Blue Jays’ 2026 draft class has early standouts and an even bigger debut to come

The Toronto Blue Jays brought in lots of new young faces into the organization after the 2026 MLB Draft. Some of the players already made their professional debuts after the draft. Others will get their first taste of pro-ball in 2027.

Even though there are some very small sample sizes to look at, the Blue Jays now have some actual data to comb over as they asses what they came away with last summer.

Cole Carlon’s 2027 debut headlines the Blue Jays’ next wave of prospects

Top picks to watch

Cole Carlon was the Blue Jays' top pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. The lefty was selected from Arizona State but did not appear in any games after the draft.

This was the same strategy they used for another top pick a couple of years ago, Trey Yesavage. They shut him down with the intention of increasing his workload the following season. The increased workload included making his Major League debut the following season, followed by several postseason starts and a dominant World Series start.

That is not to say that Carlon will be making starts for the Blue Jays in 2027, let alone in the World Series, but the Blue Jays are excited about Carlon's abilities. They were ecstatic that they nabbed the 26th ranked draft prospect (according to MLB Pipeline) with the 39th pick.

Will Brick was selected in the fourth round but did not make his debut. He signed for $2.5 million to forego his commitment with Mississippi State. There is a lot to be excited about with the young catcher as he was the top prep catcher in the class and the Blue Jays were able to sign him.

The Blue Jays are flushed with catchers. Alejandro Kirk and Brandon Valenzuela are mainstays in the Majors. The Blue Jays signed Juan Caricote for $1.8 million in January from the International Free Agent signing period. They gave out $998K to Franklin Rojas two years ago and looked improved in 2026. They also acquired Ryan Sprock from the Twins for Tommy Nance.

There will be no rush to push Brick aggressively with the catching depth they have at each level.

Already debuted

Ryan Cooney was selected in the third round and made his debut after the draft. In 23 games, he slashed .200/.311/.307 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and three stolen bases. He showed good plate discipline, but posted below average exit velocities.

Nolan Higgins, the fifth round pick appeared in seven games at Low-A Dunedin, he put up a 6.75 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. His fastball averaged 93.3 mph and showed good command, and induced weak contact and lots of ground balls.

Gable Mitchell was the sixth round selection and was sent to High-A Vancouver after the Draft. In 25 games, he hit .236/.367/.360 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and three stolen bases. He showed he had good plate discipline, did not swing and miss, and made lots of contact.

The seventh round selection went to Dean West. In 19 Low-A games, he put up a line of .244/.492/.317 with six RBI and three stolen bases. West was super passive at the plate, as he had a 5:17 strikeout to walk ratio and also had well below-average exit velocities.

Jake Bennett was one of the top performers coming out of the draft. The eighth round selection hit .278/.388/.639 with seven home runs, 22 RBI, and one stolen base. He hit for power (59.1% hard-hit rate), put up elite exit velocities (114.4 mph max EV), but also had lots of swing and miss (32.9% strikeout rate and 43.5% whiff rate).

There is a lot to like with Bennett. He offers power in a farm system that is sorely lacking power hitters. With the Blue Jays' shift towards lots of contact and low chase, Bennett sticks out from the bunch.

A good comparison for Bennett would be lefty slugger Sean Keys but with a worse hit tool. Both generate elite exit velocities, but Keys has shown more plate discipline throughout his career whereas Bennett will need to improve significantly if he wants to be a big leaguer.

Bryce Chance went in the 10th round and was assigned to Vancouver. The outfielder hit .236/324/.281 with 11 RBI and four stolen bases in 24 games. He made lots of contact and had good plate discipline with an 11:12 strikeout to walk ratio.

The 11th round pick went to Brayden Martin. In 21 games with Dunedin, he slashed .222/.453/.222 with six RBI and four stolen bases. The third baseman offered little swing and miss, made lots of contact, but had non-existent power.

Landon Waters was the 17th round selection by the Blue Jays. He was assigned to Dunedin where he had a 5.40 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in nine games. He showed he was capable of landing his pitches in the zone and strike out hitters, but his fastball sat at 92.7 mph.

Yet to debut

Joey Urban, Santiago Garcia, Mathias Nayral, Connor Kelley, Oliver de la Torre, Carson Cormier, and Eddie Rosado Jr. were selected in the ninth round or later. Outside of Urban and Rosado Jr., after long seasons with their schools the Blue Jays shut down the pitchers in order to prepare them for 2027. Out of the entire group, Rosado Jr. was the only player selected out of high school.

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