Blue Jays: Revisiting first round selections since the 2009 amateur draft

Since 2009, the Toronto Blue Jays have drafted 7 pitchers, 2 shortstops, and one outfielder with their first pick in the amateur draft.

They have been a mix of college and high schools students, and while some are no longer with the organizations, others are close to breaking the major league barrier that many players dream of playing in.

While many players get drafted by major league teams, there is no guarantee that a top draft pick will become a superstar under the bright lights of stadiums across North America. There is also the ‘Cinderella’ stories like Kevin Pillar, who progressed through the farm system and were drafted in the late rounds and still fought their way onto the active roster.

This article will take a look at who was picked first by the Blue Jays in the June amateur draft since 2009, and where they are now. The focus will be primarily on who was picked first, so it will exclude players who may have been drafted in the compensation rounds, and also any players drafted in the 1st round but were after the first pick that year by the Toronto Blue Jays (such as Stroman).

2009-Chad Jenkins: Drafted 1st round, 20th overall

Chad Jenkins was a starting pitcher when he was drafted out of Kennesaw State University. He signed with the team with an attached $1.35 million dollars bonus shortly after he was drafted.

He would work his way through the Blue Jays farm system and make his first appearance for the big league club in August of 2012 against the Tampa Bay Rays. He would spend the next three years riding the options train from Buffalo to Toronto, and pitching to an ERA of 4.50 (2012), 2.70 (2013), 2.56 (2014), and 4.91 (2015) as a spot starter and a reliever when with the big club.

While his ERA was decent in 2012 and 2013, he could not keep a position in the Blue Jays bullpen and would spend almost the entire 2015 season in Buffalo.

In 2016, Jenkins would be designated for assignment (DFA’d) off the 40 man roster, clearing waivers, and would spend the season at AAA before being released on June 30 by the organization.

After his release from the team, Jenkins would not suit up for another professional baseball organization again. He went back to Kennesaw State to complete his degree and got back into baseball as a coach for youth teams. He will always be known as a player drafted before superstar Mike Trout if it is any consolation.

2011- Tyler Beede: Drafted 1st round, 21st overall

Tyler Beede was another starting pitcher drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, this time out of high school instead of college. Beede made news because he was the only first-round pick in 2011 not to sign with the team that drafted him, as he chose to forego professional baseball and went to play college baseball for Vanderbilt instead. He would end up turning down roughly $2 million dollars from the Blue Jays.

Tyler Beede would end up being drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1st round in the 2014 amateur draft. He would work his way through the Giants farm system, making his first MLB appearance in April of 2018.

He would start two games for the team, pitching to a 0-1 record and 8.22 ERA before being sent back down to the minors.

Beede will begin the 2019 season in AAA for the Giants.

2012- D.J. Davis: Drafted 1st round, 17th overall

D.J. Davis was another high school selection for the Toronto Blue Jays. Unlike the past three years, the Blue Jays decided to use their first draft selection on an outfielder instead of a starting pitcher.

Davis would begin his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in Rookie ball in 2012. He would also make appearances with the Bluefield Blue Jays and the Vancouver Canadians the same year, with a combined slash line of .250/.355/.386.

From 2013 to 2018, Davis would never advance higher than Class-A-Advanced league, spending three years with the Dunedin Blue Jays from 2015-2018. He would never bat over a .260 AVG and would slash .232/.314/.306 while he was with Dunedin over the three-year timeframe.

In mid-June of 2018, D.J. Davis was released by the organization and is currently a free agent.

2013- Phil Bickford: Drafted 1st round, 10th overall

Phil Bickford was another high school pitcher the Toronto Blue Jays took a chance on when they drafted him 10th overall. Just like in 2011, this plan would also backfire, as Bickford and the Blue Jays would not reach an agreement.

This selection was a major gamble by the Blue Jays, as Bickford seemed fully committed to attending Cal State Fullerton, but they were hoping the signing bonus money would sway him to forego college. This proved to be frivolous, and the Blue Jays were unable to sign another top pick. He would also leave Cal State after one year, leaving for the College of Southern Nevada as a sophomore.

Bickford would still see his name called in the first round, with the San Francisco Giants (small world) selecting him in the 2015 amateur draft with the 18th selection. His tenure in the Giants organization would last roughly a year, as he would be traded to the Milwaukee Brewers with Andrew Susac for reliever Will Smith in 2016.

With Milwaukee, injuries and a drug of abuse suspension have hampered the career of a very highly rated prospect. He has yet to play past Advanced-A ball and has not played any games in 2019 (as of yet).

2014- Jeff Hoffman: Drafted 1st round, 9th overall

The Toronto Blue Jays took another gamble on a college pitcher in 2014, selecting Jeff Hoffman at 9th overall and signing him at $3.1 million dollars. The gamble, in this case, was not related to his talent, but rather that he underwent Tommy John surgery while playing college ball for East Carolina. Before his injury, there was a possibility that Hoffman could be selected in the top 5 overall.

