The Toronto Blue Jays added some speed in the 2025 MLB Draft, using their third-round selection on outfielder Jake Cook from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Known as a contact hitter with a keen eye at the plate, Cook was also noted as having one of the best speed tools heading into the 2025 draft. You wouldn’t have known it by his three stolen bases during his draft year, but he showed at the combine and was a force to be reckoned with in centre field before turning pro with the Blue Jays.

Cook made his pro debut with the Jays this season, with the organization holding him out of affiliated baseball following the draft. The Mississippi product appeared in five games for the FCL Jays before getting the call to Single-A Dunedin, where he has remained all year long.

The first two months for Cook were a tough go, as the outfielder posted a .221/.348/.310 slash line and a .658 OPS through 30 games with Dunedin. Cook also added 11 stolen bases, 17 RBIs, and 23 walks with a .333 BABIP during that span. The left-handed bat was finding ways to get on base, evidenced by his .348 OBP, but was struggling to find the hit column with regularity at the top of the lineup.

As the calendar turned over into July, Cook became more comfortable in the batter’s box.

Through 35 games dating back to July 1st, the 23-year-old has produced a .289/.401/.452 slash line with a .853 OPS and a .368 BABIP. He’s seen a strong uptick in his power, adding four doubles, three triples, and four home runs to the mix and is still walking at a high clip (21) while striking out fewer times despite more plate appearances (37 compared to 42). Cook has also crossed home plate 34 times during this back-half span, and while his base-stealing numbers dipped a bit to just nine, he’s finding ways on base in more dangerous spots thanks to the boost in power. His fifth home run of the year, a solo shot to start the game against Clearwater yesterday, left the bat at 104.1 MPH and travelled 414 feet to centre field.

Bringing the sample size even smaller, Cook has been on an absolute tear these past couple of weeks. Dating back to August 11th (10 games), he’s reached base in all but one game and has four multi-hit games, including a 4-for-5 contest against the Threshers on August 20th, where he also scored three runs and added a home run of his own. During this span, Cook has added eight extra base hits, including three triples.

On top of his play at the plate, Cook also boasts a clean fielding percentage split between centre fielder and right field, while also adding in two outfield assists (he also has one from his FCL days for three total on the year). His plus speed has made him a threat on the grass to track down every flyball.

With the end of the season just weeks away, there is not a lot of runway for Cook to finish the season at High-A Vancouver, and he likely won’t reach the Northwest League until next season. The left-handed bat has been impressive in the late stretch of the season, and he finds himself ranked at #23 on MLB Pipeline’s top prospects for the Jays organization.

His plus speed and contact approach were his calling cards coming out of college, and it’s good to see Cook add some power into the mix. If he can find a way to harness this late 2026 season form into a more consistent approach heading into the new season, the sky is the limit for the Jays prospect.

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