Blue Jays: Where are the 2021 draftees beginning their pro careers?

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Mosley runner Jaden Rudd dives back to first to avoid a pickoff attempt as Arnold first baseman Warrick Wilmot takes the throw. Mosley hosted Arnold in a Tuesday night baseball game.007 041321 Arnold At Mosley Baseball /

The 2021 MLB Draft saw the Toronto Blue Jays sign 17 of their 19 selections, with Micah Bucknam and Luke Holman, both high school players drafted in the later rounds, choosing to instead honour their post-secondary commitments.

While the Blue Jays did not have a second-round pick because of the George Springer signing this past offseason, they still walked away with quite a haul. Of the drafted players, there are 12 pitchers, two outfielders, two third basemen, and one catcher being added to the organization.

Let’s take a look at where these prospects will be beginning their pro careers and how they are doing so far in the minor leagues.

Florida Complex League – Rookie Ball

In total, three of the 2021 MLB draftees are currently with the FCL Blue Jays however two players have already been promoted to the Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays since being assigned to the club earlier this month (and will be featured later). All three players listed below are position players.

Jaden Rudd – 7th round, 212 overall (outfield)

The second high school player drafted this year after Irv Carter, lefty batter Jaden Rudd is off to a strong start in Rookie League ball, slashing .261/.414/.478 with one home run, three RBI, and a .892 OPS. He also has five walks compared to six strikeouts while also stealing three bases through 10 games.

Damiano Palmegiani – 14th round, 422 overall (third base)

One of the later signees from this year’s MLB Draft, infielder Damiano Palmegiani has ties to Canada after growing up in British Columbia before taking his talents south of the border for college ball. So far in his first few weeks of professional baseball, Palmegiani is sporting a .316/.409/.526 slash line with one home run, two RBI, and a .935 OPS in eight games and 19 at-bats.

Juan Gonzalez – 19th round, 572 overall (catcher)

The only catcher selected by the Jays this year, Juan Gonzalez would be assigned to the FCL Blue Jays on August 5th has appeared in eight games so far, producing three hits and four RBI through 17 at-bats, slashing .176/.238/.235 with a .473 OPS.

Austin Peay centerfielder Garrett Spain comes off the field between innings as the Govs faced Jacksonville State last Friday, May 17, 2019 at Raymond C. Hand Park.Apsu Garrett Spain 3 /

Dunedin Blue Jays – Low A

Hunter Gregory – 8th round, 242 overall (RHP)

Recently assigned to Dunedin, right-hander Hunter Gregory has pitched only one inning of relief and struck out one batter while not allowing a walk or a hit in his lone appearance so far.

Trenton Wallace – 11th round, 332 overall (LHP)

Similar to Gregory, southpaw Trenton Wallace was recently assigned to the Dunedin Blue Jays just two days ago on August 25th. Through one relief appearance, he has pitched 1.1 innings with two hits and four walks on route to four earned runs while striking out two batters. He currently owns a 27.00 ERA, a number that is a bit inflated given the one appearance.

Riley Tirotta – 12th round, 362 overall (third base)

Assigned to the Dunedin Blue Jays on August 3rd, Riley Tirotta has played in ten games so far and sports a .462/.600/.500 slash line through 26 at-bats with three RBI, three steals, and eight walks compared to five strikeouts. His 1.100 OPS is boding well through his first taste of professional baseball but he did spend some time on the 7-day IL already, although he did return as of August 24th.

The Toronto Blue Jays signed 17 players this past MLB Draft, with almost all of them starting to begin their pro careers in the minor leagues this past month.

Matt Svanson – 13th round, 392 overall (RHP)

Standing at 6’5″, right-hander Matt Svanson was assigned to Dunedin back in early August and has the most appearances out of any of the drafted pitchers at this level with six. Through 7.2 innings of work, Svanson has surrendered five hits and two earned runs while striking out nine batters compared to the six walks he has allowed, currently owning a 2.35 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. The 22-year-old also has three saves through three opportunities.

Garrett Spain – 15th round, 452 overall (outfield)

Beginning his pro career in the Florida Complex League, Garrett Spain has already been promoted to Low-A and has appeared in six games so far with the club. Through 19 at-bats, the lefty batter has hit to a .263/.300/.263 slash line with one RBI and seven strikeouts to the tune of a .563 OPS while patrolling left field for the Blue Jays.

Jimmy Burnette – 18th round, 542 overall (LHP)

Another player to already receive a promotion from the FCL Blue Jays, southpaw Jimmy Burnette has only appeared in one game for Dunedin, pitching 2.0 innings while only giving up one hit with one walk and three strikeouts.

Before his call-up, he appeared in three games in Rookie Ball, pitching to a 15.43 ERA through 2.1 innings of work, surrendering four earned runs off of five hits while walking two batters and striking out two.

Vancouver Canadians – High A

Hayden Juenger – 6th round, 182 overall (RHP)

The only player to be assigned to the Vancouver Canadians from the 2021 MLB Draft, Missouri State’s Hayden Juenger has appeared in five games out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays High-A affiliate.

Through 8.0 innings, the right-hander has allowed five hits and five earned runs but has only walked two batters compared to the 15 strikeouts he has racked up. His 5.63 ERA is heavily influenced by the hits finding a way to cross home plate but his 0.88 WHIP and his .172 opponents batting average are positive signs to the start of his pro career.

Jun 10, 2019; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Mississippi Rebels pitcher Gunnar Hoglund (17) throws a pitch during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Baum-Walker Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports /

Yet to play or be assigned to an affiliate team

The following players have not been assigned to an affiliate team as of right now:

Rickey Tiedemann – Round 3, 91 overall (LHP)

Chad Dallas – Round 4, 121 overall (RHP)

Irv Carter – Round 5, 152 overall (RHP)

Conor Larkin – Round 9, 272 overall (RHP)

Connor Cooke – Round 10, 302 overall (RHP)

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The top four players drafted by the Blue Jays have yet to suit for the club this season in Gunnar Hoglund (more on him below), Tiedemann, Dallas, and Carter all being assigned to the Blue Jays organization but have yet to be posted to an affiliate team.

Carter was the Blue Jays highest prep school selection and will be interesting to watch, making headlines with his celebratory video after hearing his name be announced when selected by the franchise during the MLB Draft.

The assumption would be that all these players are most likely down in Dunedin at the new training complex getting some work in as the season starts to wind down. Dallas was tagged in a post on social media that he was down in Dunedin, so it makes sense that the others are most likely there as well.

Injured

The Blue Jays selected two pitchers this year who will be missing a significant amount of time on the IL after both underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year.

First-round selection Gunnar Hoglund and 17th round selection Cooper Benson will most likely not be pitching until at least midway through next year, one of the main reasons Hoglund was available for the Blue Jays at 19th overall after being a potential top ten pick prior to the injury.

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Both Hoglund and Benson have starting experience and will most likely begin next season in the low levels of the farm system when they are healthy enough to pitch, with the first-rounder technically being assigned to the FCL Blue Jays on the day he signed with the Blue Jays.

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The Toronto Blue Jays signed 17 players this past MLB Draft, with almost all of them starting to begin their pro careers in the minor leagues this past month.

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