Scouting reports on all 19 Blue Jays draft picks from the 2023 MLB Draft

The MLB Draft marks a thrilling period for both aspiring players and teams, as it opens doors for promising new talents to joining teams' farm systems. The Blue Jays welcomed 19 new prospects from this draft class, hailing from diverse backgrounds: four from high school, two from Junior College, and 13 from College. MLB.com's scouting grades, ranging from 20 to 80, provide valuable insights into each prospect's projected development. A grade of 20-30 indicates well below average potential, 40 suggests below average, 50 represents an average outlook, 60 signifies above average, and 70-80.

Round 1 (20) - SS Arjun Nimmala - Strawberry Crest High School (FL)

The Blue Jays selected Arjun Nimmala as their first pick making him the only first-generation Indian American drafted in the MLB. The 17-year-old batted .479 with six home runs as a senior in high school this year, and has committed to play for the Florida State Seminoles for next season. When speaking about himself, he’s described his approach at the plate as “patient aggressive,” and has already shown the ability to be selective at the plate and to use the entire field.

MLB.com’s prospect rankings had Nimmala as the 11th overall prospect and the second best Shortstop in the class, creating good value for where the Blue Jays selected him. He’s also been given a hit grade of 50, a power grade of 55, a run grade of 50, an arm grade of 55, a field grade of 50 and an overall grade of 55. Nimmala has the ability to develop into a five-tool player offensively, and a solid defensive shortstop as well. Every top draft prospect seems promising at the time, but must develop their skills and are years away from cracking a major league lineup, but Nimmala has great potential and looks to be a good draft choice.

Round 3 (89) - P Juaron Watts-Brown - Oklahoma State

Juaron Watts-Brown was selected 89th overall after two seasons with two different schools at the college level. He played the 2022 season with the Long Beach State Dirtbags, where he threw the first complete no-hitter in program history, before transferring to Oklahoma State for this past season. Watts-Brown has a very talented arm evident by his 13.6 K/9 rate across 155.2 college innings.

He does however struggle with his overall command of his pitches, much like many young pitchers coming out of high school or college. MLB.com ranked him as the 67th overall prospect prior to the draft, including a fastball grade of 50, a curveball grade of 55, a slider grade of 60, changeup grade of 50, control grade of 45 and an overall grade of 50. The 21-year-old has great stuff and has plenty of time to refine his command and further develop more life on his fastball. 

Round 4 (121) - P Landon Maroudis - Calvary Christian High School (FL)

Landon Maroudis was selected 121st overall out of Calvary Christian High School in Florida. He stands 6’3 and has reached 96 MPH with his fastball and has shown solid control of his off-speed pitches as well. The right-hander has displayed great athleticism as a two-way player in high school though his best path to the major leagues would be to focus solely on his pitching. MLB.com ranked him as the 72nd prospect prior to the draft, including grades of 55 for his fastball, 50 for the slider, 55 for the changeup, 50 for control and an overall grade of 50. He is committed to play for the North Carolina State Wolfpack next season, but he will have to choose between the NCAA or the professional minor leagues, but it seems like there is great value and upside with this prospect.

Round 5 (157) - P Connor O’Halloran - Michigan

Connor O’Halloran was selected 157th overall from the University of Michigan, and is from Mississauga, Ontario. The hometown kid is a finesse style pitcher that doesn’t possess explosive pitches, topping out at 93 MPH with his fastball, though his sweeping slider provides great deception, allowing for his fastball to feel faster than it actually is. He owned an ERA of 4.11 with 110 strikeouts over 103 innings. MLB.com is projecting to become a back-end rotation arm and was ranked as the 164th prospect prior to the draft, with a fastball grade of 45, a slider grade of 55, a changeup grade of 50, a control grade of 55 and overall grade of 40. He has a ways to go of course, but he has great intangibles and should develop nicely.

Round 6 (184) - OF Jace Bohrofen - Arkansas

Jace Bohrofen was selected 184th overall from the University of Arkansas, where he hit .318 with 16 home runs and 52 RBI in 60 games this past season. He hits the ball extremely hard and has shown the ability to drive the ball in the air to all parts of the field. He’s also shown great improvements during his time in college raising both his slugging percentage and OPS each season. He has raw power and is developing a more disciplined approach at the plate, while also playing an average corner outfield position. MLB.com ranked him as the 66th prospect prior to the draft, with a hit grade of 50, power grade of 55, run grade of 45, arm grade of 50, field grade of 50 and an overall grade of 50. For a sixth round selection, Bohrofen has a chance to rise through the system rather quickly.

Round 7 (214) - SS Nick Goodwin - Kansas State

Nick Goodwin was selected 214th overall from Kansas State University, where he spent three years and played four different positions. During his final season last, he hit 12 home runs with 13 stolen bases and a slash line of .285/.394/.511/.906. He projects to play more second base in the future because both his arm and speed are about average. MLB.com ranked him as the 163rd prospect prior to the draft, with a hit grade of 45, power grade of 45, run grade of 45, arm grade of 50, fielding grade of 50 and an overall grade of 40. His defensive versatility should bode well for him along with his raw power, which helped his offensive output improve each year in college.

Round 8 (244) - OF Braden Barry - West Virginia

The Blue Jays selected Braden Barry 244th overall from West Virginia University, where he had two very strong offensive seasons. There is not a ton of scouting information available on the 21-year-old, but in 2023, he hit eight home runs with 24 stolen bases and a slash line of .290/.383/.511/.894, while also playing all three outfield positions and owning a career fielding percentage of .987. He stands 6 '4, 190 pounds and is a good athlete, but he needs to improve on driving balls in the air and making harder contact. Barry is a strong small ball hitter with great speed and has plenty of time to develop a more well rounded hitting approach. He was not ranked in MLB.com’s top 250 prospects prior to the draft.

Round 9 (274) - OF Sam Shaw - Lambrick Park High School (BC)

Sam Shaw was selected 274th overall out of Lambrick Park High School in British Columbia, Canada. There’s also not a ton of information about Shaw, but he is said to have good bat-to-ball skills and solid discipline at the plate, but needs to further develop a more powerful stride in order to progress through the minor leagues. Being from Canada, the level of competition and number of reps are lower than players in the U.S., but Shaw is committed to play for the Xavier Musketeers program next season, but will now have to decide between college ball, or the Blue Jays farm system. He also did not rank in MLB.com’s top 250 prospects before the draft, but his versatility in the outfield and his contact skills make him an intriguing late round prospect.

Round 10 (304) - P Josh Mollerus - Oregon

Josh Mollerus was selected 304th overall from the University of Oregon, after previously playing four seasons with the University of San Francisco. He only managed to pitch 36.2 innings in 2023, where he owned a 3.68 ERA and had 50 strikeouts and a team high 11 saves. He clearly has good stuff as he’s racked up strikeouts, but has only thrown more than 50 innings once in his five year college career and lacks overall experience against solid hitters. He has lots to learn and improve on with things such as command and durability, but his 12.3 K/9 rate makes him an attractive pick this late in the draft. He has started games but was mostly used in relief situations, which could be ultimately where he ends up. If he stays put as a relief pitcher, his strikeout rate alone creates value at the position and within the organization.

Round 11 (334) - P Grant Rogers - McNeese State

Grant Rogers was selected 334th overall out of McNeese State University, where he had an extremely productive 2023 season with a 12-1 record with a 1.82 ERA over 103.2 innings. The right-hander stands 6 '7, 230 pounds and was in dominant form last season showing great potential, winning the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year, All-Southland Conference First Team and All-Southland Defensive Team. He has stated that he intends to sign with the Blue Jays where he will look to continue his form from his excellent final season in college and further develop into a major league pitcher. Based on his production from a season ago, his potential as an 11th round selection seems incredible, though he was not ranked in MLB.com’s top 250 draft prospects.

