Blue Jays: Looking at the players drafted under Atkins who did not sign

MLB Draft – 2019 

Round 19 – Gus Sosa C

Gus Sosa decided to not sign with the Jays and instead commit to Rutgers University. The catching prospect did not see a lot of action with the Scarlet Knights, only appearing in eight games last season where he collected two hits through 14 at-bats. Sosa is currently in the transfer portal and it does not appear he has found a program for the 2022 campaign at this time.

Round 25 – Nate LaRue RHP

Nate LaRue decided to fulfill his commitment to Auburn instead of signing with the Toronto Blue Jays after being drafted in the 25th round. While it was noted that he was drafted as a pitcher, he has spent most of his time at the catcher position with the Tigers instead of on the mound. Still listed on the Tigers roster for the upcoming campaign, LaRue owns a career .245/.339/.429 slash line through 49 at-bats over the past two seasons.

Round 27 – Roel Garcia RHP

A junior at Rice University at the time of being drafted, Roel Garcia decided to return to the school after being drafted in the 27th round by the Blue Jays. Garcia missed all of the 2019 season with an injury and for his career has appeared in 38 games for the Rice Owls, pitching to a 5.90 ERA through 38 outings (25 starts). He is currently listed on the 2022 roster as a graduate student.

Round 29 – Owen Diodati C

A product of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Owen Diodati decided to not sign with the Blue Jays and instead attend the University of Alabama. Over the past two seasons, Diodati has appeared in 73 games and owns a .871 OPS with 16 home runs and 62 RBI through 255 at-bats while patrolling the outfield. He is entering his junior season at Alabama and is listed on the 2022 roster.

Round 30 – Noah Myers OF

Playing for Wabash Valley College at the time of being drafted, Windsor, Ontario’s Noah Myers decided to not turn pro and instead switched programs and joined the University of South Carolina for the 2020 campaign. Over the past two seasons, Myers owns a .763 OPS through 41 games and is currently listed on the program’s 2022 roster.

Round 32 – Braden Halladay RHP

Son of Blue Jays legend Roy Halladay, the club selected Braden Halladay in the 32nd round of the 2019 MLB draft, the same number that Halladay wore with the club during his playing days. The younger Halladay had a commitment to Penn State and both sides knew that he was not going sign with the club, it was just a symbolic gesture for one of the biggest names in club history.

At Penn State, Halladay was limited to just five games over the past two seasons and transferred from the program in mid-2021. He announced that he would be playing at Tallahassee Community College for the 2022 campaign but the program has not updated its roster at this time.

Round 33 – Daniel Batcher LHP

Daniel Batcher did not sign with the Blue Jays and instead decided to honour his commitment to the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota located in Bradenton, Florida. While he did not pitch in 2020 (COVID), the southpaw appeared in 14 games last season (13 starts) and pitched to a 2.40 ERA through 82.1 innings of work while striking out 89 batters. He is currently listed on the 2022 roster for Florida Gulf Coast University.

Round 35 – Connor Phillips RHP

Hailing from the same community as Blue Jays prospects Jordan Groshans and Adam Kloffenstein, Magnolia, Texas’s Connor Phillips decided to attend McLennan Community College instead of turning pro. The move paid off for Phillips, as the Seattle Mariners selected him in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft, signing him to a full slot value bonus of $1,050,300.

In his first season with the Mariners last season, Phillips appeared in both A and A+ ball, pitching to a combined 4.62 ERA through 17 starts while posting a 13.1 K/9 but also a 5.4 BB/9 with a 1.447 WHIP. He is currently the Mariners’ eighth-ranked prospect. 

Round 39 – Octavio Corona RHP

A product of Otay Ranch High School in Chula Vista, California, right-hander Octavio Corona decided to attend Saint Mary’s College of California rather than sign with the Blue Jays. He has not appeared in a game for the Gaels at this time.

Round 40 – Miguel Obeso RHP

Miguel Obeso was drafted by the Blue Jays when he was a freshman at Cowley Community College located in Arkansas City, Kansas. He did not sign with the Jays and instead return to Cowley. He did sign a letter of intent to pitch with Texas Tech University but it does not appear that he pitched in any games for them. He returned to Cowley for 2021 but did not appear in any games.