MLB Draft 2015: Blue Jays pick round-up and profiles

After having two protected picks in the first round and a sizable draft pool of $9.46 million to spend at the 2014 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays found themselves in quite a different position on Monday night when the 2015 edition got underway. Toronto was relegated to the compensation round, not having a pick until #29 and entered the 2015 MLB Draft with a limited budget of $5.411 million.

The Blue Jays forfeited their first round pick, originally slotted at 17th overall, when they signed Russell Martin away from the Pittsburgh Pirates, who extended Martin a qualifying offer. Normally, that would have left the Blue Jays out of the first round altogether, but the team recouped a compensation pick of their own by extending a qualifying offer to Melky Cabrera, who signed with the Chicago White Sox. Chicago also surrendered their 2nd round pick (David Robertson), but due to the Yankees having a better record than the Blue Jays in 2014, Toronto received the 29th pick while the Yankees picked directly behind them with the 30th selection.

Needless to say, the Blue Jays needed to be smart, creative, and perhaps a little bit lucky during the 2015 MLB Draft. Toronto would hope that premium talent could slide to them and that they could perhaps take some chances on some later picks by moving money around.

So how has the 2015 worked out for the Toronto Blue Jays?

Next: Pick #29: Jon Harris, Missouri State

Name: Brady Singer

School: Eustis High School (Florida)

Position: RHP

2014-15 Stats

High School: 8-3 (13 starts), 1.25 ERA, 110 K, 10 BB

The Good

As we said with Harris, the Blue Jays love big, projectable frames on a pitcher, especially when they see that pitcher exhibit a big jump in velocity, and Toronto feels like they found another one in the second round of the draft in 6-foot, 5-inch Brady Singer. Singer watched his fastball climb for the high-80’s to the mid-90’s during his senior year of high school. MLB.com also notes that Singer has a slider that is rated a step below his fastball and is currently seen as an average offering, and that he is working on a change-up, but it is far from a polished pitch.

The Bad

Everything out there indicates that scouts are wary of his delivery, which features a lot of moving parts and finishes with Singer coming from a 3/4 arm slot with his elbow above the ball. While it creates a lot of run on his pitches, it could also be a precursor to arm troubles down the road. Additionally, Singer is committed to the University of Florida, but the Blue Jays drafted him earlier than most had him ranked, which could help them sell him on signing, especially with a recommended slot bonus of $1,091,200. Of course, given that they took him early, Toronto could also try to save some money here by going under slot.

The pick itself seems like a bit of a reach for a talented, yet question-mark riddled arm. The Blue Jays will hope that he’ll fill out a bit more as he develops, which should only serve to add more velocity to his electric fastball.

Next: Pick #91: Justin Maese

Mandatory Credit: Youtube

Name: Justin Maese

School: Ysleta High School (Texas)

Position: RHP

Well, give the Blue Jays some credit, they apparently have a plan for the 2015 MLB Draft and they are sticking to it. Justin Maese becomes the third straight pick used on a right-handed pitcher, and remarkably, all three are built right around the same size. Like Singer before him, Toronto seemingly reached a bit higher here to tab Maese with the 91st pick of the draft. MLB.com had him ranked at #131 coming into the event.

2014-15 Stats

Yselta High School: Unavailable

The Good

The 6-foot, 3-inch, 185 lbs. right-hander pitched and played both shortstop and the outfield in high school, but make no doubt about it, the Blue Jays are drafting him for his arm. Maese can reach back and fire gas, hitting 96 MPH at times while also mixing in a solid slider and an occasional change-up. His pop with the fastball is what had him flying up draft charts though, and may feel that he can harness it a bit more and consistently run it up in the mid-90’s with continued work.

The Bad

Unfortunately, the heat that made him such a hot commodity isn’t consistent yet. While he can dial up to 96 on occasion, he typically sits in the high-80’s and low-90’s, according to the El Paso Times. Additionally, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com notes that Maese tends to get over-reliant on his slider due to his spotty command with his fastball. The limited repertoire and command issues may peg him as a bullpen candidate long term, but given his age, the team would let him develop before making those decisions too early.

The lack of polish may lead in two directions for the Blue Jays. The team could opt to low-ball him on a signing bonus or Maese could opt to honor his commitment to Texas Tech and enter the draft with a better feel for pitching.

Next: Pick #122: Carl Wise

Via Twitter

Name: Carl Wise

School: College of Charleston

Position: 3B

What do you know, the Blue Jays finally break their string of pitchers and jump on a collegiate position player with their next selection, tapping College of Charleston third baseman Carl Wise with the 122nd pick of the draft (4th round). For all of the work the team has done to build its depth in the pitching department, position prospects still escape the Blue Jays ability to develop, so they are hoping that the power and athleticism that Wise showed in college could help him become a larger piece in the future.

2014-15 Stats

College of Charleston: .313/.380/.557, 18 doubles, 12 home runs, 70 RBI

The Good

At 6-foot, 2-inches, 220 lbs, Wise is built for power and he exhibited that in school, routinely racking up doubles and home runs in his three years at Charleston. he exhibits excellent control of the strike-zone, with a 1.22 K/BB ratio in school. He also went deep six times and drove in 22 during a 35-game stint in the Cape Cod League last summer.

The Bad

With a big frame, Wise doesn’t exhibit the range that will be required of a third baseman in Major League Baseball. As such, MLB.com has him pegged to move to first base long-term. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays have seen a lot of that with other recent picks at the hot corner. Still, if his power continues to develop, there is a possibility that it holds up at either corner.

STAY TUNED AS WE MONITOR DAY 2 OF THE MLB DRAFT

Next: 10 worst Blue Jays draft picks ever

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