Complete recap of the Blue Jays 2024 MLB Draft picks

18th round: Holden Wilkerson
Position: SP
School: Virginia Military Institute
B/T: R/R
Age: 21

Thanks to a blood clot in his pitching arm, Wilkerson's 2024 season was limited to just four starts. In that time, he posted a 1-2 record with a 7.85 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 18.1 innings of work. As his high school career came to a close, Wilkerson sat between 89 and 92 mph on his four-seam fastball. Today? It's up to 96.

17th round: Gavin Smith
Position: SS
School: Valley Christian High School (Arizona)
B/T: R/R
Age: 18

Smith is a bit of an unknown, as there isn't much public information available on him. He's a two-time Arizona Offensive Player of the Year winner and is coming off of an incredible 30-game showing in his senior year. Smith posted a .472 batting average with 21 walks versus nine strikeouts, driving in 40 runs and scoring 51 of his own.

16th round: Colby Martin
Position: RP
School: Southeastern University
B/T: R/R
Age: 23

An infielder up until last season, Martin was drafted as a relief pitcher by the Blue Jays. He made 17 collegiate relief appearances in 2024, posting a 4.41 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 11 walks in 16.1 innings. He has a past Tommy John surgery under his belt already and a deal with the Padres last year fell through because of it, but his fastball has hit 102 mph and he's got a 12-6 curveball that pairs nicely with the heater.

15th round: Jonathan Todd
Position: RP
School: Western Carolina University
B/T: L/R
Age: 22

Another relief pitcher, Todd struck out over 12 batters per nine innings in his last year in college. The right-hander is the fourth player ever to be taken by the Blue Jays out of WCU. 2024 was his first year as a back-end reliever and he earned seven saves along the way with a 4.00 ERA in 36 innings, making himself a potential future closer.

14th round: J.R. Freethy
Position: OF
School: University of Nevada
B/T: S/R
Age: 21

Freethy is an interesting utility player who swings the bat from both sides and has double-digit home run potential. In 2024, he appeared in 51 games, hitting 10 home runs with 37 RBI while also walking (35) more than striking out (31). His .994 OPS is another noteworthy stat, and it's easily the highest he had in his collegiate career. Defensively, he seems to be more of an outfielder than anything else, but he also has recent appearances at second base, third base and shortstop.

13th round: Brock Tibbitts
Position: C/1B
School: Indiana University
B/T: R/R
Age: 21

Tibbitts is one of six Hoosiers (the most of an Big Ten conference team) selected in this year's MLB Draft. He at one point made 149 straight starts in college, but that streak ended in April when he sustained a meniscus injury. Still, he appeared in 46 games, hitting 18 extra-base hits with a .303 batting average and .875 OPS. He has experience behind the plate, at first base and the corner outfield, but it sounds like he's joining the Blue Jays as a primary catcher.

12th round: Carson Messina
Position: SP
School: Summerville High School (South Carolina)
B/T: R/R
Age: 18

Messina seemed destined to fulfill his commitment to the University of South Carolina, but he is instead signing with the Blue Jays to being his pro career. The right-hander was considered one of the top pitching prospects in the state this past season and relies heavily upon a mid-to-upper-90s fastball and mid-80s slider. In his senior year, he struck out 33 of the 75 batters he faced, which should say a lot about whether he's ready to take his game to the next level or not.

11th round: Troy Guthrie
Position: SP
School: Parish Community High School (Florida)
B/T: R/R
Age: 18

Guthrie has added five miles per hour to his four-seam fastball over the past few years and feels like a good bet to further that once he turns pro. Last year, he made the Florida All-State first team thanks to a miniscule 0.44 ERA and 121 strikeouts in just 63 innings of work.

10th round: Carter Cunningham
Position: OF
School: East Carolina University
B/T: L/R
Age: 23

Cunningham looked highly impressive in his 2024 collegiate season, hitting 17 home runs while driving in 66 runs and scoring 77 of his own. He drew as many walks as strikeouts (38) and had a jaw-dropping 1.118 OPS. Reports have surfaced that he's already signed with the Blue Jays, and that he's going to join the organization strictly as an outfielder after playing 60 games at first base for ECU last year.

9th round: Colby Holcombe
Position: RP
School: Mississippi State University
B/T: R/R
Age: 21

At first glance, Holcombe and his 10.38 ERA last year don't exactly instill a ton of confidence. However, the Blue Jays were attracted to his strikeout stuff (11.6 K/9 in 21.2 innings) and believe he could turn into a solid back-end reliever with some seasoning in the minors. He's regarded as a quick learner and an information sponge and it should be noted that he cut his walk rate in half from 2023 to 2024.

