Image from Naples Daily News
Round 3 - 95th overall. LHP Johnny King, Naples HS (FL). Bats Left, Throws Left. 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. Born Jully 26, 2006. Slot Value $767,200.
MLB.com Scouting Report - As baseball has raced into the analytics era, one thing that makes a team's Draft model very happy is a young Draft-eligible player. When that player is a left-handed pitcher with potential plus stuff, that's even better. King, who was generating a lot of buzz as the spring progressed in Naples, Florida, ticks off a lot of those boxes as a southpaw with electric offerings who will still be just 17 years old when the Draft rolls around. King is tall and athletic with an NFL quarterback kind of build. The 6-foot-4 southpaw could eventually have three plus pitches in his arsenal. He already can miss bats with a lively fastball that sits in the low 90s and will touch 94-95 mph regularly, and it's easy to envision him throwing harder given his frame and already upward trajectory. He combines it with what is often a nasty high-spin power curve thrown typically in the upper 70s that can be a true out pitch. He will use a harder slurve to finish off left-handed hitters, and while his changeup is developing, he shows feel for it and throws it with excellent arm speed. A terrific athlete who is the best hitter on his team and could be a position player prospect if he focused on that, King does have a lot of energy and effort in his delivery, and not all scouts like his arm action. That can impact his command, though many scouts think the Miami recruit will be able to find a repeatable delivery and throw enough strikes at the next level, with a ceiling as a mid-rotation starter. Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45 Video
Twitter Reaction
Ben Nicholson-Smith @bnicholsonsmith Wow, the Rays just picked the Blue Jays' pocket, taking Nathan Flewelling – an 18-year-old catcher from Red Deer Alberta, 94th overall. Blue Jays were up next at 95th overall and had scouted Flewelling extensively...Blue Jays then take HS LHP Johnny King. Slot value of pick: $767.2K. One scout likes the King pick for the Blue Jays but still – that may have been a near-miss on Flewelling.
Tyler Kotila @tyler_kotila Johnny King's FB works into the low-90s w/ a tough angle and things to like about it. Put up unreal HS numbers and the breaker has continued to come a long way as well. Just tremendous upside from the southpaw here...Toronto gets an absolute steal in Johnny King at 95th w/ their 3rd round pick. Has taken serious strides on the mound over the last year & is going to be special. Jays continue to reach into the FL prep arm scene -- a trend lately. #PGDraft x #MLBDraft // #TOTHECORE
Alex “Juicy” Jensen @jensen_juicy Johnny King is a Blue Jays pick if I've ever seen one. Nobody loves Florida prep arm like the Jays
Taylor Blake Ward @TaylorBlakeWardBlue Jays 3-95: Johnny King, LHP, Naples HS (FL) -- young/model-friendly toolsy projection prep, lively low 90s FB and high-spin hammer CV could project abv/plus w/ usable SL and some feel for CH, needs to harness it all but dreaming on solid rotation upside (Miami commit)
Image from Bucknell Bison
Round 4 - 125th overall. 3B Sean Keys, Bucknell. Bats Left, Throws Right. 6-foot-2, 225 pounds. Born May 26, 2003. Slot Value $572,200.
