Breaking Down Day 1 of the Blue Jays 2022 MLB Draft
Last year, the Blue Jays had two picks in the first 120 selections. At this year's MLB Draft, Toronto's selection cup runneth over.
With four day-one selections in the top 80 picks, Toronto had access to more players and could target players with "some high signabilities," director of amateur scouting Shane Farrell said,
"It was fun coming into today with four picks," Farrell said. "Especially from last year, where we were picking in the first and third round and didn't have any action in the second round. So today, it was a good chance to make up for it."
The Blue Jays started the day off with a flame-throwing high school southpaw and then turned to the bats. Here's a quick breakdown of what Toronto got with its first four selections in the 2022 MLB Draft:
No. 23 — LHP Brandon Barriera, American Heritage Plantation High School
Barriera has high-90s heat from the left side, but the fastball may not even be his most exciting weapon. With breaking ball spin rates that would already rank alongside the MLB elite, his slider and curveball (and the changeup) pair with his heat to create a polished pitch mix.
We already discussed what drew the Jays to Barriera after the first round on Sunday, but the delivery and athleticism were what "really stood out," according to Farrell.
While Barriera's committed to play college baseball and Vanderbilt next season, Farrell said the Jays "don't foresee much difficulty in getting things done," with their first four selections.
No. 60 — SS Josh Kasevich, Oregon
In both of his final two seasons with Oregon, Kasevich hit over .310 and posted on-base percentages over .380, flashing contact rates and swing decisions that caught Toronto's eye.
"I think we're drawn to the contact, the ability to manage the zone," Farrell said.
While Farrell didn't give a definitive indication about Kasevich's future defensive home with Toronto, the amateur scouting director said "he'll be able to play shortstop" and most pre-draft evaluations agree.
No. 77 — SS/3B Tucker Toman, Hammond High School
There was some significant evaluation variance on Toman ahead of the draft, but the 18-year-old hitter was widely seen as one of the top high school sluggers available. Toman was mocked by some as a potential first-round pick and we wrote about him as an option for the Jays at 23, but Toman and his power potential fell to the Blue Jays at 77, with the organization's compensation pick for Marcus Semien.
"We really wanted to go to the Blue Jays," Toman told Lou Bezjak after the selection. "I love the Blue Jays and we stuck around for them. They're my guys."
Toman is a switch hitter, and while his left- and right-handed swings are different, he's got good pop from both sides of the plate. He's the son of long-time college coach Jim Toman, and is currently committed to play at LSU next year.
With the 77th pick the #BlueJays are taking high school hitter Tucker Toman.
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) July 18, 2022
Probably going over slot here, as Toman was seen as a fringe 1st rounder by some. Big switch hitting power potential: pic.twitter.com/1AiiaiknGN
No. 78 — 2B Cade Doughty, LSU
Doughty was another Toronto day one pick mocked higher than where the Jays got him. The LSU infielder (mainly second and third base) hit .301 across his three seasons with the Tigers, rocking a .379 career OBP that improved each season.
He hit 13 and 15 homers during his last two seasons with LSU, respectively, and the Jays see "a little bit of power potential in there," Farrell said, to pair with what Baseball America grades as a 55 hit tool.
"Coming from the best conference in college baseball and being one of the better hitters in the SEC, we're excited to add him," Farrell said.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon