The MLB Draft is slated to take place on July 13th, with the Blue Jays selecting at eighth overall. The club won’t have a pick in the second round as compensation for signing Anthony Santander and will be back on the draft board for the third round.

Last month was part one of this series, which collected the mock draft articles and results from various industry pundits to see whom they thought the Jays were going to use their top pick on. The names that stood out from that series include LSU’s Kade Anderson, Arizona’s Brendan Summerhill, and infielders Aiva Arquette (Oregon State) and Billy Carlson (Corona Prep).

With the draft now just weeks away, it’s time for part two of this roundup.

In Kiley McDaniel’s latest mock draft over at ESPN, he believes the Jays are primed to select a college bat, and Ike Irish is one name that stands out.

Irish has spent all three of his collegiate years at Auburn and has mashed the ball each season. With the Tigers, he collected 48 doubles, 39 home runs, and 167 RBIs and finished with a .350/.435/.625 slash line through 637 at-bats with the program. He also collected 82 walks compared to 111 strikeouts and chipped in 19 stolen bases while working from the left side of the batter’s box.

Defensively, he split his time between right field and behind the plate, but spent more time in the outfield this year after fracturing his scapula after being hit by a pitch this past March. Ranked at #21 by MLB Pipeline, Irish is an interesting candidate at #8 for the Jays, who may be a potential catching prospect to throw into the pipeline.

Featured in MLB.com’s latest mock draft is Tennessee southpaw Liam Doyle. Doyle’s stock has taken a slight drop as of late, with MLB.com having him ranked as high as #2 in their earlier draft mocks, and that’s just because of how well the likes of Kade Anderson and the prep infield class have pushed Doyle down a bit.

Doyle started his collegiate career at Coastal Carolina before heading to Mississippi and then landing at Tennessee with the Volunteers. He split time between the rotation and bullpen with his previous programs but made 17 starts for Tennessee this past year, throwing to a 3.48 ERA across 95 2/3 innings (he also made two relief appearences). Doyle’s bread and butter is his strikeout ability, with the 21-year-old racking up 164 strikeouts this past year to the tune of a 15.4 K/9. His fastball is the reason why, which can touch 99 mph while sitting in the mid-90s, and he pairs that offering with a slider that generates some significant swing and miss if he can locate it properly. He recently added a splitter this season, and his fourth pitch cutter rounds out the arsenal.

Scouts do worry about his long-term role, as he may become more of a reliever as time wears on, given his reliability on the four-seam fastball. He was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award as well, which eventually went to Arkansas infielder Wehiwa Aloy.

The Jays do have some history tied to Tennessee, using the fourth pick of the 2021 MLB Draft on right-hander Chad Dallas.

The right-hander from Missouri is featured on two mock drafts, one from the Just Baseball crew and the other being Mike Axisa at CBS Sports.

Witherspoon has been a standout starter for Oklahoma this season after splitting time between the rotation and bullpen last year. This season, he crafted a 2.65 ERA through 16 starts and struck out 124 batters on his way to an 11.7 K/9. He also has a firm grasp on his command, yielding just 23 walks through 95 innings this past season and finishing the year with an impressive 1.011 WHIP and a 6.9 H/9. Scouts predict he will be the first collegiate right-hander off the draft board this summer.

The 20-year-old works with a fastball similar to Doyle but has better command of the offering while also leaning on a better slider and cutter combo. Witherspoon also has a low-80s curveball and a changeup in his arsenal to work with. Compared to the Tennessee southpaw, Witherspoon has more feel as a starter versus a reliever in terms of floor.

A familiar face from the previous mock draft article, infielder Billy Carlson finds himself linked to the Blue Jays at #8 thanks to Keith Law at The Athletic (this is the second mock that Law has said Carlson and the Jays will link up).

The draft class this year is filled with prep talent, and Carlson finds himself in the mix. Standing at 6-foot-1, the right-handed bat has an easy swing that is more line drive worthy than power bombs over the wall, although he can hit the occasional dinger. Scouts love his glove work on the infield, and the current outlook has him being a shortstop at the pro level as well.

Carlson has a commitment to Tennessee that teams will have to sway him away from, and he will also be on the older side of a high school draftee at the age of 19. However, if the Jays want a prep infielder, the California product and #7 ranked draft prospect is one name in the mix.

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