MLB Scouting Report - Bucknell University in Pennsylvania has had just one player get drafted and reach the big leagues -- right-hander Eric Junge, a 1999 draftee -- and has had just two players get taken in the top 10 rounds in school history. Keys put himself on the map with a solid sophomore season for the Bison in 2023, followed by posting a 1.254 OPS in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League and slashing .385/.422/.769 in 10 Cape Cod League games last summer. He followed it up with a huge junior year, finishing with a .405/.535/.798 line to go along with 13 homers en route to winning Patriot League Player of the Year honors. Big and barrel-chested, Keys is a left-handed hitter who likely will be an analytics darling. He's improved his approach, walking more than he struck out in 2024, and makes consistent hard contact. He rarely swings-and-misses or chases and showed the ability to handle all kinds of stuff, particularly punishing fastballs. He's hit 26 homers the last two years combined at Bucknell, and while some scouts aren't sure the power will play at the next level, his pop with a wood bat in the summer leagues does provide a little more confidence. There's less surety about where Keys will play defensively at the next level. He's been a third baseman throughout his college career, but he's not athletic or agile enough to stick at the hot corner, and he made 11 errors there in 2024. A move to first is the most likely outcome, and there will undoubtedly be teams on Day 2 willing to roll the dice that his left-handed bat will play professionally. Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 35 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40 Video
Twitter Reaction
Bucknell Baseball @Bucknell_BB 𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗗! Sean Keys goes to the @BlueJays in the 4th round (125th overall) of the @MLBDraft. He's our highest draft pick by round in team history and second-highest by overall selection. So proud of everything Sean has done to make this day possible. #rayBucknell
D1Baseball @d1baseball A brief, but excellent summer in the @OfficialCCBL (.385/.422/.769, four home runs in 45 plate appearances) set the stage for Sean Keys to be selected in the fourth round by the @BlueJays
! Taylor Blake Ward @TaylorBlakeWard Blue Jays 4-125: Sean Keys, 3B, Bucknell -- physical/mashing LHH corner, big/physical cuts w/ plus raw, fantastic wood bat track record, solid approach w/ dev focus on more quality contact, strong arm but bulky phys/blw-avg actions likely move to 1B/LF
Ben Nicholson-Smith @bnicholsonsmith In the 4th round Blue Jays took Sean Keys, a left-handed third baseman from Bucknell University. Keys hit .405/.535/.798 with 13 HR this year with more walks than strikeouts. (not seen as the splashiest pick, but possible Jays are trying to balance books to sign Trey Yesavage)
Brian Recca @brian_recca This feels like a lifetime ago but here's some Sean Keys footage from March. Such a polished hitter with fantastic batted ball data. Has hit everywhere he's played. Was #206 on the @ProspectsLive draft board. Great pick for the Blue Jays.
Jeffmlbdraft @jeffMLBdraft Sean Keys was one of the best guys left on my board, he did everything well. Super smart, great cape, power, contact, low chase. Only issue was position and small school
Image from Indiana Daily Student
Round 4 (Free Agent Compensatino)- 136th overall. OF Nick Mitchell, Indiana. Bats Left, Throws Right. 5-foot-10, 185 pounds. Born September 3, 2003. Slot Value $515,100.
MLB.com Scouting Report - After playing his first two college seasons at Western Illinois, Mitchell transferred to Indiana and batted .335/.458/.512 despite missing the first six games of the season with a broken hand. He'll flash plus-plus speed but isn't a prolific basestealer and has spent more time in college in right field than center. He's a smaller-framed guy with a quick left-handed swing and an understanding that his primarily role is to get on base. He has performed well with wood bats, earning all-star honors in the summer Northwoods and Cape Cod leagues.
Twitter Reaction
Tyler Kotila @tyler_kotila Old look at Nick Mitchell, who was a #Hoosiers xfer, where he settled in nicely & finds himself joining Toronto as a 4th rounder. Finds ways to do damage & while staying true to his approach. Does things the right way on both sides of the ball #PGDraft x #MLBDraft // #TOTHECORE
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Round 5 - 158th overall. RHP Jackson Wentworth, Kansas State. Bats Right, Throws Right. 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Weight. Born August 8, 2002. Slot Value $414,600.
MLB.com Scouting Report - Part of a 2021 bumper crop of Iowa high school pitchers that also included likely 2024 first-rounder Brody Brecht, Wentworth went undrafted and headed to college as Kansas State's top recruit. He missed his first college season following Tommy John surgery and struggled to an 8.72 ERA when he returned last spring. He has pitched his way into the top five rounds after opening the season in the bullpen and joining the rotation in late April. Wentworth's fastball is fairly ordinary, sitting at 92-94 mph and peaking at 96 without much life, but his slider and changeup have posted swing-and-miss rates better than 50 percent this year. His low-spin slider parks in the mid-80s and features tremendous depth, while opponents have batted just .074 against his fading mid-80s changeup. His upper-80s cutter gets a lot of chases and shows signs of becoming a solid offering. Wentworth has some shoulder tilt in his delivery and throws with some effort, but he repeats his mechanics well and creates some deception while providing regular strikes. He has a sturdy 6-foot-1 frame and a chance to make it as a starter in pro ball if he can add some velocity or movement to his fastball. He may be better suited as a reliever who can work heavily off his slider and changeup. Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40 Video
Twitter Reaction
Thomas Hall @Hall_Thomas_Jackson Wentworth's secondary weapons (CB, SL & CH) look pretty nasty, ngl. Seems like a decent arm, whether it's as a SP or RP. #BlueJays
Joe Doyle @JoeDoyleMiLB Kansas State RHP Jackson Wentworth probably goes early on day two of the Draft. 87 IP, 115 K. 27 BB. 5 pitches, up to 96, secondaries are the headline. CB is sharp w/tilt. SL is firm w/dynamic shape. CH has made solid strides. Also throws a cutter.
Taylor Blake Ward @TaylorBlakeWard Blue Jays 5-158: Jackson Wentworth, RHP, Kansas St -- bat missing swing arm, low/mid 90s FB, SL/CV combo pair well w/ pwr CUT as counter horz/vert movement breakers, CH flashes abv, solid control w/ full arsenal to start in dev w/ multi-weapon relief fallback
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Round 6 - 187th overall. C Aaron Parker, UC Santa Barbara. Bats Right, Throws Right. 5-foot-9, 200 pounds. Born January 17, 2003. Slot Value $323,400.
Twitter Reaction
Taylor Blake Ward @TaylorBlakeWard Blue Jays 6-187: Aaron Parker, C, UC Santa Barbara -- honey badger RHH thumper behind plate, size (5'9/210) sneaks up on you w/ impressive bat spd & pwr production, frequent/hard contact give offensive upside, if stature doesn't limit he has solid future as C/2B bench projection
Image from UNLV Rebels
Round 7- 217th overall. RHP Austin Cates, UNLV. Bats, Throws. 6-foot-1, 200 pounds. Born May 20, 2003. Slot Value $253,300.
MLB.com Scouting Report - A two-way standout for two years at the College of Southern Nevada, Cates moved on to Nevada-Las Vegas and focused on pitching only, settling in as UNLV’s Friday night starter and earning an All-Mountain West First Team nod. Cates is an extreme strike-thrower, walking just 1.5 per nine in 2024, with largely average stuff across the board. He has a fastball that typically sits 90-93 mph, a short 81-84 mph slider and a splitter in the low 80s that he uses to finish off hitters.
Twitter Reaction
Taylor Blake Ward @TaylorBlakeWard Blue Jays 7-217: Austin Cates, RHP, UNLV -- control specialist starter, lively upper 8s/low 9s FB, CH w/ SP actions is real abv-avg weapon, show me/change of straight line breaker in bag, arsenal needs more pwr to see backend rotation upside
Image from Tech Sideline
Round 8 - 247th overall. C/INF/OF Eddie Micheletti Jr, Virginia Tech. Bats Left, Throws Right. 6-foot-1, 220 pounds. Height, Weight. Born October 16, 2005. Slot Value $208,700.
Twitter Reaction
Taylor Blake Ward @TaylorBlakeWard Blue Jays 8-247: Eddie Micheletti Jr, OF, Virginia Tech -- priority senior sign LHH 1B/OF, solid bat-to-ball skills w/ fringy pwr, patient approach/draws walks, 4 yr wood bat track record adds bat value, could add value if he proves he can play LF/RF over 1B
Image from CBS Sports
Round 9 - 277th overall. RHP Colby Holcombe, Mississippi State. Bats Right, Throws Right. 6-foot-6, 250 pounds. Born December 12, 2002. Slot Value $189,100.
Twitter Reaction
Taylor Blake Ward @TaylorBlakeWard Blue Jays 9-277: Colby Holcombe, RHP, Miss St -- mass framed FB reliant reliever, super lively mid 90s FB, tight SL w/ some feel, blw-avg control while dreaming on phys and pwr gains to see pwr relief upside
Robbie Faulk @robbiefaulkOn3 Colby Holcombe won't be transferring after all. He was just taken in the 9th round by the Blue Jays. Joining Khal Stephen.
Image from American Athletic Conference
Round 10 - 307th overall. OF Carter Cunningham, East Carolina. Bats Left, Throws Right. 6-foot-4, 211 pounds. Born November 6, 2000. Slot Value $180,000.
Twitter Reaction
State of the Pirates @makedowdyrowdy UPDATE!! So far: Trey Yesavage: Blue Jays (1st round) JJC: Marlins (8th round) Ryan McCrystal: Reds (9th round) Carter Cunningham: Bluejays (10th round). Almost 1/2 of the starting lineup has been drafted in the top 10 rounds, that’s insane.