Hoffman began his Blue Jays career in 2015, starting in Dunedin and working his way to AA ball in New Hampshire later that year.

His tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays was also short-lived, as he was part of the package deal that led the Blue Jays to acquire Troy Tulowitzki.

Since the trade, Jeff has seen sporadic time on the Colorado Rockies active roster. Although he appeared briefly in 2016 and 2018, Hoffman started 16 games for the Rockies in 2017, and ultimately appeared in 23 contests for the team. He would finish that season with a 5.89 ERA and 6-5 record.

At 26 years old, the Colorado prospect started 2019 in AAA ball but could be expected to pitch in the big leagues if injuries arise on the major league squad. If he wants to pitch in the MLB again, he will need to improve his ERA or he could be destined to the bullpen or a life in the minor leagues.

2015- Jon Harris: Drafted 1st round, 29th overall

Jon Harris has the dubious honour of being selected by the Blue Jays twice in the amateur draft. Drafted in the 33rd round in 2012 as a high school senior, he chose to not sign with the team and would play at Missouri State instead. His experience in college netted him a higher overall draft position in 2015 and also a considerably larger payday.

Harris would begin his professional career quite poorly, pitching to a 0-6 record and a 6.95 ERA with the Vancouver Canadians. He would continue working in the Blue Jays farm system, playing predominantly in 2018 with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in AA ball, while also starting two games for the Buffalo Bisons in AAA.

Last year, he would finish the season with a 12-5 record and 4.75 ERA, starting all 25 games that he would pitch in. With his record, he was assigned to begin the year in AAA, but he is currently on the injured list to begin the season.

2016- T.J. Zeuch: Drafted 1st round, 21st overall

Just like Jon Harris, T.J. Zeuch also won an award that not many other players will ever receive. He was the first pick to be selected when Ross Atkins was brought in as general manager of the Blue Jays (an award is an award right?).

Zeuch was selected 21st overall after pitching at the University of Pittsburgh. Like many other Blue Jays college pitching prospects, he was assigned to the Rookie league in his first professional season and would finish 2016 in Lansing at Class-A ball. He would pitch a combined 0-2 record with a 4.50 ERA in his first professional season across three leagues.

Zeuch would continue to grind in A league ball until 2018, where he was brought up to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats starting rotation. He would pitch well in AA, finishing the season with a 9-5 record and a 3.08 ERA.

To begin 2019, T.J Zeuch has also been assigned to the starting rotation in Buffalo, but like Harris, is also beginning the season on the injured list. He missed all of spring training with a lat muscle injury and was going to be interesting to watch if he was healthy. If he begins the season well in AAA, he could be on the radar to be a September call up when rosters expand in the MLB.

2017- Logan Warmoth: 1st round, 22nd overall

Straying away from previous drafts, the Blue Jays decided to draft shortstop Logan Warmoth at 22nd overall in the 2017 amateur draft. He was selected from the University of North Carolina and was awarded the Brooks Wallace Award shortly after he was drafted, which is awarded to the nation’s top collegiate shortstop.

He would begin his professional career in Rookie Ball, where he would only see 6 games before being promoted to the Vancouver Canadians at Short Season A league. He would finish the season with a slash line of .302/.350/.418. Not a bad line for your first professional season.

In 2018, Warmoth would progress even further in the Blue Jays organization, spending most of his season in Dunedin in Class-A-Advanced ball, finishing with a slash line of .248/.332/.319. He would also steal 9 bases for the team without getting caught all season.

For the 2019 season, Logan Warmoth will be suiting up for the Dunedin Blue Jays once again, with progression up the farm system on his mind. While finding time with the major league team may be difficult with other top prospects in the organization, Logan still has a few years to hone his craft before seeing potential time in the big leagues.

2018: Jordan Groshans: Drafted 1st round, 12th overall

Since Ross Atkins liked drafting a shortstop so much the year prior, he decided to do it again by going off the board and drafting high schooler Jordan Groshans with the 12th overall pick. Rated as the 31st prospect by MLB Pipeline going into the draft, the Blue Jays drafted him well before he was expected to come off the board, and gave him a bonus of $3.4 million. While this is a large sum, it is still under the slot allotment of approximately $4.2 million.

Groshans would have a strong start to his professional career,  splitting time between two different leagues of Rookie league ball. He would go on to hit for a combined .296/.353/.446, which is quite an accomplishment for the teenager.

This hot start gave the Blue Jays the confidence to start Groshans off in Class-A Lansing, where he will most likely spend the season. A strong season in Lansing could see his advancement to Advanced-A ball, but the Blue Jays will most likely take a cautious approach. There are quite a few infield prospects in Groshans way if he is to make the Toronto Blue Jays in the future, so rushing is not needed for the young potential star.

I should have tried harder in high school ball, but I don’t think I was ever destined for the show. Teach your kids to throw hard. They may be able to pay off your mortgage one day.