Blue Jays missed two chances in the 2022 draft to change their AL East rival's future.

Roman Anthony has been a top prospect in the Boston Red Sox farm system since his 2022 draft selection. His call-up was a matter of when, not if, this season, and Wilyer Abreu's trip to the injured list opened a spot for the top prospect. The outfielder was the 79th pick in the 2022 draft, and the two picks before him belonged to the Blue Jays. Toronto whiffed not once, but twice on a chance to grab a potential superstar and neither player they picked looks like they will reach the same status any time soon.

Who did the Blue Jays select ahead of Roman Anthony in that draft?

The Blue Jays selected Tucker Toman with the 77th pick. Toman is a utility infielder committed to playing at LSU before being drafted from Hammond High School in Columbia, South Carolina. The 21-year-old has struggled mightily in the minors over the last four seasons.

He has spent the last three seasons in Single-A Dunedin, where he has hit .222/.316/.324 with 11 home runs, 110 runs, and 111 runs knocked in. A significant issue Toman is facing at the plate is his discipline. He's walked 5.3 percent over his four years in the minors and struck out 33 percent.

On defense over these four seasons, he's primarily played third base with a fielding percentage over .950. He's also played second base and shortstop in his career, but he's focused on third base this season when not filling the designated hitter role. Toman still has lots of work to do before he gets his chance at the big leagues, but he may need to focus on a new position before moving up. With Addison Barger's recent success at the hot corner, Toman likely will need to concentrate on shortstop, which, with Bo Bichete's future up in the air, could be sooner rather than later if the Blue Jays fifth-ranked prospect can prove he's ready.

One selection later, with the 78th pick, the Blue Jays took Cade Doughty out of LSU. Doughty is another utility infielder but has been slightly more successful at the plate than Toman.

Doughty has bounced around Single- and Double-A since being drafted, where he's hit .259/.335/.424 with 27 home runs, scored 109 runs, and knocked in 115. Although, 18 of those home runs came in one season (2023) with Advanced-A Vancouver.

That season's power production was a surprise, as he never hit more than 15 home runs at LSU. The power increase, according to FanGraphs, can be attributed to his flyball percentage increasing by 3.3 percent, and the righty pulled the ball by 2.8 percent more. After this season, a nagging shoulder injury halted the 24-year-old's progression, causing him to miss the first half of 2024.

Doughty's flyball percentage has decreased since his injury, possibly due to him getting comfortable with his swing after the injury or a mechanic tweak. The rate dropped to 34.4 and 28.9 during the last two seasons. During this time, Doughty has become a consistent contact hitter. His 29.7 strikeout percentage in 2023 has decreased to 20.3 percent this season.

Defensively, Doughty is rotating between second and third base. He will still spend a few more seasons in the minors, but second base is likely his most straightforward path to the big leagues when his time comes.

How do Toman and Doughty compare to Anthony?

This will be painful for us, Blue Jays fans, to read. Since being drafted, Anthony has crushed the ball in the minor leagues. He's hit .285/.402/.477 with 42 home runs, scored 223 runs, knocked in 170, and has 41 stolen bases. Anthony can play all three outfield positions and would have given the Blue Jays a massive offensive boost over older prospects Nathan Lukes, Jonatan Clase, and Alan Roden.
The 21-year-old outfielder is the definition of a five-tool player and could be a thorn in the side for the Blue Jays for years to come as a member of the Red Sox.

In the short term, the Red Sox got the best results from these three 2022 draft picks by a landslide. However, we must wait a few seasons to see the long-term effects. Before we hear their names join the Blue Jays, Toman, and Doughty still have much work to do, but they could provide successful MLB careers in the future.