2019 Draft Review: Toronto Blue Jays

First five rounds: Alek Manoah (1-11), Kendall Williams (2-52), Dasan Brown (3-88), Will Robertson (4-117), Tanner Morris (5-147)
Also notable: Cameron Eden (6-177), LJ Talley (7-207), Philip Clarke (9-267)

After grabbing two premium arms in Alek Manoah and Kendall Williams in the first two rounds, the Blue Jays switched to an offensive focus on Day Two and spent all eight picks on position players, including five infielders. There's not a ton of upside outside those first three or four rounds, as they opted mostly for utility guys and other bench pieces, but all of those guys have a track record of hitting and should assimilate smoothly to pro ball as a group. For good measure, they also popped a hometown product in Ontario native Dasan Brown in the third round.

1-11: RHP Alek Manoah (West Virginia, my rank: 15)
There's big power arms, then there's Alek Manoah. The 6'6", 260 pound righty put it all together in 2019 after struggling with inconsistency as an underclassman, posting a 2.08 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and a 144/27 strikeout to walk ratio over 108.1 innings for the Mountaineers. Manoah was also very effective in the elite Cape Cod League last summer, posting a 2.70 ERA and a 48/11 strikeout to walk ratio over 33.1 innings against the top competition in college baseball. The Homestead, Florida native uses his huge frame to pump mid 90's fastballs fairly easily, and he can run it up into the upper 90's if he needs to. While the velocity on his fastball is his main weapon, he also deploys a very good slider that took a step forward in 2019, and his changeup, once an afterthought, has improved to where it, too, can be an asset. Manoah also took a step forward with his command this year, and what was once a weak spot is now average or slightly above. Because he can fill the strike zone with an easy plus fastball and add a pair of good secondaries, he's a premium arm, but there is some risk here. Manoah has a bit of a cross-body delivery could make him less deceptive against left handed hitters. There's also the question of his secondaries, which are much better than last year but neither of which can be classified as a true strikeout pitch. Overall, if the Blue Jays can help Manoah get a little sharper there and maintain his command, he has top of the rotation potential, but a big fastball alone won't get you above the middle of the rotation and he could end up as a #3 or #4 guy if his command or secondaries take a step back. Manoah signed for full slot at $4.55 million.

2-52: RHP Kendall Williams (IMG Academy [FL], my rank: 44)
Make that two 6'6" righties at the top of the draft for the Jays. Kendall Williams pitched for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida (near Tampa), but he is originally from the Memphis area. Williams is actually one of my favorite high school pitchers in this part of the draft due to his combination of projectability and current ability. He uses a high release point to get good angle on the ball and throw a low 90's fastball, also adding a good curveball, a decent slider, and a solid changeup. The plane he's able to get on the ball helps his pitches play up, and the fact that he can command four pitches at this age and at that height speaks of his aptitude for pitching. At 6'6", he has room to add more weight and velocity, and if he can sharpen that slider a little, he'll have four weapons at his disposal. Obviously, he has a lot of work to do as a high school pitcher who will turn 19 in August, but Williams has high upside as a top of the rotation starter and carries slightly less risk than some high school pitchers. He signed away from Vanderbilt for $1.55 million, which was $150,000 above slot.

3-88: OF Dasan Brown (Abbey Park HS [ON], my rank: 121)
Dasan Brown grew up a Blue Jays fan in Oakville, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto, so seeing him get drafted to his hometown team here is pretty cool. He's an exceptional athlete whose plus speed is his top tool, and he uses that speed to be a very good center fielder as well as a threat on the bases. However, his bat will need a lot of work. Brown currently employs a fairly choppy swing that leads to a lot of ground balls and soft contact, which he can beat out for infield singles for now but which will need to change against better defenses. He does have solid bat speed, so if the Blue Jays can successfully overhaul his swing, the 5'11" speedster could develop some gap power and become a doubles and triples machine. For now, though, he doesn't show much feel for hitting and will be a project if the Jays want to develop him into a leadoff hitter eventually. They had mixed results with Anthony Alford the last time they tried this with a similar player. On the plus side, Brown is very young and won't turn 18 until September, making him more than a year younger than Williams. Brown signed away from a Texas A&M commitment for $800,000, which was $121,400 above slot.

