logo
Blue Jays 2026 Draft: History of the 403rd overall pick
alt
Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 9, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 9, 2026, 01:17 EDT
Comments
Seven players selected in the 13th round by the Toronto Blue Jays have gone on to make the big leagues
One of them, Ted Lilly, didn’t sign but ended up finding his way to the Blue Jays anyway. He was a two-time All-Star, representing the Blue Jays in 2004. Alex Gonzalez was also drafted in the 13th round by the Blue Jays, becoming their starting shortstop for most of the 1990s. Both players ended up playing for the Blue Jays and Montréal Expos.
In the 2026 draft, the Blue Jays’ 13th round selection will be the 403rd overall pick, a spot that has produced an All-Star. Many of the big leaguers that were drafted 403rd overall have a connection to the Blue Jays, or Canada as a whole.
Let’s take a look at the history of the 403rd overall pick.

Marc Bluma, 1999

If you’ve been reading all of these articles, you’d have noticed by now the Jays have the exact same picks this year that they did in 1999, at least from the sixth-rounder (193rd overall) and beyond.
The 13th rounder in 1999 was used to select Marc Bluma, who unsurprisingly, didn’t make it to the big leagues. Following the draft, he joined the St. Catharines Stomps to end the 1999 season, then played for the Hagerstown Suns in 2000. That marked the end of his professional career.

Notable players selected 403rd overall

The Blue Jays American League East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles, have had more success selecting 403rd overall. In 2015, they drafted outfielder Cedric Mullins.
Now 31 years old, Mullins has already had a solid career, especially for where he was picked. The outfielder earned All-Star nod in 2021, the same season he earned MVP votes, won the Silver Slugger Award, and became one of just 51 big leaguers in the 30-30 clubs (30 home runs, 30 steals). Two years later, he represented Team USA at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and also hit for the cycle.
The one thing missing in Mullins’ career is a World Series ring. Well, Cleveland selected a player in 1983 who went on to win two World Series: John Farrell. He had a solid big league career, appearing in 116 games and finishing with a 4.56 ERA and 7.2 bWAR.
Following his career, Farrell did some coaching in college, then joined Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins in the Cleveland organization. He departed Cleveland for the Boston Red Sox in 2007, just in time to win the World Series with the organization.
Of course, Farrell also served as the Blue Jays’ manager in 2011 and 2012. Over 324 games, he led the Blue Jays to a 154-170 record, finishing fourth in the AL East both seasons. Farrell re-joined the Red Sox organization for the 2013 season, famously being traded to their rival, just in time to win another World Series.
During his tenure, the Blue Jays drafted Farrell’s son Shane in 2011. If that name sounds familiar, S. Farrell served as the team’s amateur scouting director from 2020 until 2024.
One of Farrell’s coaches in both seasons he managed was Bruce Walton. Like Farrell, Walton was drafted 403rd overall in the 1980s. He appeared in 27 big league games and had a -1 bWAR, tied for the worst among players selected 403rd overall. Walton was a Blue Jays’ coach from 2002 until 2012, serving as the team’s pitching coach from 2009 until 2012.
In 2003, Walton was the team’s bullpen coach. In that bullpen was Juan Acevedo, who was selected 403rd overall by the Colorado Rockies in 1992. Acevedo appeared in 367 big league games, spending his final 14 with the Blue Jays that season.
Following the 2002 season, the Blue Jays selected outfielder Jason Dubois in the Rule 5 draft. Dubois, drafted 403rd overall in 2000, only played Spring Training games with the Jays before being sent back. He went on to play 86 games in the big leagues.
Aside from Mullins, Rick White has played the most games of any player selected 403rd overall. In fact, he’s one of just 36 players to play a big league game with 11 or more teams. While he never played for the Blue Jays or the Montréal Expos, White played for the Welland Pirates in 1990 and the Calgary Cannons in 1995.
Joseph Odom appeared in 20 games after the Atlanta Braves selected him 403rd overall, with 18 of those games coming with the Seattle Mariners in 2020. A decade before that, Matt LaPorta was traded from Cleveland to Seattle for future Blue Jay Ezequiel Carrera.
LaPorta was selected 403rd overall in 2003 by the Cubs, but elected not to sign. That bet paid off, as the Milwaukee Brewers selected him seventh overall in the 2007 draft. Eventually traded to Cleveland, LaPorta hit his first career home run against the Blue Jays in 2009.
That it’s for players selected 403rd overall who made the big leagues, but there are still a few more notable minor leaguers. Canadian Eric Senior was selected by the Nationals in 2017, but the Toronto product never made it past Short-Season A ball.
The Brewers have picked 403rd overall four times, with three of those selections coming in a four year span. In 1993, they selected Pete Benny, who was joined on the Helena Brewers by 1994 draftee Scott Nate in 1995. They selected Shawn Sonnier in 1996, but he elected not to sign.
Their most recent selection at the spot was in 2019, using it to select pitcher Jackson Gillis, who also didn’t make the big leagues. Five drafts later, Bryce Boettcher was selected 403rd by the Houston Astros. Boettcher signed, but returned to Oregon State (where he was teammates with Blue Jays’ prospect Josh Kasevich) to play football. The Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League selected him 135th overall earlier this year.
The last player of note happened to be one of the first players ever selected 403rd overall. Gil Stafford was also drafted by the Astros, but all the way back in 1971. Stafford played five seasons in the minor leagues, before becoming the head coach of the Grand Canyon University’s baseball program.
Stafford led the team to three NAIA College World Series in the 1980s, with the program eventually becoming an NCAA Division I school. In 2000, he became GCU’s president for four years, then became a Episcopal priest and an author. He’s certainly lived an interesting life.

Other history of a pick…

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
Editorials
MORE NEWS. IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Breaking News