11 Pitchers the Blue Jays Could Take in the 2022 MLB Draft
The Blue Jays have gone pitching-heavy in recent drafts.
Eight of Toronto's last 12 first-round selections have been arms, including Alek Manoah and Gunnar Hoglund in recent drafts. With the 23rd pick in the upcoming selection show, the Jays could continue their hurler habit, with plenty of top arms projected to be available when they get on the clock.
We'll break down some other candidates for Toronto's pick as the draft nears, but to begin, here are 11 pitchers the Jays could select in the upcoming 2022 MLB Draft:
RHP Blade Tidwell, Tennessee
2022: 9 GS, 3.0 ERA, 39 IP, 1.4 HR/9, 2.5 BB/9, 11.8 K/9
The ace of the best team in college baseball (until they lost in Omaha), Tidwell is expected to go near the end of the first round. Across two college seasons at Tennessee, Tidwell posted a 4.05 ERA and 9.2 K/9 in 137.2 innings.
The righty was held to just 39 innings this year with a shoulder injury to start the season. His high-90s fastball was there after the injury, but durability and control concerns could push him down the draft board.
RHP Kumar Rocker, Tri-City Valley Cats (Frontier League)
2022: 5 GS, 1.80 ERA, 20.0 IP, 0.9 HR/9, 1.8 BB/9, 14.4 K/9
This is by far the Blue Jays’ highest risk-highest reward option in the first round. Rocker was drafted 10th overall out of Vanderbilt by the Mets last season but didn’t sign after New York found some issues with his medical information.
Rocker’s skillset is undeniable. The big, physical right-hander features a running fastball that touches 99 mph, as well as a sweeping slider, a curveball, and a changeup. There’s a reason he was considered a top-notch prospect last season, although the injury troubles have persisted into 2022, as teams discovered the 22-year-old had shoulder surgery in September 2021.
If Rocker is healthy and happy to sign in Toronto, though, the Blue Jays could end up with a future ace of their staff.
LHP Cooper Hjerpe, Oklahoma State
2022: 17 GS, 2.7 ERA, 103.1 IP, 0.3 HR/9, 2.0 BB/9, 14.0 K/9
Hjerpe is projected to go somewhere in the 20s and could become the Blue Jays’ first opening-round lefty since Ricky Romero in 2005. The Oregon State southpaw lead all Division I pitchers with 161 strikeouts, posting a 2.53 ERA and an astounding 7 K:BB ratio. Though his fastball sits just above 90 MPH, Hjerpe has a sweeping slider—a pitch type the Jays and many other teams have prioritized in recent years—along with a plus changeup.
The lefty has a non-traditional release point, working just above a side-arm delivery, which isn’t common among MLB starting pitchers. At worst, the release could be dominant out of the ‘pen, though.
RHP Dylan Lesko, Buford High (High School)
Just a few months ago, Lesko was the top high school pitcher in the draft and touted as the best prep arm in recent memory, seen as a clear top 5-10 pick. He flashed an elite changeup and mid-90s fastball at just 18 years old, but was shut down for the year with Tommy John surgery in late April.
Despite picking in the back third of the draft, the Jays actually have the 15th largest bonus pool because of comp picks for Robbie Ray and Marcus Semien. If an upside arm like Lesko falls to 23 and the medicals check out, they are one of a few teams who can afford to pay him over slot to sign. There’s always risk with high school pitchers, though, and with Lesko’s injury that risk is heightened.
RHP Brock Porter, St. Mary’s Prep (High School)
Porter is seen as a potential top pitcher off the board in this bat-heavy class, even sliding up into the Top 10. But if he falls into the 20s, his upside could be too much to pass on.
He's touching 97 MPH as a high schooler, with an above-average curveball and changeup. Porter is committed to pitch at Clemson next year, but a first-round bonus could convince him to turn pro, even if he falls into Toronto’s range.
RHP Adam Mazur, Iowa
2022: 15 GS, 3.07 ERA, 93.2 IP, 0.7 HR/9, 2.9 BB/9, 9.4 K/9
Mazur is a safe pick for the Jays late in the first round. The 6-foot-2 right-hander has a polished pitch mix that features a four-seam fastball, a sinker, a solid slider, a changeup, and a slower curveball.
