Blue Jays draft RHP T.J. Zeuch 21st overall

The Toronto Blue Jays have selected  RHP T.J. Zeuch  with the 21st pick of the 2016 MLB Draft

Right-handed pitcher T.J. Zeuch is the newest member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Out of the University of Pittsburgh, the 20-year-old Zeuch stands an imposing 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds. He was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 31st round of the 2013 MLB Draft. Zeuch comes from Mason, Ohio.

After missing the first month of the 2016 season with a groin injury, Zeuch made 10 starts for the Panthers, pitching 69.2 innings. Over that span he went 6-1 with a 3.10 ERA, striking out 74 batters and holding his opponents to a .229 average.

Zeuch’s fastball works in the low-to-mid 90s and comes with a nice arm-side run, a familiar trait for Blue Jays fans that should help him produce a strong rate of ground balls as he moves through the system.

“He’s young for the junior class at age 20, not turning 21 until August,” wrote John Sickels of Minor League Ball, “but his cold-weather background means he has fewer miles on his arm than the typical college stalwart. Overall, Zeuch projects as a workhorse starter and looks like a clear pick in the middle part of the first round.”

Sickels also refers to Zeuch’s slider and curveball as being “solid-average” while the right-hander also offers a changeup.

Zeuch could quickly fit into a place in the organization’s prospect pool that is not terribly crowded. As a college arm he will immediately offer, as a floor, upper-mid prospect value with the potential to rise quickly.