact with a two-pitch mix that is led by a cutter that sits in the 89-91 mph range and gets up to 94 at peak. The pitch is far from overpowering velocity wise, but the movement and extreme horizontal break make it extremely difficult to square up. His only other pitch is a sweepy slider in the low 80s with big raw spin rates in the 2,500-2,800 rpm range. The slider generated whiffs at a 46% rate this spring. Fluharty is a definite reliever at the next level with just two pitches, but the cutter might be plus, and the slider could be above-average. Fluharty has also shown impressive command and is on the younger side for the college class—he doesn’t turn 21 until a month after the draft.
Twitter Reaction
Scott BlueJaysAlways @BluejaysAlways With the 158th pick of the #MLBDraft, our #BlueJays have selected college LHP Mason Fluharty from Liberty University.. As a reliever, he had a 2.84 ERA over 50.2 innings with 83 strikeouts last season. #NextLevel
Mitch Bannon @MitchBannon The draft is a flyin' now. 5th round selection (158 overall) for the #BlueJays is lefty reliever Mason Fluharty from Liberty. He's been a full-time RP his entire college career and struck out 14.7 per nine in 2022 (1.8 BB/9) with a nasty low-90s cutter and a sweeping slider.
BlueJaysAlways @BluejaysAlways With the 158th pick of the #MLBDraft, our #BlueJays have selected college LHP Mason Fluharty from Liberty University. As a reliever, he had a 2.84 ERA over 50.2 innings with 83 strikeouts last season. #NextLevel
Gideon Clarke @clarke_gideon Jays 5th-round pick (last one for me): Mason Fluharty, RHRP, Liberty University. "He could break a ton of bats ... reliever all the way ... plus cutter, 91-92 mph, upper-70s slider, big sweep .. he could move pretty quick, he threw a ton strikes this year."
Carlos Collazo @CarlosACollazo Little run on relievers here in the middle of the fifth round. I really like LHP Mason Fluharty. The cutter and slider are impressive and the control has been excellent. Nothing he throws is straight. #MLBDraft #BlueJays
Round 6 - 188th overall. RHP T.J. Brock, Ohio State. Bats Right, Throws Right. 6-foot-1, 200 pounds. Born August 10, 1999. Slot Value $268,500.
Twitter Reaction
Brian Sakowski @B_Sakowski_PG 188. Toronto: TJ Brock, RHP, Ohio State. Premium arm talent, has been into upper-90’s with unhittable slider at times, reliever for sure with very inconsistent results but big time pure stuff. #PGDraft #BlueJays
Will Hoefer @whoeferbaseball RHP TJ Brock (Ohio State) - High spin gyro heavy slider that gets a ton of vertical break for the high 80s velo band it resides in. Decent pair of fastballs in the mid 90s that he (crucially) throws for strikes to set up the slider.
Chaz Crawford @chaz_crawford4 TJ Brock is mid 90’s FB up to 97mph w/ a wicked two plane break SL in the upper 80’s (67% whiff rate in 2022). Relief profile out of Ohio State @MLBDraft
Wesley Brown @W_Brown21 Incoming Maryland baseball transfer TJ Brock was just selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the sixth round of the MLB Draft. Decisions to come for Brock between a fifth-year as a Terp with his incoming freshman brother, Andrew, or signing and going pro ($268,300 slot).
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Round 7 - 218th overall. 1B Peyton Williams - Iowa. Bats Left, Throws Left. 6-foot-5 , 255 pounds. Born September 14, 2000. Slot Value $210,500.
MLB.com - Though his well above-average raw power is his carrying tool, Williams also makes consistent contact, controls the strike zone and uses the entire field. A 6-foot-5, 250-pound left-handed hitter whose strength stands out more than his bat speed, he hit .335/.464/.622 with 13 homers in 54 games this spring. He has limited athleticism and must maintain his conditioning to remain at first base.
