In the 2024 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays had a clear strategy to kick off the first few rounds: pitching, pitching, and more pitching. First, it was Trey Yesavage in the first round at the #20 slot, then Khal Stephen and Johnny King followed suit shortly after.

It wasn’t until the Jays stepped to the podium with the fourth-round pick that they steered away from the mound, using their 125th pick on Bucknell University Junior, Sean Keys. 

Keys, a left-handed hitting power bat, earned Patriot League Player of the Year honours during that 2024 season, leading the league in every slash line category (.405/.535/.798) and in OPS (1.333). The New York product was putting up video game-like numbers, leading the Patriot League in hits (66) and doubles (19) while also clubbing 13 home runs.

It’s a mentality that has stuck with Keys throughout his professional career, and one of the main reasons he was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire for the 2026 season.

“I was really thrilled when I heard that I was heading to the Fisher Cats,” said Keys, speaking to Blue Jays Nation. “I put a ton of work into my game plan this offseason, and really got a chance to showcase that this spring in big league camp for a bit. Being from the Northeast, especially New York, I have a ton of family and friends in the area who can visit regularly. It’s just such a blessing.”

Keys got the chance to suit up in big league camp this spring, earning an invite alongside a handful of others as a non-roster player. The 19 round trippers he posted with the Vancouver Canadians last year, a franchise record in the Northwest League play for the club, likely played a part, but he also generated 86 walks on the season and did a solid job patrolling the corner infield spots.

Across 19 games and 31 at-bats, he collected six hits and walked five times. Of the six hits, three were for extra bases, including a home run at TD Ballpark against the Phillies that cleared the outfield wall with ease.

The power comes easily to the infielder, and it’s another reason why he continues to move up the ladder in the Jays’ farm system.

“Everybody is here for a reason, we all continue to strive towards that ultimate goal of being in the big leagues,” said Keys, speaking about the trials that come with another level in the minors. “We have all had varying levels of success, and everybody here knows a lot more of what they are good at on the field, and how it shaped them into the players they are now.

“I have worked a lot with Coach Mitch (Huckaby), and I think just continuing to craft a game plan and coming in prepared with ‘who is on the mound’ and ‘what are their strengths’ and just using my strengths to get that advantage. When I was with the Jays in big league camp, I was a complete fly on the wall. A spone that was just listening and learning, because there is just so much to take in from this incredible group of players.”

So far, Keys has been capitalizing on that game plan.

Through 46 games and 163 at-bats, the 23-year-old owns a .276/.401/.546 slash line with a .947 OPS, thanks in a large part to his eight doubles and his 12 home runs, which leads the Jays farm system, with fellow Fisher Cats teammate Jace Bohrofen not far behind with his 11 knocks. His slash line metrics all rank within the top 10 within the Jays system, and his 31 RBIs have him tied with Bohrofen at the #4 spot alongside Aldo Gaxiola (Single-A).

Heading into yesterday’s game, Keys was working with a .317 BABIP and had been seeing the ball well, posting a .412 wOBA and a 147 wRC+ to go along with a .258 ISO. Defensively, he’s continued to split time at the corner infield spots and boasts a 1.00o fielding percentage at first base and a .924 mark at the hot corner.

The New York product put a ton of work into his swing this past offseason, and combined with what he learned last year with the Canadians and his current teachings under the guise of the Fisher Cats coaching staff, he’s finding improved results on the field.

“I really put a lot of pride into my bat-to-ball skills,” explained Keys. “I know I am a bigger guy, and just with playing baseball all these years, I go up to the plate looking to do damage to all parts of the field.

“I found a lot of inconsistencies with my swing last year, and that was one thing we really worked on to get squared up during the winter. Sometimes I would be pressing too much or swinging too hard. Just getting back to basics and simplifying things, using the legs more and just being loose with the hands. Putting that barrel to the ball.”

Ask any baseball player in the minors, and they will tell you that their goal is the Major Leagues – it’s the dream that every player who picked up a bat and a ball in the backfield sandlots has thought about for years.

Keys is no different, however, the 23-year-old is mature above is years when it comes to his mindset to the grind of a pro season.

He got his feet wet in Dunedin post-draft and spent all of 2025 in the Northwest League with the Vancouver Canadians. Now Keys finds himself up another rung of the ladder, but continues to keep things in perspective every time he steps on the diamond.

“Just keep moving forward,” explained Keys. “It’s a long season, and while some things have gone my way early this year, I also have to acknowledge that I need to be more consistent as the season continues.

“Playing hard, not giving away at-bats; things I can control to put myself in a good position to move on to whatever lies ahead of me. To be proud of what I have accomplished and be present in the moment. And one day, walk up those Rogers Centre dugout steps and play in front of that Canadian crowd.”

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