Round 12 (364) - P Chay Yeager - Pasco Hernando CC (FL)

Chay Yeager was selected 364th overall from Pasco Hernando CC, where he batted .258 with seven home runs and 32 RBI in 47 games. He was also the starting pitcher for 15 games where he held a record of 9-3 with an ERA of 3.76 and 102 strikeouts over 69.1 innings. Though he showed the ability to contribute offensively at the Junior College level, his best path to the major leagues is through his arm and his abilities as a pitcher. He stands 5’ 11, 180 pounds, but possesses a powerful fastball and a solid combination of the slider and changeup to mix the speeds. Yeager was not ranked in MLB.com’s top 250 draft prospects, but offers some value in the 12th round and could rise through the rankings, should he sign with the team.

Round 13 (394) - OF Brennan Orf - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Brennan Orf was selected 394th overall out of South Illinois University Edwardsville, where he hit 19 home runs with 48 RBI, 12 stolen bases and a ridiculous slash line of .351/.506/.759/1.265 in 53 games. Though the competition in the Ohio Valley Conference might not be elite, he dominated offensively and finished his college career as one of the most successful players in SIUE history. He has already signed with the Blue Jays and will immediately get to work in the minor leagues where he will play against a higher level of competition, which should give the club a better idea of his overall potential for the future. He was also not ranked in MLB.com’s top 250 draft prospects, but it’s likely that he fell due to the uncertainty of his ability to compete against major league prospects.

Round 14 (424) - P Joe Vogatsky - James Madison University

Joe Vogatsky was selected 424th overall out of James Madison University, where he played three seasons. He struggled during both of his first two seasons as a starter and in relief, but in 2023 he was only used out of the bullpen and showed great improvements. He owned a 3.34 ERA with 36 strikeouts and five saves over 29.2 innings. He has only thrown a total of 71.1 innings during his three college seasons, which is slightly concerning, but it appears that he was always bullpen bound and does not have the wear and tear on his arm like some other young pitchers have. He too was not ranked in MLB.com’s top 250 draft prospects, and needs to gain more experience in order to succeed this young into his career.

Round 15 (454) - P Kelena Sauer - San Diego State

Kelena Sauer was selected 454th overall out of San Diego State University, where he played three seasons, and showed improvements in 2023. He too was deployed almost exclusively out of the bullpen, and owned a 4.22 ERA with 12 saves through 32 innings pitched. He’s only thrown 90 innings during his NCAA career and has struggled with his control shown by his 1.56 WHIP, but he was a First-Team All-Mountain West selection this past year and has the potential to develop into a high leverage reliever. He’ll need to develop more power on his fastball which sits around 91 MPH, but his offspeed plays well which allows his fastball to feel harder than it actually is. He was also not ranked in MLB.com’s top 250 prospects, but this could be another case of his lack of experience causing him to fall to the 15th round.

Round 19 (574) - P Aaron Munson - Angelo State University

Aaron Munson was selected 574th overall out of Angelo State University and spent three seasons, making improvements each year. In 2023, he owned an 11-2 record with a 3.63 ERA and 115 strikeouts through 101.2 innings pitched, leading his Angelo State Rams to their first National Championship in program history. Though Division || college baseball isn’t the highest level of competition, he still pitched well against the players put in front of him. He will need to add more life to his fastball if he were to progress through the minor leagues, as it currently sits around 88 MPH, but his secondary pitches kept hitters off of the fastball and clearly allowed for his success. He was not ranked in MLB.com’s top 250 draft prospects, but could turn some heads if he develops his fastball into a put away pitch.

Round 20 (604) - P Kai Peterson - Sierra JC

Kai Peterson was selected 604th overall out of Sierra Junior College, and was the final player selected by the Blue Jays in the 2023 MLB Draft. He started in 16 games in 2023, where he owned a 9-2 record with a 3.86 ERA with 127 strikeouts through 84 innings pitched. There is not a ton more information about Peterson at the moment, but the left-hander stands 6’ 1, 180 pounds and possesses good strikeout stuff. He was not ranked in MLB.com’s top 250 draft prospects, but could end up being a diamond in the rough.