Blue Jays select Oregon Ducks versatile infielder Ryan Cooney in third round of 2026 MLB Draft

The Toronto Blue Jays are sticking with the formula that has worked over the last few years. The trend of going after pitchers and middle infielders early in the draft has continued into 2026 with the selection of Ryan Cooney, a versatile infielder who comes out of the Oregon Ducks program.

Cooney was taken in the third round for Toronto (No. 103 overall) after they selected Cole Carlon with their first pick (No. 39 overall), a tall left-handed pitcher out of Arizona State.

Cooney was taken a little higher than expected on the pre-draft boards. The 21-year-old was ranked as the 137th best prospect in this year's draft by MLB Pipeline and 175th by Baseball America. The six-foot, 195-pound right-handed hitter played second base, third base and shortstop this year while showcasing an extremely effective eye at the plate. He struck out only 35 times while slashing .331/.420/.524, while leading the Ducks with 82 hits, 22 doubles and 31 extra-base hits. He also stole 13 bases.

Cooney also earned All-Big ten honours and a spot on the Eugene Regional all-tournament team. He joins a former Oregon shortstop already in the system in Josh Kasevich, who impressed in spring training with the Blue Jays this past year and could be on the cusp of his MLB debut at some point this season.

Blue Jays stocking up on middle infield prospects working right now

Cooney will be battling some stiff competition internally in order to achieve his big league dreams. Outside of his fellow Ducks alumni in Kasevich, the Blue Jays currently boast two middle infield prospects as the top players in their farm system. JoJo Parker (No. 1) and Arjun Nimmala (No. 2) are expected to be a part of that next competitive Blue Jays core, and they both just happen to be shortstops.

That makes Cooney's versatility intriguing for the Blue Jays as he is used to moving around the infield. Being adaptable paid off for him as he was the starting shortstop for the Ducks before losing that role to Maddox Molony, but was thrust back into the lineup when he took the reigns of the every day role at second base.

But some scouts think he could still play short with enough development time. Meanwhile, his hit-over-power profile feels like it will play well in this Blue Jays' system. His low strikeout rate combined with his ability to barrel the ball and showcase above-average speed are things the Blue Jays are trying to develop more and more in the hitters coming up to the big league level. That speed also plays on the base paths, another skill that the Blue Jays have lacked at the big league level for quite some time.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow