Blue Jays: The history of the franchise selecting 19th overall in the MLB Draft

After finishing the 2020 season with a 32-28 record and wild card playoff spot, the Toronto Blue Jays have earned the 19th spot in this year’s MLB Draft.

While the Blue Jays may not get as lucky as they did last year with Austin Martin, there are plenty of top college and high school prospects who will be available when Ross Atkins and co. are on the clock this year.

Looking back at the draft history for the Blue Jays, the franchise has drafted 19th overall three separate times but not since 1999. While not all first-round players turn out to be major league all-stars, it is safe to say that the Jays’ did alright when they walked to the podium after the 18th spot.

The Toronto Blue Jays hold the 19th selection in this year’s MLB Draft, with the franchise selecting in this position three times in their organization’s history, producing mixed results.

1989 – Eddie Zosky

Drafted out of Fresno State University, the Blue Jays used their first pick that year on infielder Eddie Zosky.

Regarded as the shortstop of the future, Zosky would spend over two and half years in the minor leagues before making his major league debut in 1991, appearing in just 18 games for the Blue Jays that season. He would appear in eight games for the Jays’ next season before injuries and poor performance kept him in the minor leagues until he was dealt with the Florida Marlins for a “player to be named later” during the 1994/1995 off-season.

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He would finish his major league career with a .160/.173/.260 line and three RBI after stints with the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Houston Astros minor league organization’s before he became a free agent after the 2000 season, with no team signing him.

1992 – Shannon Stewart

The same year the Blue Jays won their first World Series, the franchise selected high school outfielder Shannon Stewart out of Miami Southridge Senior High School in the 1992 MLB draft.

The athletic outfielder would make his major league debut in 1995 but would not find himself as a regular player until 1998. Stewart would spend roughly nine seasons with Toronto before being traded to the Minnesota Twins during the 2003 campaign. He would spend four years in Minnesota and one season with the Oakland Athletics before returning to the Jays in 2008, his last season in the majors.

As a member of the Blue Jays, Stewart would finish with a .298 batting average (4th all-time in Blue Jays history), a .365% OBP, and 1082 hits (7th in franchise history). He would steal 166 bases through his time with the Jays.

Over the span of 14 years, Stewart would finish his career with a .297/.360/.430 slash line with 115 home runs, 580 RBI, and a .790 OPS.

1999 – Alex Rios

Drafted by the Jays out of San Pedro Martin High School in Puerto Rico, Alex Rios was the first name off the board for the club during the 1999 MLB Draft.

The outfielder would not make his major league debut until 2004 but found a way to keep producing and keep himself on the roster over the next five and a half seasons. The Blue Jays would end up placing the former first-round pick on waivers in mid-August of 2009, where he would be picked up by the Chicago White Sox. He would spend five years in Chicago before being traded to the Texas Rangers and finishing his career with the Kansas City Royals in 2015.

As a member of the Jays, Rios would slash .285/.335/.451 through 809 games with 81 home runs and 395 RBI, stealing 112 bases and crafting a .786 OPS. He would be named to the all-star team in 2006 and 2007 for the Jays and currently sits 10th in batting average, fifth in triples (36), and eight in stolen bases in franchise history.