5 early Blue Jays 2024 draft targets

Toronto Blue Jays
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Jonathan Santucci (Duke)
21 y.o / LHP / SP

Santucci represents a lot of what the Blue Jays seem to like in pitching prospects. They've been all over lefties with good sliders and Santucci is just that. He's yet to surrender a run in his 17.0 IP this year.

Santucci typically sits in the 94-95 MPH range with his fastball. The pitch had a great 30% whiff rate in 2023 as it seemingly jumps on hitters thanks to it's riding life and his ability to locate it up in the zone. His slider got whiffs on half the swings it caused in 2023 and it's looked just as dominant if not more in 2024. Santucci adds on an above average changeup. He can sell it well and kills lots of spin on it.

With the chance for three above-average offerings, there's plenty to like in Santucci's arsenal. The big question heading into 2023 was innings. There's a long way to go but a healthy and productive 2024 with manageable walk rates makes him an option for the Jays and other interested teams in this range.

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