10 Prospects the Blue Jays Could Pick in the 2021 MLB Draft

The Toronto Blue Jays have the 19th overall pick in 2021 MLB Draft beginning on July 11th

In the 2020 MLB selection show, Vanderbilt outfielder Austin Martin fell to the Blue Jays at fifth overall, where he was an easy and welcome addition to one of the league's best farm systems.

Following a successful 2020 at the big league level, Toronto doesn't have the luxury of picking as high, or their selection being as obvious. Below are 10 names the Blue Jays may consider at 19th overall in the July 11th 2021 MLB Draft.

OF Jay Allen, John Carroll Catholic (FL) High School

2021 Stats: 28 GP, .357/.491/.571, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 22 SB

Allen, a multi-sport athlete with offers to play college football for Coastal Carolina and Air Force, recently committed to play baseball for University of Florida. As an 18-year-old High School senior, Allen doubled his extra-base hits from his freshman season and was ranked as the top HS outfielder in the state. With his basketball and football history, Allen grades out with some of the best athleticism in the draft class and could be a future Major League center fielder. 

Jordan Groshans is the only high schooler the current Toronto management has drafted in the first round, but the upside of Allen could entice them in the middle of the opening round this year.

RHP Will Bednar, Mississippi State University

2021 Stats: 86.1 IP, 3.34 ERA, 1.100 WHIP, 135 K, 23 BB

Bednar is a stocky college arm who jumped up draft boards in 2021 with a mid-90s fastball and plus slider. He could rise through a system to become a dominant MLB reliever with starter upside. Sound familiar? There is a lot of Alek Manoah in the Mississippi State hurler.

Like Manoah, Bednar is a physical presence on the mound. The sophomore was the ace of a Bulldogs team that won the 2021 College World Series, and pitched six shutout innings in the deciding Game 3. His slider is a weapon against righties with late break and well above average spin rates but, like many prospect arms, Bednar’s projectability as a starter will come down to refining his changeup and any other secondary pitches he picks up.

RHP Ryan Cusick, Wake Forest University

2021 Stats: 70 IP, 4.24 ERA, 1.386 WHIP, 108 K, 32 BB

Cusick was picked out of high school by the Cincinnati Reds in the 40th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, but instead opted to play college ball at Wake Forest — a decision that worked out quite nicely for him. After adding some weight and learning to better use his legs in his delivery, the 6-foot-6 right-hander turned his low-90s fastball into a pitch that can touch 100 miles-per-hour on a regular basis.

Going off size and fastball velocity, it’s easy to compare Cusick to Blue Jays top prospect Nate Pearson. Both are big right-handers who light up the radar gun, but Cusick shows more swing-and-miss stuff (13.9 K/9 in 2021) at the expense of a much higher walk rate (4.1 BB/9). MLB.com ranks Cusick as the 26th best draft prospect and some recent mocks have him going even later. If the Blue Jays want to take a small risk at No. 19, there’s a good chance Cusick will be available.

RHP Gavin Williams, East Carolina

2021 Stats: 81.1 IP, 1.88 ERA, 0.959 WHIP, 130 K, 21 BB

After working primarily as a relief pitcher for the Pirates and battling an injury in 2020, Williams exploded in his senior year. The 21-year-old went 10-1 with a 1.88 ERA in his only season as a starting pitcher, earning the AAC Pitcher of the Year Award.

Williams has a well-documented injury history — a torn meniscus in high school, then forearm and finger issues in college — but the stuff is there. His massive 6-foot-6, 255-pound frame helps him hit the upper 90s with ease and the righty features a slow mid-70s curve to go along with a slider and respectable changeup. Given his lack of experience as a starter, Williams projects to be a late first-round pick. The Blue Jays could certainly do a lot worse than adding one of college baseball’s breakout stars to the middle of their future rotation.

C Adrian Del Castillo, Miami University

2021 Stats: 54 GP, .275/.380/.395, 3 HR, 37 RBI, 1 SB

Wait, another catcher? It’s true, the Blue Jays have a plethora of young talent at the catching position like Alejandro Kirk and Gabriel Moreno, but adding Del Castillo isn’t completely outrageous.

Del Castillo is a hit-first, left-handed bat who produced a .909 OPS in 489 college at-bats despite a down year in 2021. The 21-year-old hit 17 home runs over 131 games at Miami and showed incredible plate discipline — 70 walks to 60 strikeouts — making him one of the draft’s more polished bats.

There are concerns about whether he can remain behind the plate, but considering Toronto’s catching depth and Del Castillo’s proficiency as a hitter, that may not deter the Blue Jays. Del Castillo likely won’t be a first-round pick, meaning the Blue Jays — who don’t own a second rounder — would need some luck to get him at pick No. 91.

OF Jud Fabian, University of Florida

2021 Stats: 59 GP, .249/.364/.560, 20 HR, 46 RBI, 6 SB

Fabian possesses as much raw power as any hitter in the draft. Making regular contact, however, will be the 20-year-old’s biggest obstacle. Fabian annihilated baseballs in his most recent season with the Gators, mashing 20 home runs in just 59 games, but struck out in 35% of his at-bats.

The right-handed-hitting, left-handed-throwing Fabian has above average speed — swiping six bags on eight attempts in 2021 — but power is his only real plus-tool. If the Blue Jays are looking for a ‘Go Big or Go Home’ pick and feel inclined to take a position player at No. 19, Fabian is the guy.

C Joe Mack, Williamsville East (NY) High School

2021 Stats: 21 GP, .500/.678/.1.107, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 26 SB

Projecting a High School catcher five or six years down the line can be a difficult proposition, but Mack may be worth the shot. If a team takes Mack in the early rounds and convinces him to forgo a Clemson commitment, they'll add to their system a skillset to remain behind the plate, a 6'1” 210 pound frame, and a plus power bat.

The 18-year-old catcher is projected as a mid-to-late first round pick, with an outstanding arm behind the plate and an already overflowing trophy cabinet. Mack was the Western New York Player of the year in 2019 and was selected to attend the Perfect Game All-America Classic game, where he gunned out an opposing base runner.

LHP Anthony Solometo, Bishop Eustace (NJ) High School

2021 Stats: 32.2 IP, 0.28 ERA, .306 WHIP, 64 K, 5 BB

If there’s one name on this list you should know, this southpaw is it. According to Prospects Live, connections between the Jays and Solometo "continue to get louder and louder," and several of the industry’s most trusted mock drafts slate this High School lefty as Toronto's first 2021 pick.

Solometo was a member of the New Jersey All-State baseball first team, a conference player of the year, and the Jays could make him one of the highest drafted HS arms in this year’s draft. He currently sports a low-90s fastball as an 18-year-old, with changeup and slider secondary offerings. If there's one statistical nitpick in the nearly perfect high school numbers, he did walk three batters in a game — once. Taking an early-round high school arm is a luxury many minor league systems can’t afford — given signability risks and a lengthy developmental timetable — but with the loaded farm and succeeding MLB team, it’s the type of pick the Blue Jays can send in this year.

SS Trey Sweeney, Eastern Illinois University

2021 Stats: 48 GP, .382/.522/.712, 14 HR, 58 RBI, 3 SB

Undrafted out of High School, Sweeney has been one of the fastest rising college bats in the NCAA. Sweeney doubled his career-high home run numbers in 2021, in less playing time, and accounted for a third of his team's long balls. He can play either position on the left side of the infield, and is now slated as a late first round selection. Sweeney's rapid rise even surprised him, he told the Baseball Prospect Journal.

“It is crazy to see my development,” Sweeney said. “I would have never thought my senior year that I would now be in the position I am today.”

His main draw is the hit tool, but Sweeney flashed more power and better defense during his final year of college. Even with defensive improvements in 2021, his plus arm is likely more suited to third base long term.

OF Ethan Wilson, University of South Alabama

2021 Stats: 57 GP, .318/.419/.528, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 10 SB

This 2021 Preseason Conference Player of the Year and 2021 Baseball America First-Team All-American has been pegged as a first round MLB pick for years.

Compared to 2020 second overall pick Heston Kjerstad, Wilson is a bat-first outfielder with a multi-sport background and a big arm. There are some questions surrounding Wilson's competition level, playing in the Sun Belt Conference, but his raw strength and pull power cannot be faked. Wilson's big power leaves him susceptible to whiffs, especially below the zone, but the outfielder still walked more than he struck out in his final year of college.