Blue Jays select Hagen Danner with the 61st pick

The Blue Jays had 3 picks in the first two rounds of Monday’s MLB draft. They chose SS Logan Warmoth at #22, and Nate Pearson at #28 to complete the first round. In the second round, they selected Hagen Danner from Huntington Beach High School.

The Blue Jays rounded out their Monday night draft choices nicely in the second round by selecting catcher, Hagen Danner, from Huntington Beach High School. Our own Matt Graves covered the selection of Logan Warmoth at #22, and Mike Weiler wrote about Nate Pearson at #28.

Danner was a nice choice for a second round pick and will have plenty of time to develop in the Blue Jays’ system, joining a strong minor league catching depth chart. The youngster is also a capable pitcher, and has quite the list of accomplishments for an 18 year old, including the Little League World Series on his resume.

Scouts don’t seem sold on him committing to either pitching or catching just yet as he’s shown athletic ability behind the plate and plenty of promise as a hitter, which also having plenty of upside on the mound. At this stage of his young career he is better known for what he’s accomplished as a pitcher, but that could change as he develops.

Baseball America had Danner projected to go #45, so the Blue Jays did well to get him 16 picks later. Side note- his draft video is absolutely worth watching and includes him singing some Katy Perry, and discussing how he talks to his bat.

His fastball can touch 94-95, and has a solid curveball and changeup, and there could be room to grow as he matures into adulthood. He’s committed to UCLA to play next season at this stage, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Blue Jays woo him into their minor league system.

Get To Know Hagen Danner

Age: 18

Height/Weight: 6’2, 195 lbs

Bats/Throws: Right

Schools: Huntington Beach High School, Committed to UCLA

Position: Catcher/Pitcher

Twitter: @hagandanner

Danner is said to have good hands on defence, and is athletic enough behind the plate to do get the job done, with an above average arm (usually the case with pitcher/catchers). He’s also very athletic, which helps him control the game on defence as a catcher. He’s also reportedly shown enough pop to make scouts believe he could have at least average power.

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Besides being a star from the 2011 Little League World Series, Danner also has big game experience playing with the Team USA under 18 team for two summers. Again, he made his biggest impact as a pitcher, but it’s suspected that he’ll focus on catching as a professional, though that could always change.

Danner is a charismatic young man and is said to be well known around the streets of Huntington Beach already at the ripe age of 18. He may have slipped a bit in the draft because teams view him as a tough sign with his commitment to UCLA, but the Blue Jays obviously felt he was worth a shot, especially at that position in the draft.

Having the extra draft pick in the first two rounds allows the front office to take a chance on a talented player like Danner, and hope that they can convince him to pass on playing college ball. The Blue Jays had an extra selection at #28 because of the loss of Edwin Encarnacion in free agency, so they were able to be a bit more aggressive.

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Hopefully the Blue Jays will be able to lock up the American multi-position star, as he’ll be an interesting talent to watch develop. At just 18 he should have plenty of time to figure out where he’s best suited.