Blue Jays 2021 Draft Recap: Rounds 1-20

A recap of the Toronto Blue Jays 2021 MLB Draft, with 19 selections across 20 rounds

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Three days, 20 rounds, and 612 selections later, the 2021 MLB Draft is complete.

The Blue Jays began their 2021 draft with college pitcher Gunnar Hoglund, and closed it with another right-handed starter. In total, they added 14 pitchers and five hitters, and will begin negotiations to officially make them all Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto selected four high schoolers, 12 collegiate ballplayers, and three junior college players. 

Breakdowns of the Blue Jays 19 selections can be found below:

Day 1 Selection:

Round 1, 19th: RHP Gunnar Hoglund, Ole Miss

Taking a risk on a top-10 talent in Hoglund was a chance the Blue Jays couldn't pass up at 19. Toronto director of amateur scouting Shane Farrell called the selection "very opportunistic," saying the team felt Hoglund wouldn't fall to the Blue Jays if not for his injury.

The righty had Tommy John surgery in May, and will likely miss the opening of the 2022 minor league season. If the Blue Jays can lock in a contract with the SEC hurler, they will add another upside arm to their farm system.

For a complete breakdown of the Ole Miss right-hander, read our Hoglund report.

Day 2 Selections:

Round 3, 91st: LHP Ricky Tiedemann, Golden West College (CA) JuCo
Round 4, 121: RHP Chad Dallas, Tennessee
Round 5, 152: RHP Irv Carter, Calvary Christian (FL) High School
Round 6, 182: RHP Hayden Juenger, Missouri State
Round 7, 212: OF Jaden Rudd, A. Crawford Mosley (FL) High School
Round 8, 242: RHP Hunter Gregory, Old Dominion
Round 9, 272: RHP Conor Larkin, Penn State
Round 10, 302: RHP Connor Cooke, University of Louisiana at Lafayette 

The Blue Jays continued the pitching trend that teams across baseball took in the early rounds of this draft (the Los Angeles Angels exclusively drafted arms). Beginning the second day of the draft with junior college lefty Ricky Tiedemann, the Blue Jays nabbed one of the longest striders in the draft, only to follow the pick up with 5-11 college starter Chad "Cheese" Dallas. The MLB.com broadcast compared Tiedemann to Oakland starter Sean Manaea, and Dallas to former Blue Jay Marcus Stroman.

Toronto's first High School selection, RHP Irv Carter, was thrilled to see his name called on Day 2, and the pitcher has already indicated he will sign with the Blue Jays.

Calvary Christian pitcher Irv Carter and his draft party react to being selected by the Toronto Blue Jays. @Irvcarter42 @BlueJays pic.twitter.com/Ml87c32uaY

— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) July 12, 2021

For a complete breakdown of Toronto's Day 2 picks, read our rounds 2-10 recap.

Day 3 Selections:

Round 11, 332: LHP Trenton Wallace, Iowa
Round 12, 362: 3B Riley Tirotta, Dayton
Round 13, 392: RHP Matt Svanson, Lehigh
Round 14, 422: 3B Damiano Palmegiani, College of Southern Nevada JuCo
Round 15, 452: OF Garrett Spain, Austin Peay
Round 16, 482: RHP Micah Bucknam, Mennonite Educational Institute (BC)
Round 17, 512: LHP Cooper Benson, Arizona State
Round 18, 542: LHP Jimmy Burnette, Saint Leo University
Round 19, 572: C Juan Gonzalez, Miami Dade Junior College
Round 20, 602: RHP Luke Holman, Wilson (PA) High School

The Blue Jays added some Canadian talent on Day 3 of the 2021 MLB Draft. In the 14th round, the Blue Jays selected Surrey, BC's Damiano Palmegiani, a power-hitting infielder from College of Southern Nevada. The Blue Jays drafted Palmegiani in the 25th round of the 2018 draft, but he instead chose to play at the junior college level. In 2021, the infielder hit 19 homers, drove in 61 runs, and posted an .890 slugging percentage.

Two rounds later, Toronto selected another British Columbia ballplayer, high schooler Micah Bucknam. Playing in Abbotsford, BC, Bucknam was the second-ranked pitcher in British Columbia high school baseball, touching 96 with his fastball as a senior.