NEW: K-State’s Jackson Wentworth selected in the 5th round of the MLB Draft, with pick No. 158. After a terrific season showcasing his ability as a starter and reliever, the Wildcat is heading to Toronto. @jacksonwentwor3 @KStateBSB
Blue Jays selected Jackson Wentworth with the 158th overall pick in the 2024 draft
Photo credit: © Kelsey Kremer/The Register - USA Today
Jul 15, 2024, 15:46 EDTUpdated: Jul 22, 2024, 23:22 EDT
Back to the pitching well the Toronto Blue Jays have gone.
After selecting back-to-back bats in the fourth and fourth compensation round, the Blue Jays picked their fourth pitcher of the 2024 draft with the 158th overall pick. They selected Jackson Wentworth with their fifth-round pick.
Wentworth red-shirted in his freshman season, as he received Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2022 season. His 2023 season wasn’t great, pitching mainly as a starter, he had an 8.72 ERA in 32 innings pitched, along with a 17.1 K% and a 7 BB%.
The 21-year-old right-handed pitcher started the 2024 season into the bullpen, but worked his way to the rotation in April. Overall, he finished the season with a much-improved 4.24 ERA in 87 innings pitched, along with an increase in his K% (31.5%) while his BB% increased slightly to 7.4%.
Wentworth ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 164th-best draft prospect, pretty much where the Blue Jays selected him with the 158th overall pick. The fastball isn’t anything special, touching 96 mph and sitting 92-94 mph with not a lot of life. However, his secondary stuff is great, as both his slider and changeup have whiff rates above 50%.
Is this the secret to piling up punchouts? Jackson Wentworth fanned five in his season debut for @KStateBSB in the @MLB Desert Invitational last night.
The slider sits in the mid-80s and doesn’t have a ton of spin, but has a lot of depth which causes batters to swing and miss often. Wentworth’s changeup is just as good, as it has a ton of fade and batters only hit .074 against it. The righty also features a cutter which is an average pitch.
Delivery wise, he can consistently throw strikes and has deception. Pipeline notes that if he can add some velocity, he could start in the big leagues, but it looks like he’ll be a reliever with great secondary offerings.
The slot value for the 158th overall pick is $414,600, and I assume Wentworth will sign around the slot value. Overall, the Blue Jays have $8.987 million in signing bonus pool money, so it’s very likely Wentworth will sign.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.