3 recent draft picks the Blue Jays got right, and 2 they will regret

As the 2023 MLB Draft approaches - July 9 through July 11 - fans are ready to welcome new, exciting prospects to their teams’ systems, though the vast majority of them never make it onto the field at the major league level. Taking a chance on kids playing against either in high school or college level competition comes with inherent risk, as each prospect typically needs years of development before cracking a major league lineup. That development takes its own path and often prospects fail to live up to the perceived hype around them before contributing at the highest level. Let’s take a look at three recent Blue Jays draft selections that they got right, and two selections that they might regret.

3 recent draft picks the Blue Jays got right, and 2 they will regret

Bo Bichette - 2nd round - 2016

The Blue Jays selected Bo Bichette 66th overall out of Lakewood HS (FL) in the 2016 MLB Draft, and he made his Major League debut three seasons later in 2019. He tore up the minors with a career .321 AVG and .894 OPS, and was clearly ready for his call up as he impressed with 11 home runs, a .311 AVG and .930 OPS as a 21-year-old rookie. Bichette has developed into one of the best hitters in the league after leading the American League in base hits in both of the previous two seasons. Finding a perennial All-Star such as Bichette in the second round is a home run pick and one from which the team has reaped benefits ever since he made the Blue Jays lineup. Not much else to say about Bo other than that star power outside of the first round of the draft does not come by often, and this pick was a steal!

Verdict: Got it right.