With the 59th pick in the 2024 Draft, the @BlueJays select @HailStateBB right-handed pitcher Khal Stephen, No. 88 on the Top 250 Draft Prospects list. Watch LIVE: atmlb.com/3zAvMhu
Blue Jays selected Khal Stephen with the 59th overall pick in the 2024 draft
Photo credit: © Bruce Newman/Special - USA Today
Jul 14, 2024, 23:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 22, 2024, 23:20 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays went back to college for their second-round pick.
On Sunday, the Blue Jays selected Khal Stephen with the 59th overall pick. This is now the second straight pick where the Blue Jays have selected a college pitcher.
The 6’4”, 225 lb right-handed pitcher spent his first two collegiate seasons at Purdue University, posting an 8.29 ERA in 33.2 innings pitched as a reliever in his freshman season. He had a better season in his sophomore season after moving to the rotation, posting a 5.21 ERA in 76 innings pitched, along with a 19.8 K% and a 9 BB%.
Stephen transferred to Mississippi State in the Southeastern Conference for the 2024 season, where he improved drastically. The 21-year-old’s ERA dropped to 3.28, while his K% increased to 27.9% and his BB% decreased to 5.5%. He even gave up fewer home runs, allowing just 13 long balls to the 15 the year prior, as his HR/9 dropped from 1.8 to 1.2.
Fire us up Khal! 💪 Stephen ties his career high with his 11th K of the night! 📺» hailst.at/447Fu64 #HailState🐶
According to MLB Pipeline, the fastball sits 92-94 mph and has reached 96 mph. It has a ton of carry, which is similar to what they’ll get with Trey Yesavage, their first-round selection. He also features a changeup with “significant fade” as well as an average slider and curveball, both graded at 50.
It’s worth mentioning that Stephen also has a good feel for all the pitches he throws, and his fastball command is good. While he may not have ace potential, Pipeline notes that his floor is as a back-end of the rotation starter, which is a pretty good get in the second round.
The slot value for this pick is $1.49 million, and the Blue Jays have a signing bonus pool of $8.987 million. On Monday, rounds 3 through 10 will commence and the Blue Jays will have nine picks thanks to the compensation pick for Matt Chapman.
It’ll be interesting to see if they draft a position player, but it’s never a bad idea to pick more starting pitchers.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.
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