Blue Jays Add More College Pitching to Pipeline in Latest MLB Mock Draft

The Toronto Blue Jays could add another polished college pitching prospect to their system if this mock draft proves accurate.

Tigers starting pitcher Kade Anderson 32 on the mound as LSU Tigers take on Alabama Baseball in Baton Rouge, LA. Thursday, April 17, 2025. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays have two pitchers that are considered among the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball.

Ricky Tiedemann played junior college baseball before he was selected in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Trey Yesavage played three years at East Carolina before he was selected in the first round last year.

There’s something to be said for experience at the college level. A recent mock draft by Baseball America has the Blue Jays not only adding to the pitching pipeline but adding a star from one of the best programs in the country — LSU’s Kade Anderson.

Who is Kade Anderson?

The left-hander is in his second year with the Tigers and is coming off a terrific 2024 in which he went 4-2 mark with a 3.99 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 38.1 innings.

He was a part-time starter last year. Now, he’s a full-time starter and usually works the first game of each LSU weekend series. In 13 starts he is 6-1 with a 3.66 ERA with 124 strikeouts and 20 walks in 76.1 innings.

There will be obvious comparisons to Paul Skenes, who spent one year at LSU, helped the Tigers win a national title and was the No. 1 overall pick in 2023. He was the National League rookie of the year last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Expectations aren’t quite as high for Anderson. But Baseball America’s editors write that he’s among the top tier of college pitchers in this draft and he could be the first left-hander off the board.

The Blue Jays selected Yesavage with their first-round pick in 2025. The right-hander is blowing away hitters at Class-A Dunedin and is likely to be promoted to High-A Vancouver soon.

Toronto’s 2023 first-round pick, shortstop Arjun Nimmala, is already there. The prep star from Strawberry Crest in Dover, Fla., is not yet 20 years old but he is considered the Blue Jays’ top overall prospect.

The Blue Jays went with pitching in back-to-back years before that. In 2022 Toronto selected left-hander Brandon Barriera out of American Heritage School in Plantation, Fla. In 2021, the Blue Jays selected right-hander Gunnar Hoglund out of Ole Miss.

In 2020 Toronto had the No. 5 overall pick, its first Top 10 pick since 2014, and selected shortstop Austin Martin out of Vanderbilt. He is now with the Minnesota Twins.

The 2025 MLB draft will be held Sunday and Monday, July 13-14, during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.