The 21-year-old uses his lanky frame in his delivery by rocking back and hiding the ball well with his glove positioned at his waist. Mazur isn’t a power pitcher—his fastball hovers in the low-90s—but he’s proven he can handle a full starter's workload, tossing around 100 pitches in nearly all of his 2022 college starts. Mazur is a high-floor prospect the Jays should be interested in.
RHP Thomas Harrington, Campbell
2022: 15 GS, 2.53 ERA, 92.2 IP, 0.1 HR/9, 1.7 BB/9, 10.8 K/9
Harrington was dominant in the NCAA Big South division in 2022, logging a boatload of innings (92.2) while striking out 111 batters, despite not having devastating stuff.
Instead, the 20-year-old gets real low in his delivery and fires the ball from a three-quarters arm slot with some carry to the plate. His mechanics make his low-90s fastball and tumbling, swing-and-miss changeup his two most effective pitches. Harrington also stymied hard contact, allowing just one home run in 2022.
Like Mazur, he doesn’t project as a dominant top-of-the-rotation pitcher, but he offers a steady floor and a repeatable delivery that could translate into pro ball. There’s potential for the Blue Jays to offer Harrington under-slot money if they like his profile at No. 23. If he’s somehow available in the second round—where Toronto picks at No. 60—then the Jays should jump all over him.
LHP Carson Whisenhunt, East Carolina
2022 Cape Cod League: 4 GS, 7.88 ERA, 16.0 IP, 1.1 HR/9, 3.4 BB/9, 11.8 K/9
After missing most of the 2022 college season with a banned substance suspension, Whisenhunt’s draft range is one of the widest in the class. He’s mocked anywhere from the middle of the first round all the way to the third round.
He's not a complete unknown though, with teams getting to see the lefty at the Cape Cod League this summer. The early numbers aren't pretty, but he's shaking rust off and the peripherals are encouraging. Whisenhunt's fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s with a curveball and changeup.
LHP Brandon Barriera, American Heritage High (High School)
Up to the high-90s from the left side as a high schooler, it's clear why Barriera could be one of the first two or three pitchers taken on draft day. He's been connected to a few teams in the middle of the first round, including the Angels, and may not fall to the Blue Jays.
With four pitchers (two breaking balls, a fastball, and a changeup), the biggest area for Barriera's improvement is control. He walked 57 people in 126.2 high school innings including 11 free passes in his 37 senior season frames.
LHP Connor Prielipp, Alabama
2021: 3 GS, 3.86 ERA, 7.0 IP, 1.3 HR/9, 1.3 BB/9, 15.4 K/9 (did not pitch in 2022)
The Blue Jays were willing to select an injured pitcher (Gunnar Hoglund) in last year’s draft, and they’d have to take a similar leap of faith with Prielipp in 2022. The left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2021, and Prielipp opted to only throw bullpen sessions for scouts instead of pushing for a late-2022 return.
The 21-year-old pitched at the MLB Draft Combine in June, ramping his fastball up to 95 mph. His slider is far and away his best pitch, and its vertical and horizontal movements are largely responsible for his 47 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched with Alabama.
Still, Prielipp has barely pitched in college, and there are some concerns as he returns from elbow reconstruction, with workload being the No. 1 worry. If the Jays are willing to take a chance and be patient, Prielipp could be one of the biggest steals at No. 23 in this year’s draft.
LHP Robby Snelling, McQueen High (High School)
It's always risky to draft high school arms this early, but Snelling might be one guy worth taking a chance on.
At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, the physical traits are all there. Snelling was a dual-sport athlete in high school (football and baseball); he’s built like a tank, and can work his fastball as high as 97 mph. The slow curveball gets decent swing-and-miss, but is still a work in progress, along with his changeup.
The 18-year-old is a workhorse on the mound, offering Toronto a tantalizing skillset that could have more play than a lot of college arms available in the late first round.
