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Looking back at Shane Ferrell’s draft history with the Blue Jays
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Oct 20, 2024, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 20, 2024, 13:53 EDT
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On Friday, it was reported by Canadian Baseball Network’s Bob Elliott that scouting director Shane Farrell had departed the Toronto Blue Jays for a job with the Detroit Tigers.
Farrell spent five drafts with the organization from 2020 until 2024, and it’s worth examining what impact drafted players during his tenure have had on the Blue Jays.
Let’s look at some interesting players from the past five drafts.

2020 draft

Thanks to a global pandemic, the 2020 draft had only five rounds. The Blue Jays owned the fifth overall pick because of their terrible 2019 season. 
It was a bit of a shock when Austin Martin fell to the Jays, as he was the consensus second-best prospect in the draft. After making his professional debut with the Jays’ Double-A team, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins along with Simeon Woods Richardson for José Berríos. Martin made his big league debut in 2024 and is the only player from the 2020 Blue Jays draft class to do so.
In the second round, the Blue Jays selected CJ Van Eyk, who is the only member of the draft class still in Toronto’s organization. Their third-round pick, Nick Frasso, was once a top 100 prospect after the Blue Jays traded him and Moises Brito to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Mitch White and Alex De Jesus.
The two other players, Trent Palmer and Zach Britton, are no longer with the organization. The former was released in early September, while Britton retired midway through the season.

2021 draft

In 2021, the draft decreased from 40 rounds to 20 rounds. Like their first-round pick of the 2020 draft, Gunnar Hoglund was traded as the Jays moved him, along with Kevin Smith, Zach Logue, and Kirby Snead to the Oakland Athletics for Matt Chapman. Hoglund had Tommy John surgery before the draft and made his professional debut in 2022, pitching well between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024.
Of course, the most notable Blue Jays prospect from that draft was Ricky Tiedemann, who the Jays selected in the third round. The left-handed pitcher had a terrific 2022 but has dealt with injury the past two seasons, including receiving Tommy John surgery in the summer.
Other notable players from the 2021 draft include Chad Dallas (who also had Tommy John surgery in 2024), Irv Carter, Hayden Juenger, Connor Cooke, Trenton Wallace, Riley Tirotta, and Damiano Palmegiani.

2022 draft

Unlike the three other major sports leagues in North America, players drafted rarely make an impact in the following season. A good example of that is the team’s first-round pick in 2022, Brandon Barriera. The left-handed pitcher was drafted out of high school and is still only 20 years old. Unfortunately, his professional career has been very stop-and-start because of injury, receiving Tommy John surgery early in the 2024 season.
The Jays also selected another high school player early in the draft, Tucker Toman, who hasn’t quite panned out early in his career. With that being said, two of their first five picks could impact the Blue Jays in 2025, as both Alan Roden and Josh Kasevich made it to Triple-A and produced well.
On top of that, the Jays found some relief pitchers with high potential, as both T.J. Brock and Mason Fluharty could pitch in the Blue Jays bullpen sooner rather than later.
Other players worth mentioning are Cade Doughty (who spent most of 2024 injured), Ryan Jennings, Peyton Williams, Deveraux Harrison, Bo Bonds, and Nolan Perry.

2023 draft

For the second consecutive season, the Blue Jays selected a high school player with their first-round pick, Arjun Nimmala. There’s a lot to like about the shortstop, who turned 19 years old on Wednesday, as he has serious raw power that’ll only increase as he adds muscle. His strikeout rate in 2024 is concerning, but he’ll be a top-100 pick sooner rather than later.
The Jays also drafted a couple of intriguing starters early in the draft. Juaron Watts-Brown was their third-round pick, pitching well in Single-A and High-A. Landen Maroudis was one of many pitchers in the Jays organization to undergo Tommy John surgery, but he looked fantastic when he was healthy.
Of course, there are some interesting prospects the Jays drafted in the later rounds. Jace Bohrofen was a big part of the Vancouver Canadians’ roster as they made their third consecutive Northwest League Championship Series.
Other players worth mentioning are Connor O’Halloran, Grant Rogers, Brennan Orf, Jackson Hornung, and Kai Peterson.

2024 draft

The 2024 draft was the final draft with Ferrell in charge and it’ll take at least a handful of seasons before any of these players make an impact on the Blue Jays.
For the first time since 2021, the Blue Jays selected not just a college player but a college arm, as they picked Trey Yesavage with their first-round pick. The 21-year-old is polished but has yet to make his professional debut as many recently drafted pitchers do after Toronto picks them.
The same can be said for their second-round pick (Khal Stephen) and their third-round pick (Johnny King IV). Of the 11 pitchers drafted, only Colby Holcombe, Jonathan Todd, and Colby Martin have pitched.
With that being said, quite a few position players drafted in the draft made an immediate impact for the Dunedin Blue Jays upon arrival. The most notable was sixth-round pick Aaron Parker, who hit five home runs in just 100 plate appearances. Nick Mitchell hit four home runs, while Carter Cunningham and Eddie Micheletti Jr. each hit two home runs.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.

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