4-117: OF Will Robertson (Creighton, my rank: 88)
Will Robertson rounds out the Blue Jays draft class after they took a college pitcher, a high school pitcher, and a high school hitter, as gives them the fourth major demographic as a college hitter. Robertson grew up in the small town of Westphalia, Missouri, which is near Jefferson City in the middle of the state, and he was a relative unknown and ended up at Creighton. There he turned himself into an impact hitter, slashing .333/.412/.641 as a sophomore before hopping over to the Cape Cod League and slashing .300/.380/.435 with four home runs and a 28/16 strikeout to walk ratio. Expectations were high coming into his junior season, though he wasn't quite as dominant a force as he was his sophomore season and he finished with a .311/.408/.599 line, 15 home runs, and a 39/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 54 games while playing his home games in a pitcher-friendly park. Robertson can hit for both contact and for power, and he has proven that not only at Creighton but on the Cape as well, so he has a good chance to hit in pro ball. However, his aggressive approach at the plate limits his walks, and because he's only a so-so defender that will be just adequate in left field, his bat will have to carry him. He has enough in that bat to potentially succeed as is with 20-25 home run potential and middling on-base percentages, but getting more patient and drawing more walks would make him a more well rounded hitter as well as help him solve the advanced pitching he'll face in pro ball. Robertson signed for $422,500, which was $70,200 below slot, and he's slashing .186/.305/.243 with 14 strikeouts to nine walks through his first 19 games at short season Vancouver.

5-147: SS Tanner Morris (Virginia, my rank: 107)
It was a down year for the Virginia Cavaliers, and as a result, 2019 marked the first time since 2009 that UVA had no players selected in the first four rounds. At pick 147 in the fifth round, Morris was the first Cavalier drafted, and he'll give the Blue Jays a potential utility infielder with some offensive upside. He's just a sophomore but because he turned 21 in September and is the age of a college junior, he's eligible this year. The Charlottesville native has a great track record of hitting, as he slashed .331/.404/.449 with a pair of home runs and a 23/14 strikeout to walk ratio over 35 games on the Cape before a big sophomore season where he hit .345/.452/.507 with five home runs and a 38/41 strikeout to walk ratio over 56 games at UVA. Given all that production in multiple high level leagues, there are no questions about Morris' hit tool, but the rest of his game is fairly fringy. He has a quick bat but his approach is more slap-heavy and catered towards line drives, so the Blue Jays' goal may be to turn all his doubles into home runs by adding more lift to his swing. He's a so-so defender that should be able to stick at second base and be adequate there, though he could end up in left field. Overall, Morris projects as a bat-first utility guy, but if he can add a little pop, it could help him earn a starting role when combined with his high on-base percentages fueled by strong plate discipline. Morris signed for $397,500, which was $30,600 above slot, and he's slashing .211/.371/.296 with a home run and a 14/17 strikeout to walk ratio through 19 games with Vancouver.

6-177: SS Cameron Eden (California, unranked)
Cameron Eden actually isn't too dissimilar a player to Tanner Morris, though Eden's plate discipline doesn't quite match up with Morris'. The Yuba City, California native had a rough sophomore season at Cal and hit just .247/.306/.292, but he turned it around as a junior and bumped that line up to .365/.435/.555 with eight home runs, 20 stolen bases, and a 45/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 50 games. Eden has some pop, some contact ability, and some speed, but his overall offensive game at this point is just a bit too light if he ever wants to start at the major league level. He struck out in 19.2% of his plate appearances and walked in 9.4%, so the so-so plate discipline will have to take a step forward in pro ball if he wants to succeed. Given that he has solid tools across the board, that may be the only thing holding him back, but for now he profiles as a utility man. He's average defensively and should be able to handle shortstop in a reserve role, though probably not as a starter, and his speed helps him be a good defensive outfielder. Eden signed for $222,500, which was $57,000 below slot, and he's slashing .234/.330/.260 with an 18/10 strikeout to walk ratio over 20 games at Vancouver.

7-207: 2B LJ Talley (Georgia, unranked)
Aside from being a year older, LJ Talley is actually a fairly similar player to both Cameron Eden and Tanner Morris. The South Georgia native from the small town of Folkston had a big senior year for the Bulldogs, slashing .332/.435/.489 with eight home runs and a 36/40 strikeout to walk ratio over 63 games. The senior has quick hands and produces some power, though his plate discipline took a step forward this year and he finished with a low 12.6% strikeout rate and a high 14% walk rate. He's also a very competent defender, one who may not stick at shortstop but who could be well above average at second base. Talley's kind of a sleeper as a senior sign who turned 22 in May, but I like him better than Eden and think he has a very good shot to hit his way up as a utility infielder. Talley signed for $22,500, which was $196,000 below slot, and he's slashing .146/.268/.229 with a home run and a 10/6 strikeout to walk ratio over 15 games at Class A Lansing.

