Blue Jays double down on position players during middle rounds of 2026 MLB Draft

The Toronto Blue Jays selected two pitchers in the first five rounds of the 2026 MLB draft. Cole Carlon (first-round No. 39 overall) and Nolan Higgins (fifth-round No. 164 overall). But they decided to go with position players in every other round up through the tenth round. On Day 1 they also picked up Ryan Cooney (third-round, No. 103) a versatile infielder from the Oregon Ducks and catcher Will Brick (fourth-round, No. 131 overall) from Christian Brothers High School in Tennessee.

Joining that group is a shortstop, a catcher and three outfielders. All five players were taken from the college ranks with four of them in their senior years and one in their junior year.

Blue Jays believing in their development strategy on Day 2 of 2026 MLB Draft

In the sixth round (No. 193) , the Blue Jays selected shortstop Gable Mitchell out of Iowa State. The switch-hitter stands at five-foot-nine and 185-pounds and displayed great bat-to-ball skills during his time with the Hawkeyes.

He earned second-team All-Big Ten honours by hitting .360 with 82 hits, 59 runs scored and 43 RBIs in 56 games. He also impressed on the defensive side, committing just one error in 207 chances. Although some scouts believe he'll likely transition to second base by the time he gets to the big leagues.

Mitchell's hitting improved each year he played at Iowa, going from a .293 average with an .834 OPS in 2024, to .329 and .897 last year, to .360 and .987 this year. He also showed some speed on the bases by swiping 13, 12, and 14 bases each year respectively.

In the seventh round the Blue Jays selected Dean West, an outfielder out of UCLA. He was the team's leadoff hitter and slashed .277/.418/.417 with seven home runs, 11 stolen bases and had 37 walks compared to 33 strikeouts in 58 games.

The left-handed hitter is somewhat undersized for an outfielder at five-foot-nine and 185-pounds but he fits what the Blue Jays are looking for in their outfielders profiles; a lefty swinger with contact skills.

The eighth round brought them Jake Bennett (No. 252 overall), a 22-year-old catcher out of Dallas Baptist University. The six-foot-two, 231-pounder was a monster at the plate. He hit .346/.475/.776 with a 1.250 OPS in 43 games. He smashed 19 home runs and drove in 53 RBIs with the Patriots and consistently had hits with high exit velocities.

There's a thought that Bennett could transition to first base or even be more well suited to be a full-time designated hitter, but time will tell on whether the right-handed hitter can stick behind the dish in the pro-ball ranks.

Outfielder Joey Urban was taken in the ninth-round (No. 282 overall) out of the University of Southern Mississippi where the 22-year-old just finished his senior season. The right-handed hitter is listed at six-foot and 190-pounds.

He was unranked on MLB Pipeline's top draft prospects list but that doesn't mean there aren't things to like about him. He hit .320/.426/.574 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs in 61 games tis past season. He also walked 38 times compared to 41 strikeouts.

Rounding out the first ten rounds for the Blue Jays was another outfielder, Bryce Chance (tenth-round, No. 312) a senior out of Mississippi State. He became a fan favourite thanks to his unique story of making the team as a walk on, but didn't play at all in his freshman season.

At five-foot-ten and 180-pounds, Chance only had 14 home runs in his college career, but also slashed .324/.408/.451 with 237 hits in 217 games played. his .349 batting average led the Bulldogs in 2026 and ranked seventh in the SEC. He also stole 13 bases, walked 26 times and strikeout just 18 times in 209 at-bats.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow