Blue Jays turn to position players on Day Two of Draft

Day One of Major League Baseball’s 2019 Draft saw the Toronto Blue Jays select a pair of 6-foot-6 right-handers, one from the college ranks and the other from high school.

The Blue Jays continued to fill needs within the farm system on Day Two when they selected Canadian high school centre fielder Dasan Brown in round three and Creighton right fielder Will Robertson in the fourth.

Brown is an Ontario native who played with the Canadian Junior National Team this year and is widely regarded as one of the fastest players in the draft. Carlos Collazo of Baseball America says Brown “absolutely flies. It’s a light bat now, but he has some bat-to-ball skills and could be an exceptional defender in centre field.”

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Robertson is a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder who bats from the left side and some scouts believe he’s one of the better power hitters in the draft. He impressed this weekend going 5-for-14 at the NCAA Regionals with six runs, two doubles, two home runs and five RBI’s. With his lack of defensive instincts and an average arm, MLB Pipeline believes a move to left field is in his future.

The Blue Jays looked to the college position player market on Day Two, selecting six college bats with four of them being infielders. Here’s every selection by the club from rounds 3-10.

Round 3 (88): Dasan Brown, CF, Abbey Park HS (ON)
Round 4 (117): Will Robertson, RF, Creighton (NE)
Round 5 (147): Tanner Morris, SS, Virginia (VA)
Round 6 (177): Cameron Eden, SS, California (CA)
Round 7 (207): L.J. Talley, 2B, Georgia (GA)
Round 8 (237): Angel Camacho, 3B, Jacksonville (FL)
Round 9 (267): Philip Clarke, C, Vanderbilt (TN)
Round 10 (297): Glenn Santiago, SS, International Baseball Academy (Puerto Rico)

Two picks that stand out are Virginia shortstop Tanner Morris and Vanderbilt catcher Philip Clarke.

Morris is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound sophomore and he led the Cavaliers in batting average (.353), doubles (21) and runs scored (54) this year. His hit tool is his biggest asset but he seems to be average or above-average across the board with his tools. The 21-year-old shortstop also walked more times than he struck out this year, leading to a .452 on-base percentage in one of nation’s best conferences.

Clarke was ranked 139 heading into the draft by MLB Pipeline and is known for his ability to hit from the left side. The 5-foot-11 catcher has improved his defensive game while at powerhouse college program Vanderbilt and with additional work, MLB Pipeline believes he can become an everyday catcher at the big league level.

Clarke didn’t want to sign out of high school and the scouting report also mentions they are unsure of his signing status this time around, possibly leading him to drop to pick 267.

The Jays have $8,463,300 in bonuses to distribute between their first ten selections and face penalties for any overages. It will be interesting to see who signs, where the money is allocated and which prospects may quickly jump into the clubs top 30 prospects after signing.

The Blue Jays have 30 selections remaining on the final day of the draft before turning their attention to recruiting these players to the organization.