9-267: C Philip Clarke (Vanderbilt, unranked)
I was a fan of Philip Clarke coming out of a Nashville high school and ranked him #122 on my 2017 list, but his high price tag led him to Vanderbilt, where he has had mixed results. As a draft-eligible sophomore this year, he slashed .308/.388/.480 with nine home runs and a 43/31 strikeout to walk ratio over 70 games, helping lead the Commodores to the National Championship as the starting catcher. He's bat-first for sure, as he uses his clean swing to produce plenty of quality contact, and overall he projects for both average contact and power, which comes out to about 15-20 home runs per season and middling on-base percentages. His defense will decide his future role, as he's steadily improving behind the plate but still grades out as so-so. If he can continue to improve and make himself an average defender, he will be a starting catcher in the majors, something that's hard to come by. However, if his defense remains fringy like it currently is, he may be forced to move off of catcher, in which case he would be a below average left fielder or first baseman at 5'11", as his bat doesn't profile as quite strong enough to justify the defensive value. Hopefully he can remain behind the plate and add to the Blue Jays' deep crop of young catchers led by Danny Jansen. He signed for $500,000, which was more like fourth round money and $345,100 above slot, and he picked up five hits in eleven at bats (including two home runs) over his first two games with Vancouver.

2019 Draft Preview: High School RHP's

Every year, there is typically some high school right hander who separates himself from the pack and creates buzz as to whether he can be the first high school right hander ever taken first overall. In 2018, it was Carter Stewart, before that it was Hunter Greene, and before that it was Riley Pint. Stewart is headed to Japan, Greene is out with Tommy John surgery, and Pint has been largely ineffective, and this year, there isn't anyone threatening to even land in the top five to ten picks. In fact, Matthew Allan is the only one with a good chance of landing in the top half of the first round at all, but once you get into the back part of the first round, names start popping up and there are plenty of kids with interesting upside. It's harder to separate players into tiers when there are so many, but here is my best shot at it.

Tier I: Matthew Allan, Brennan Malone, Quinn Priester

There were three in the top tier at the start of the spring, and there are three now, though Quinn Priester was swapped in for Daniel Espino. Matthew Allan, a high schooler in Orlando, is likely the best arm in this group, though he still isn't a premium prospect. Allan is a 6'3" right hander with three great pitches, tossing his fastball in the mid 90's, adding one of the better curveballs in the class, and wrapping it up with an advanced changeup for a high school pitcher. His command has also taken a step forward this spring, making him extremely well rounded for a high schooler, and he should be signable away from a commitment to Florida. Allan looks like a future #2 starter at best but more likely settles in as a mid-rotation guy, and he looks to go somewhere near the middle of the first round, likely earlier rather than later. Brennan Malone, a Charlotte native attending the IMG Academy in Florida, also took a step forward as a senior and got much more consistent with his stuff, now sitting in the low to mid 90's with his fastball while adding a solid slider, a curve that flashes plus, and a usable changeup. He's athletic and stands 6'3", and while he still has to get more consistent with some of his secondary stuff and his command, he's trending in the right direction and features arguably more upside than Allan. He'll go in the back half of the first round. Quinn Priester, like Allan and Malone, took a step forward this spring, though he has improved his draft stock the most out of the three. The 6'3" righty out of the Chicago area added velocity to his fastball and now sits in the low to mid 90's, also improving his curveball to the point where it now looks like a plus pitch and showcasing great feel for pitching, especially for a cold-weather arm. He apparently has not used a pitching coach and instead taught himself to pitch by watching Major League pitchers on YouTube, casting further light on his makeup and feel for pitching. He has solid command but needs to add a changeup, something which should be no issue, and his slow delivery features some jerk but is overall effective. He looks to be drafted in the same range as Malone.