8th round: Eddie Micheletti Jr.
Position: OF
School: Virginia Tech University
B/T: L/R
Age: 22

Micheletti, like many others on this list, has an excellent eye at the plate (48 walks in 2024 vs. 32 strikeouts) and was an on-base machine this past season for Virginia Tech. He is regarded as more of a bat than a glove, but he can fake it in right field on a semi-regular basis. He gives the Blue Jays another intriguing offensive profile.

7th round: Austin Cates
Position: SP
School: University of Nevada
B/T: L/R
Age: 21

Cates wound up making just 14 starts in his college career, but they were good ones. He struck out 107 batters (10.7 K/9) while walking just 15 (1.5 BB/9) in 90.1 innings of work, posting a 4.08 ERA in the process. His strikeout-to-walk ratio led the conference, as did his total strikeouts. The Blue Jays went pretty pitcher-heavy here in an effort to restock the cupboards down in the minors, but Cates looks like one of the more solid selections in the class.

6th round: Aaron Parker
Position: C
School: University of California, Santa Barbara
B/T: R/R
Age: 21

Parker, much like Tibbitts, gives the Blue Jays a power-hitting catcher, but Parker got on base a whole lot more this past season. In 48 games, he hit 12 home runs with 51 RBI, a .379 batting average and a 1.091 OPS. He stands at just 5-foot-9, which continues the Blue Jays' trend of landing short catchers. Defensively, his strong throwing arm is a positive trait of his, as he threw out 46 percent of would-be base stealers last year.

5th round: Jackson Wentworth
Position: SP
School: Kansas State University
B/T: R/R
Age: 21

Yet another young pitcher, Wentworth only just recently returned from Tommy John surgery but he looked sharp in 87 innings this year, spending time in both the rotation and the bullpen. There are some that believe he could be a top-shelf reliever down the line, as he has four pitches he leans on, but it sounds like the plan, at least to start with, is for him to develop as a starting pitcher.

Compensation round: Nick Mitchell
Position: OF
School: Indiana University
B/T: L/R
Age: 20

Mitchell joins the Blue Jays as a compensation pick the club received after Matt Chapman's departure. In his lone season at Indiana, he hit .335 and walked (40) more than he struck out (36) and is considered a strong base-stealer. Mitchell has experience all around the outfield but he was primarily used as a right fielder last season.

4th round: Sean Keys
Position: 3B
School: Bucknell University
B/T: L/R
Age: 21

Keys is known for his offensive prowess more than anything else. Last year for Bucknell, he hit 13 home runs with 57 RBI in just 46 games. He also hit .405 with a 1.333 OPS, leading the league in hits and doubles while ranking second in RBI and third in home runs. He's another player that has a strong eye at the plate, and while he's tabbed as a third baseman for now, his future landing spot is surely on the other side of the diamond at first.

3rd round: Johnny King
Position: SP
School: Naples High School (Florida)
B/T: L/L
Age: 17

King is a left-handed starter who has "potential plus stuff", and is seen by many as one of the early-draft steals by the Blue Jays. He stands at 6-foot-4 and is already reaching up to 95 mph on his four-seam fastball. As a senior in high school, King went 8-1 with a miniscule 0.73 ERA while striking out 110 batters in just 47.2 innings of work. That'll play.

2nd round: Khal Stephen
Position: SP
School: Mississippi State University
B/T: R/R
Age: 20

Ranked at No. 88 out of MLB Pipeline's top 250 draft prospects, Stephen went 8-3 with a 3.28 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 96 innings last year for the Bulldogs. MLB's Jim Callis said, "In terms of having a feel for four different pitches, I think he was one of the better pitchers in college baseball. His fastball, curveball, slider and changeup are all effective and he throws strikes." He was a high-leverage reliever for Purdue in the recent past, but he made the transition to MSU ace in a short time and is surely a starting pitching prospect to keep an eye on moving forward.

1st round: Trey Yesavage
Position: SP
School: East Carolina University
B/T: R/R
Age: 20

Yesavage landed at No. 11 in MLB Pipeline's top 250 and is widely regarded as one of the top steals of the draft. The Blue Jays made out good with this pick, as Yesavage had a 2.03 ERA with 145 strikeouts in 93.1 innings this past season, which is especially solid since he pitched in such an offense-heavy environment. Jays Journal prospect guru Matthew Rowell has a great, in-depth analysis of Yesavage here.