Blue Jays: Areas to focus on with their first pick at the 2022 MLB Draft

After posting a 91-71 record last season, the Toronto Blue Jays own the 23rd overall pick in the upcoming 2022 MLB Draft, slated to take place on July 17th. The Jays’ overall bonus pool balance is $8,367,700 and they own four picks before round #3 begins, as they gained picks #77 and #78 after Marcus Semien and Robbie Ray turned down their respective qualifying offers and signed elsewhere this past offseason.

With so many high picks in the earlier rounds, the Blue Jays will need to balance their budget accordingly through the 20-round process, potentially similar to their 2018 draft strategy when they selected Jordan Groshans with their first pick, signed him for under slot value, and then used those savings on teammate Adam Kloffenstein in the third round.

MLB teams are allowed to go over their allotted bonus pools and are taxed 75% on the overage if they outspend within the 0-5%. While no team in history has gone past the 5% line, any team that wishes to do so will be taxed and lose future draft picks depending on how far they outspend their bonus pool allotment.

The Toronto Blue Jays have 22 picks at the 2022 MLB Draft, and four before round #3 begins, with lots of opportunities to add to the prospect pool and the organizational depth.

Last year, the Blue Jays lost their second-round pick after signing George Springer to a long-term deal and signed 17 of 19 drafted players, with Micah Bucknam and Luke Holman deciding to pursue post-secondary opportunities. The club has already traded away first-round selection Gunnar Hoglund earlier this year in the Matt Chapman deal, but the club snagged some solid prospects in Ricky Tiedemann, Chad Dallas, Irv Carter, and Hayden Juenger amongst others.

Taking into consideration the current Blue Jays roster and organizational depth, let’s take a look at some possible areas or positions the front office could focus on this year when it comes to their first-round selection.