Grading the last 5 Toronto Blue Jays first-round picks 

With the 2024 MLB Draft set to take place starting Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas, the Toronto Blue Jays are slated to pick 20th during the first round. The Blue Jays have actually had the luxury of picking in the top 20 for five of the past six seasons despite making the postseason on three separate occasions. In doing so, it ensured that they had the opportunity to restock their farm system with some quality players with hopes to maintain longer-term success.

In preparation for the highly-anticipated annual event on Sunday, let’s take a look back at the Blue Jays’ past five first-round selections. In addition, we will grade them based on how they have performed to date and the potential impact that they had brought to the team where applicable.

2019 – P Alek Manoah

Prior to his disastrous 2023 MLB season, no one would have argued that Alek Manoah was perhaps the Jays best first round pick of the 21st century. That was because his ascension into an elite star player happened over just a very short amount of time. After logging just 35 professional baseball innings, Manoah impressed enough to earn his promotion to the big leagues. From there, he did not intend to look back. 

After a breakout rookie season in 2021 in which he went 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, he followed it up with a Cy Young-calibre 2022 season by posting a stellar 16-7 record with a minuscule 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP with 180 strikeouts in 196.2 innings pitched. However, Manoah had a forgettable 2023 season where his control and command fell completely apart, leading to a horrific 5.89 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in 19 starts. On top of that, he needed stints in the minors to work on his game and was ultimately shut down towards the end of the season to put out his misery.

2024 was suppose to be a redemption year for Manoah. When things appeared to be heading in the right direction, it was abruptly halted by an UCL injury in his right elbow that required season-ending surgery. As of now, the Jays are unsure whether or not they still have the 2021-22 version of Manoah in their hands. Nevertheless, his brief promising outings from 2024 certainly presented some optimism. But until he can prove again that he can consistently be the Manoah of old, he averages out to a respectable C based on his overall performance.

Grade: C