Baseball America - At 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, Williams is one of the biggest sluggers in college baseball in 2022, but he’s not a hitter who’s just looking to yank everything over the right field fence. He’s actually a pretty savvy hitter. He hit .335/.464/.622 with 13 home runs and 32 extra-base hits. Williams gets to his plus power more with strength and leverage than bat speed. His swing is actually more conducive to producing line drives than lofted fly balls. He uses the whole field and has a good understanding of the strike zone. He’s an average defender at first base and that is his best defensive profile barring a move to DH only.
Twitter Reaction
Scott BlueJaysAlways @BluejaysAlways With the 218th pick of the #MLBDraft, our #BlueJays have selected college 1B Peyton Williams from Iowa. A power lefty bat who is 6 foot 5, 255. Last season he hit 13 HR with 41 RBI with an OPS of 1.086 over 54 games. #NextLevel
Brian Sakowski @B_Sakowski_PG 218. Toronto: Peyton Williams, 1B, Iowa Big dude, 1B-only LHH who can hit, power is there and continued to come on while at Iowa, limited to 1st but easy to like the offensive impact upside. #PGDraft
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Round 8 - 248th overall. OF Dylan Rock, Texas A&M. Player - School. Bats Right, Throws Right. 6-foot-1 , 210 pounds. Born August 21, 1998. Slot Value $173,000.
Baseball America - A fifth-year senior, Rock transferred to Texas A&M after four productive years at Texas-San Antonio. Rock hit .318/.468/.641 with 13 doubles and 18 home runs. The outfielder stands in with a crouch and possesses strength in his wrists and forearms. He generates excellent bat speed that leads to easy straight away and pull side power. He did show the ability to drive the ball the other way, mostly hard line drives on pitches up and on the outer half of the strike zone. Rock walked more (52) than he struck out (49) as well. Rock is almost 24 already, and his advanced age will cloud his draft status. But his productivity should lead some team to draft him and then move him quickly to an age-appropriate level.
Twitter Reaction
Scott BlueJaysAlways @BluejaysAlways With the 248th pick of the #MLBDraft, our #BlueJays have selected college OF Dylan Rock from Texas A&M. Over 63 games this season he hit .318 with an 1.109 OPS. He also walked more thank he struck out & stole 16 bases.
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Round 9 - 278th overall. RHP Devereaux Henderson, Long Beach State. Bats Right, Throws Right. 6-foot-0, 190 pounds. Born November 8, 2000. Slot Value $158,600.
Baseball America - Harrison is a competitive college reliever who was named the Big West freshman pitcher of the year in 2021 after he posted a 1.57 ERA over 34.1 innings, with 42 strikeouts (11 K/9) and 12 walks (3.1 BB/9). The 6-foot, 190-pound righthander didn’t have quite as strong a year in 2022—he posted a 6.15 ERA over 33.2 innings, with worse strikeout and walk rates than a year ago. Harrison throws a fastball in the 92-94 mph range that touches 96 and will play up thanks to the carry of the pitch and a drop-and-drive delivery that helps give him a lower release height. He also throws a breaking ball in the upper 70s and low 80s that will blend in shape between a slider and curveball, as well as a low-80s changeup that might be his best secondary pitch. The changeup generated whiffs at a 42% rate this spring, and he showed more feel to land the pitch than he did his breaking ball. Harrison has started just two games in his college career, and because of that most scouts view him as a definite reliever at the next level, but those highest on his athleticism and control might give him a chance to start in pro ball thanks to a three-pitch mix.
Round 10 - 308th overall. LHP Ian Churchill, San Diego. Bats Left, Throws Left. 6-foot-2, 190 pounds. Born February 28, 1999. Slot Value $150,400.
Twitter Reaction
Brian Pedersen @realBJP Former Arizona reliever Ian Churchill, who played at San Diego this season, just went in the 10th round (308th overall) to the @BlueJays Churchill went 3-2 with a 4.17 ERA in 54 IP for USD in 2022. With Arizona he made 13 relief appearances from 2020-21.
Scott BlueJaysAlways @BluejaysAlways With the 308th pick of the #MLBDraft, our #BlueJays have selected college college LHP Ian Churchill from the University of San Diego. As a reliever, he struck out 57 batters over 54 innings this season.