Blue Jays gamble on this prospect paying early dividends, while getting rave reviews

You could say every player your team drafts is considered a gamble. Especially in baseball when the learning curve from high school or college to the pros is incredibly steep. But for 19-year-old Blaine Bullard, he's hit the ground running in his short time as a pro. The Blue Jays felt incredibly strong about Bullard's abilities that they went outside the box to sign him, and it seems to be working out so far.

Blaine Bullard hits first professional home run, coaches love his game

Bullard was drafted in the 12th round of last years draft and ended up signing for $1.6 million which was the largest bonus ever given to a player in that round. Not only was the financial term perceived as a gamble but drafting him at all was also a shot in the dark considering he had a strong commitment to Texas A&M. But the mutual admiration for the switch-hitting outfielder has only grown since they signed on the dotted line, as Bullard came into his first pro-season with 15 pounds of muscle packed on and an eagerness to display his talents.

His prospect profile shows that he has plus speed that he can utilize on the bases and in the outfield - where he also has good instincts as a center fielder, but has average arm strength. At the plate, the Blue Jays like his bat-to-ball skills from both sides of the dish and is developing into a strong gap-to-gap hitter. Earlier this week, he showed that he's also got some power when he hit his first pro-baseball home run

Dunedin Manager Ryan Casteel says Bullard has been a welcomed addition to the team. He spoke to Dunedin Blue Jays social media and says, "He had a solid spring and he's just been aggressive, he plays with his hair of fire. There's going to be some ups and downs, naturally as there is with any 19-year-old kid out of high school, but he's got the compete factor and he does things already that are hard to teach. I fought for him, and a lot of people in the organization fought for him to be here."

Bullard is the No. 15 ranked prospect on the Blue Jays Top 30 list. Through his first four games (through Apr. 12) Bullard has three hits in 12 at-bats including a home run and a triple with four RBIs. He's been perfect in the outfield with eight putouts and a 1.000% fielding percentage. The native of Houston, Texas says he also got the ball back as one of his teammates ran out to get it after it went over the wall. A nice keep sake for what will be many big hits in his career with the Blue Jays.