The Toronto Blue Jays hold the eighth overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, falling one spot in the lottery system after finishing with a 74-88 record in 2024, the seventh-worst mark in Major League Baseball.

A glance at the various MLB farm system ranking systems heading into the new year shows a lot of pundits don’t track favourably on the Jays organization, although Arjun Nimmala, Trey Yesavage, and Khal Stephen are trying to change that narrative. The Blue Jays also have another top arm in Ricky Tiedemann sitting on the sidelines with an elbow injury, while Orelvis Martinez took a step back last year with his 80-game suspension.

Last month, I did a similar article looking at the early draft eligible player rankings and some names that might spark the Blue Jays, given their current farm system. Popular names included prep-stars Kruz Schoolcraft and Xavier Neyens, while North Carolina catcher Luke Stevenson was an interesting fit as well for Toronto. A few rumours are trickling out that the Jays may sign an underslot name here to save some funds for the third round on another player with upside, but anything can happen on draft day. The Blue Jays have a bonus pool worth $10,314,600, and the eighth pick comes in at a slot value of $6,813,600

With the first round of the MLB Draft slated to kick off on July 13th, just under two months away, let’s do a mock draft roundup and see where some of the leading names in the prospect community believe the Jays are leaning towards with their first pick.

Carlos Collazo at Baseball America and the fine folks at Just Baseball both have left-hander Kade Anderson as a fit for the Jays here.

The left-hander is an eligible sophomore at LSU after undergoing Tommy John surgery during his high school senior year in 2022 and missing the entire 2023 season with the Tigers. Last year, he split time between the rotation and bullpen to get back up to strength without overdoing the workload, and he crafted a 3.99 ERA through 38 1/3 innings.

A starter this time around, Anderson has taken the bump 13 times this season and has gone five or more innings in all but two of those outings, which includes a complete game contest against Oklahoma back on April 3rd, where he held the Sooners to five hits and zero runs while striking out 14. He’s amassed a 3.66 ERA on the season through 76 1/3 innings and struck out 124 batters to the tune of a 14.6 K/9 clip.

There are some warts to his game, namely that he gives up a few too many home runs, but his command is solid, and he can hit the upper 90s with his fastball while pairing it with a slider and changeup that are both plus offerings. Anderson is a high-floor type of pitcher and a left-hander who seems like he could stick in the rotation at the pro level.

Considering the Jays have been keen on college arms in recent memory with high picks – Yesavage, Stephen, and Juaron Watts-Brown, for example – Anderson fits into that mould. The southpaw is ranked at #9 on MLB Pipeline’s Draft List.

A left-handed hitting outfielder at the University of Arizona, Brendan Summerhill is an on-base machine for the Wildcats and has the gap power to back up his play at the plate. Joe Doyle at Future Stars Series believes Summerhill and the Blue Jays are a fit here.

He boasts a .411 average through 112 at-bats, collecting 46 hits and 31 RBIs. 46% of his hits this season have been for extra bases, although a majority have fallen between doubles and triples compared to home runs, with Summerhill amassing just three homers so far. A plus eye at the plate, Summerhill has 24 walks compared to 13 strikeouts and rarely swings and misses at the plate. He also boasts a solid arm that can work in all three outfield spots.

Some more power would be a bonus, but there is no denying he can put some solid contact on the ball. Summerhill also had a strong stint in the Cape Cod League (.286/.358/.440 with five doubles through 84 at-bats).

A bit lower on the MLB Pipeline rankings at #22, Summerhill might be the underslot player that fits the underslot rumours, which Doyle mentions. He missed some time to start the year with a fractured hand, but has bounced back well.

The Jays haven’t used a third-round pick or higher on a college outfielder since 2022, when they selected Alan Roden out of Creighton (third round).

Oregon State has had no problem producing top-level talent (see Travis Bazzana, Aiden May, Garret Forrester, Cooper Hjerpe, Jacob Melton, and Justin Boyd), and shortstop Aiva Arquette is another potential Beaver to go early in the MLB Draft. Kiley McDaniel at ESPN has Arquette and the Blue Jays as a match. McDaniel’s reasoning for Aqruette and the Jays is more based on what unfolds ahead of Toronto in the draft versus overall fit, but the infielder is one name that provides a lot of intrigue given his production on the field.

Ranked at #5 by MLB Pipeline, Aqruette spent his first two collegiate years at Washington before hitting the transfer portal and landing at Oregon State. During his sophomore campaign with the Huskies, the right-handed bat produced a .325/.384/.574 slash line with 14 doubles and 12 home runs in the Pac-12 Conference. He continued that streak into the Cape Cod League, where he produced a .291/.357/.437 slash line with a few fewer extra base hits in the competitive league.

With the Beavers, Arquette has been consistent all season long and boasts a .344 average and a 1.150 OPS with his 11 doubles and 17 home runs, all of which are team-leading except for the doubles mark. Scouts believe he has 20 to 25 home run power at the pro level, and his bat will be his calling card at the end of the day if he can continue to barrel the baseball and produce a little less swing and miss. Whether he sticks at shortstop moving forward will also be something to monitor, but many believe he can stay there for the long haul.

The last college shortstop the Blue Jays used a high-level pick on was Oregon product Josh Kasevich, a second-round selection from the 2022 MLB Draft. The Jays selected another shortstop the year after as well, but went the prep route, taking Nimmala at 20th overall.

Jim Callis at MLB Pipeline and Joel Reuter at Bleacher Report both have infielder Billy Carlson ending up with the Blue Jays in these early mock drafts. He’s ranked at #6 by MLB Pipeline.

If you are looking for a top glove on the infield, then Carlson is your man, as scouts believe he is one of the top names on the left side of the infield from the high school rankings with a 70-grade fielding and a 65-grade arm. His bat is still a work in progress, as his repeatable swing from the right side hasn’t yielded too much home run power, but that is something he can grow into as he develops. He impressed on the summer circuits last year and will get a chance to improve his stock again over the coming months. Carlson produced a .390 average and a .538 OBP with the Corona High School Panthers during his senior season and also chipped in eight stolen bases and six home runs while also leading the team with 34 RBIs.

Carlson also possesses a mid-90s fastball and a breaking pitch and can work as a two-way player, but it’s his work on the infield that separates him from the rest. He will likely drop the pitching stance should he turn pro this summer.

Turning 19 this July, Carlson has a commitment to Tennessee in his back pocket should he decide to head to post-secondary. The Jays are familiar with selecting prep infielders with their first pick (aka Nimmala), but Carlson will be older in comparison than when the Florida product was drafted a couple of years back.

Carlson’s part of a stacked group of prep infielders this draft class, which includes the likes of Ethan Holliday, Eli Willits, Steele Hall, JoJo Parker, and Kayson Cunningham, so it will be interesting to see how things shake up come draft day.