Tier II: Daniel Espino, J.J. Goss, Jack Leiter, Josh Wolf

These four make up the kids who are likely to go towards the end of the first round/in the comp rounds, and like the guys in the first tier, all have had great springs. Daniel Espino is perhaps the most interesting high school arm in this part of the draft, as he started the spring locked in a dead-heat with Allan and Malone in competition for the best arm in the class. He hasn't really done anything to damper his own stock, but he has fallen because – wait for it – he throws too hard. Espino, a Panama native pitching at the Georgia Premier Academy in Statesboro, is a stocky 6'1" but throws consistently in the upper 90's, adding a wipeout slider and a good curveball to give himself easily the best stuff in the class – high school or college. Not only does his fastball reach 99 with consistency, it has wicked movement that makes it nearly impossible to square up. However, scouts are a little bit skeptical of Espino because of the velocity itself, as recent flamethrowing high schoolers like Riley Pint, Tyler Kolek, Hunter Greene, and Michael Kopech have gone on to struggle with injuries and ineffectiveness in pro ball. Espino himself has long arm action, but he is very athletic and alleviates much of the pressure on his arm due for that reason. If he stays healthy, he has true ace upside, and could even win some Cy Young Awards. However, that health piece is a huge "if" and he could realistically run into any range of outcomes, so he fits tentatively into the back half of the first round. Moving on, Houston-area native J.J. Goss has used a strong spring to push himself into first round consideration, showing a low 90's fastball, a very good slider, and a good changeup from a fluid delivery and loose, whippy arm action that bodes well for future projection. He commands everything decently well, though his lack of premium velocity pushes him into the back of the first round, where he looks to develop as a mid-rotation starter. Jack Leiter, son of former MLB pitcher Al Leiter, pitches in New Jersey and has ridden some of the best command in the high school class to where he is today. He's just 6'1" and throws in the low 90's, but he has a full array of secondary pitches headlined by a very good curveball, and his feel for pitching makes everything play up. That said, he's already 19, making him very old for a high school pitcher. Leiter has limited upside but looks like a safer bet than most high school pitchers to end up a major league starter, probably a #4, so he should go towards the back of the first round or in the comp rounds. Josh Wolf, like Goss, is a Houston high school pitcher, and he has elevated his status more than Espino, Goss, or Leiter this spring. He throws in the low to mid 90's and adds a very good curveball, and at a skinny 6'2", he comes with some projection. However, he's skinny enough that some scouts are worried about his ability to hold up under a professional workload, and he can lose his arm slot from time to time, affecting his command. He has strong makeup and should make the most out of his ability, looking like a comp round pick.

Tier III: Kendall Williams, Matthew Thompson, Bryce Osmond, Andrew Dalquist, Jimmy Lewis, Jack Kochanowicz

This is the second round group, at least based on talent and with signability aside. Kendall Williams, originally from the Memphis area, is teammates with Malone at the IMG Academy and comes in at an imposing, projectable 6'6". He currently throws in the low 90's but uses his height to his advantage, getting good downhill plane on the ball that makes it tough to elevate. Behind the fastball, he has a curve, slider, and changeup, all of which are fully usable, with the curveball being his out pitch. He still has work to do but with his projectable frame, he has a high ceiling as a starting pitcher. Meanwhile, Matthew Thompson is teammates with Goss at Cypress Ranch High School near Houston, though he hasn't had as great of a spring as his rotation mate. Thompson was viewed as a potential first rounder after a strong summer where he was into the mid 90's and flashed a strong curveball but his stuff and mechanics have been inconsistent this spring and he's fallen more into second round territory if he's signable away from Texas A&M. Thompson's 6'2" frame and whippy arm action give him plenty of projection, but he'll need more work than anticipated to reach his high ceiling. Bryce Osmond, a high schooler near Tulsa, also needs a lot of work, currently showing a low 90's fastball at his best but often fading during his starts. He also has a good slider and plenty of projection from his 6'3" frame, but he'll need to add strength to keep himself out of the bullpen. Andrew Dalquist, from Southern California, is a personal favorite of mine, already showing a full arsenal headlined by a low 90's fastball with good running action that will help him miss bats. His curveball has good shape and should become a plus pitch in time, his slider is already average, and his changeup shows fade. With a projectable 6'2" frame, he should add more velocity, and he has intriguing upside as well as a good chance to get there. Jimmy Lewis is teammates with star hitting prospect Brett Baty at Lake Travis High School in Austin, currently showing a low 90's fastball from a 6'6" frame. His curveball flashes plus and his changeup is fairly advanced for his age, and with an easy delivery, he should add velocity while maintaining decent to good command. Sometimes the pitchers in this part of the draft can get a bit redundant, and he hasn't done much in particular to separate himself, but he does have the ingredients to be a successful major league starter. Lastly, Jack Kochanowicz comes from the Philadelphia area, also standing 6'6" and tossing a low 90's fastball with a good curveball, though his delivery isn't quite as smooth as Lewis's and will require some refinement. That makes Lewis the better bet to maintain good command/add velocity/stay healthy down the road, but if Kochanowicz takes well to mechanical changes, he has the same upside.

Others: Evan Fitterer, Brett Thomas, Trey Faltine, Riley Cornelio, Will Rigney, Michael Limoncelli