Blue Jays: The 2021 draft class and where they will start the season

Out of the 20 rounds of the 2021 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays had 19 picks to use after losing their second-round selection as compensation for signing free-agent George Springer.

With those picks, the Jays’ front office was able to sign 17 of those players while high schoolers Micah Bucknam and Luke Holman both decided to attend post-secondary instead given their late-round selections. This draft was focused mostly on restocking the pitching cupboard, as the front office used 12 picks on pitchers and their first five selections on four college-level hurlers and one prep pitcher in Irv Carter.

The only player from the 2021 draft class no longer with the Jays is first-round selection Gunnar Hoglund, as the top prospect was traded to the Oakland Athletics earlier this spring as part of the Matt Chapman trade package. He is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and won’t likely be ready to go until later in the season, but the A’s have assigned him to the Stockton Ports in Single-A.

Let’s take a look at where the rest of the 2021 draft class will begin their upcoming season.

Not Assigned as of Yet

Four players have not been assigned to an affiliate team to begin the year: RHP Irv Carter, OF Jaden Rudd, LHP Cooper Benson, and C Juan Gonzalez.

Benson is still currently recovering from Tommy John surgery and Rudd and Gonzalez are likely slated to begin the season in the Florida Complex League, which currently does not have a listed schedule for the 2022 campaign.

Carter is the standout from this list, as the 19-year-old is the organization’s #10 ranked prospect heading into the 2022 season. He reportedly dealt with some chest discomfort this spring and is now healthy but behind in terms of being ready for the season.

Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays

Ricky Tiedemann – LHP

The Blue Jays second pick of the draft via the third round, left-hander Ricky Tiedemann was not selected during the shortened 2020 MLB Draft and eventually settled in at Golden West College for the 2021 season. Through seven starts, Tiedemann struck out 60 batters through 38.1 innings, finishing the year with a 2-1 record and a 3.55 ERA.

Tiedemann wouldn’t pitch with an affiliate program after being drafted but instead went to the Blue Jays development complex and has impressed early this spring under the guise of the Blue Jays staff. He added a few MPH to his fastball and added some muscle in the offseason and now finds himself as the organization’s top-ranked prospect pitcher at #6 overall.

Conor Larkin – RHP

A senior with Penn State, right-hander Conor Larkin authored a 4.26 ERA through 50 games (23 starts) with the Nittany Lions before being drafted in the ninth round by the Blue Jays. After starting 12 games last season and posting a career-high 63.2 outings, Larkin did not report to an affiliate team after being drafted.

Connor Cooke – RHP

After three years with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, right-hander Connor Cooke posted a 2.03 ERA through 18 appearances and was drafted in the 10th round by the Jays. Cooke got into some games in Minor Leagues last season, five total outings of relief work split between Rookie Ball and Low-A where he gave up four hits and one home run through 5.0 innings with eight strikeouts.

Trenton Wallace – LHP

Drafted in the 11th round, University of Iowa alum Trenton Wallace finished out the season in Low-A with Dunedin, appearing in five games and allowing four earned runs through 8.1 innings of relief work.

While he is currently assigned to Dunedin, he is currently not listed on the roster at this time. He could potentially be starting the year in Rookie League ball so it is a bit of a wait-and-see at this point for Wallace.

Matt Svanson – RHP

Drafted in the 13th round out of Lehigh University, senior Matt Svanson amassed a 4.49 ERA with 113 strikeouts through 146.1 innings of work throughout his four years. Earning a spot in the rotation in his sophomore campaign, the right-hander’s best season came during his draft year, where Svanson made 12 starts and authored a 2.30 ERA through career-high 70.1 innings.

After the draft, the Jays decided to give the Illinois product some reps in Dunedin out of the bullpen, where he appeared in 11 games and racked up five saves while surrendering only four earned runs through 15.2 innings.

Damiano Palmegiani – 3B

A product of the Vauxhall Jets Academy and hailing from Burnaby, British Columbia, infielder Damiano Palmegiani boosted his draft stock with a solid season at the College of Southern Nevada last year. Palmegiani smashed 26 home runs and led the team with his .389 batting average and 1.388 OPS, eventually leading to him being drafted in the 14th round.

The righty-batter finished the 2021 season with the FCL Blue Jays in Rookie Ball, going 13 for 39 (.333) and adding two home runs and nine RBI compared to seven walks and nine strikeouts through 17 games while manning the hot corner to a .903 fielding percentage. The BC product also found himself in some Spring Training action earlier this week, hitting into a force out at second base during his only at-bat.

High-A Vancouver Canadians

Chad Dallas – RHP

Drafted by the Blue Jays in the fourth round, right-hander Chad Dallas started 21 games over the course of two seasons for the University of Tennesse. Dallas would author a 3.91 ERA through 124.1 innings, 103.0 of those coming last season (team-high) when he started 17 games for the Volunteers. The Texas product would finish his college career with a 10.4 K/9 and an impressive 1.9 BB/9, allowing only 26 walks as a member of the rotation.

Currently ranked as the Jays’ #22 prospect, this will be his first season of professional baseball as the organization did not have him report to an affiliate team after the season he had with Tennesee.

Hunter Gregory – RHP

A product of Old Dominion University, right-hander Hunter Gregory flirted with the Monarchs rotation during his first two years in the program before finally nailing down a spot in 2020 before the season was shut down due to COVID-19. In his junior year, he amassed a 2.95 ERA through 16 appearances, racking up 88 strikeouts through 79.1 innings of work.

Drafted in the eighth round, Gregory finished the year in Low-A Dunedin where a rough outing against the Tampa Tarpons to the tune of five earned runs saw his ERA inflate to 13.50 through six appearances out of the bullpen.

Riley Tirotta – 3B

A 12th round selection out of the University of Dayton, infielder Riley Tirotta spent four seasons with the Flyers and churned out an impressive senior campaign that saw the Indiana product slash .337/.451/.696 with 13 doubles, 16 home runs, and a 1.147 OPS that saw him earn All-Atlantic 10 Second Team honours.

Tirotta would finish the 2021 season in Low-A Dunedin where he would earn a .818 OPS through 95 at-bats, collecting one home run and 13 RBI. He also found himself in a Major League Spring Training game earlier this week, a fly ball to center field against veteran pitcher Shelby Miller with the New York Yankees.

Garret Spain – OF

A 15th round selection out of Austin Peay  State University, outfielder Garrett Spain split last season between college ball and summer league play in the MLB Draft League with the West Virginia Black Bears. He played well in both leagues, finishing with a .922 and .915 OPS respectively but had fewer at-bats with the Black Bears compared to his college ball (206 vs. 110).

After the draft, Spain split his time between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Dunedin, finishing with a combined .197/.227/.211 slash line with five RBI, 19 strikeouts and a .438 OPS.

Jimmy Burnette – LHP

After three years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus, southpaw Jimmy Burnette decided to transfer to St. Leo University and was eventually drafted in the 18th round by the Jays. At St. Leo, Burnette worked primarily as a starter and earned a 5.76 ERA through 45.1 innings of work.

After the draft, the Jays split his time between Rookie Ball and Low-A to finish out the season, with Burnette making ten appearances out of the bullpen.