Best Blue Jays players drafted during the Ross Atkins era

Being able to draft good players is the key to success for any Major League Baseball team. By adding strong prospects into the system as a result of it, those same prospects could eventually help the organization in more ways than one. They can develop and become future impactful players for the franchise or they can become valuable trade chips that the organization can use to help further improve the team.

For the Toronto Blue Jays, general manager Ross Atkins had been at the helm for almost a decade now for the franchise. In doing so, he has gone through nine drafts for the Blue Jays already. With the 2025 MLB Draft set to take place this Sunday, let’s take a look back at some of the best players selected by Toronto during the Ross Atkins era.

Best Blue Jays players drafted during the Ross Atkins era

Alan Roden, 2022 – Third round

As the youngest player on this list, many may have forgotten that outfielder Alan Roden was actually drafted by the Jays just three years ago. But from Day One after joining the organization, Roden has shown that he has the drive and ability to fast-track to the big leagues with his strong work ethic. Now just three years later, he has proven exactly that as he made his MLB debut with Toronto this season. Although Roden had hit only .206 with 12 runs scored, one home run and eight RBIs in 42 games of action, he still managed to put a lot of his skill set on full display both at the plate and on the field.

Roden may still need some fine-tuning in the minors before he eventually becomes a full-time player with the Jays. But with a career .302 average, .868 OPS, along with 195 runs scored, 30 home runs, 165 RBIs and 46 stolen bases in 286 career games in the minors, let’s just say it shouldn’t take him too long before he makes his way back to the big league club on a permanent basis.

Spencer Horwitz, 2019 – 24th round

There usually aren’t too many gems that could be found in the later rounds of the draft. But the Jays managed to unearth one back in 2019 during the 24th round when they selected Spencer Horwitz. Despite being under-the-radar due to his draft position, Horwitz had massive gains in his growth and development over the years that ultimately paved his way to the major leagues. Known primarily for his bat, Horwitz made his debut with the Jays in 2023 and eventually became more a regular during the 2024 season. That year, he put together a solid campaign by batting .265 with a .790 OPS, along with 46 runs scored, 19 doubles, 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 97 games played.

In doing so, Horwitz became a valuable trade chip in helping the Jays land Andrés Giménez and Nick Sandlin this past offseason. Now currently playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Horwitz aims to carve out a solid MLB career with an everyday role with the NL Central squad.

Davis Schneider, 2017 – 28th round

As for another late round spectacular for Atkins, he was able to nab Davis Schneider in the 28th round in 2017. Schneider will forever be in Jays’ lore with his resounding, record-setting MLB debut against the Boston Red Sox back in August of 2023. In the end, he finished the 2023 season with strong numbers across the board, posting a .276 average, 1.008 OPS, with 23 runs scored, eight home runs and 20 RBIs in 35 games played.

However, after struggling for much of the latter parts of his 2024 campaign, Schneider had a similar slow start to his 2025 year as well. But since being recalled in June, he has gradually made himself a player of relevance once again, amassing a .259 average, .828 OPS, along with 10 runs scored, three home runs and eight RBIs in just 20 games of action. As a fan favourite in Toronto, Schneider will aim to extend his legacy as long as he can in a Jays’ uniform.

Nate Pearson, 2017 – First round 

Perhaps one of the most hyped prospects in the Jays’ system during the past decade, Nate Pearson had all the makings of becoming an elite front end starter for Toronto for many years to come. Equipped with an electric fastball that could hit triple digits, he was at o e time among one of the top prospects in all of baseball. However, some ill-timed injuries along with inconsistencies in his command helped beset his once-promising career.

Nevertheless, working primarily as a reliever with the Jays, Pearson was still able to provide flashes of brilliance by registering a 7-4 record with 130 strikeouts in just 115 2/3 total innings pitched over 93 appearances with Toronto. At just the young age of 28, he is currently trying to find his footing once again with the Chicago Cubs. But once he does, Pearson could become one of those late bloomers providing tremendous value heading into the next part of his professional baseball career. 

Cavan Biggio, 2016 – Fifth round

Although things may not have worked out in the end, Cavan Biggio did make some strong contributions to the organization during his six-year tenure with Toronto. As it turned out, Biggio actually had his best season with the Jays in his rookie season back in 2019. In 100 games, he batted .234 with a .793 OPS, along with 66 runs scored, 17 doubles, 16 home runs, 48 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. With his solid offensive numbers, along with his speed, defense and ability to play multiple positions in the field well, Biggio appeared to have a bright future ahead with Toronto at the time.

Unfortunately, he was never able to recapture that same magic in his subsequent years. Nevertheless, Biggio still put up 246 runs scored, 48 home runs and 176 RBIs in 490 career games with the Jays and gave it his all whenever he played. Currently, he hopes to resurrect his career with the Kansas City Royals organization.

Alek Manoah, 2019 – First round 

As perhaps Atkins’ best first round selection during his time with Toronto, Alek Manoah burst onto the scene and immediately made an impact with the Jays after minimal time spent in the minor leagues. Following an impressive 2021 rookie campaign in which he compiled a stellar 9-2 record with a 3.22 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, Manoah was even better during his sophomore season with Toronto in 2022. That year, the stud right-hander posted an elite 16-7 record, 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, along with 180 strikeouts in 196 2/3 innings pitched to become a first-time All-Star and finished third in AL Cy Young voting to Justin Verlander. In doing so, Manoah had propelled himself into ace-like status with the Jays.

However, his subsequent seasons that followed were filled with inconsistencies with his command and control along with injury woes, including undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. As Manoah appears to be on his way back in the coming month, he will look to regain his prior dominant form and prove once again he can be one of the best in the league.

Addison Barger, 2018 – Sixth round

It sure took a little while for Addison Barger to fully realize his potential. But after a few less-than-stellar major league stints with the Jays during the past couple of seasons, Barger has finally broken through to become the elite offensive contributor that many had hoped he would develop into this year for Toronto. In 68 games to date, the 25-year-old utilityman has batted a solid .268 with an .842 OPS, along with 36 runs scored, 21 doubles, 12 home runs and 38 RBIs.

More importantly, Barger appears to be getting better and better by the day. On top of that, he has shown his defensive versatility by playing effectively both at third base and in right field, including leading the AL with six outfield assists in just 27 games. Having drawn comparisons to former Jays’ superstar Josh Donaldson based on social media, it looks more and more like Toronto has found the “next one” for the franchise.

Bo Bichette, 2016 – Second round

Finally, without question as of this moment, Atkins’ biggest find in the draft has to be star shortstop Bo Bichette from way back in 2016. Surprisingly, Bichette was actually available in the second round that year and Atkin made sure he wasn’t going to be passed up anymore. From that point on, he was destined for stardom with the Jays. In his seven seasons with Toronto so far, the 27-year-old shortstop has been a two-time All-Star while sporting a career .288 average, .791 OPS, and averaging close to 25 home runs and 90 RBIs per season over a full 162-game schedule pace. In addition, Bichette had led the AL in hits in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

His 2024 down season is certainly turning out to be an outlier now as he appears back in full force once again this year. Whether Bichette remains a Blue Jay following the conclusion of his 2025 campaign remains in question. But one thing is for sure, he has been one of the top contributors for Toronto during the Atkins era.