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Blue Jays 2026 Draft: History of the 39th overall pick
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Photo credit: © Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 25, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 25, 2026, 03:10 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays’ first pick in July’s 2026 draft is 39th overall.
Finishing as the American League pennant winner, the Jays went well over the Competitive Balance Tax’s second threshold, meaning what would’ve been their 29th overall pick drops 10 spots.
The good news is that the best player of all-time, Barry Bonds, was selected 39th overall by the San Francisco Giants. Well, kind of, as he elected to attend Arizona State University. Three years later, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Bonds sixth overall, and the rest is history. 
The outfielder finished his career as a seven-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glove winner, and finished with not just the most home runs in a season ever, but also the most home runs in a career. He also has more free passes than any player in baseball history, including 688 intentional walks. 
Overall, his 162.8 bWAR ranks as the best in Major League Baseball history, with his 164.4 fWAR only trailing Babe Ruth’s 167 fWAR.
Will the Blue Jays select a player like Bonds when they step up to the podium on July 11th? They’re all but certain not too, but there have been some great players selected 39th overall.

Notable players selected 39th overall

The most notable pitcher selected 39th overall is Lance Lynn. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008, he made 18 appearances in 2011, the same season the National League Central team won the World Series.  The following season, Lynn made his first of two All-Star games, finishing the 2012 season with a 3.78 ERA and 3.49 FIP in 176 innings of work.
It was in his early 30s where Lynn found his best success. With the Texas Rangers in 2019, Lynn posted a 3.67 ERA and 3.13 FIP in 208.1 innings pitched, finishing fifth in American League Cy Young voting. 
During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Lynn’s 84 innings pitched for the Chicago White Sox were the most of any pitch, finishing the year with a 2.69 ERA and 4.19 FIP, good for sixth in Cy Young voting. In 2021, he earned his second All-Star nod, finishing the year with a 2.69 ERA and 3.32 FIP in 157 innings pitched. 
While he had earned Cy Young votes the previous two years, it was the only time he finished as a finalist, as he and Gerrit Cole lost to then Blue Jay, Robbie Ray.
Back in 1967, just the third MLB first-year play draft, the Baltimore Orioles selected Don Baylor 39th overall. Baylor played for six teams in his career, with his best season coming in 1979 with the California Angels. That season saw him slash .296/.371/.530 with 36 home runs and MLB-leading 139 RBIs. It earned him his one and only MVP, as well as his only nod to the All-Star Game.
While it was the only time Baylor won an MVP, he received votes in 1975, 1978, 1982, and  1986. At the tail end of his career, Baylor helped the Minnesota Twins win it all, slashing .389/.476/.556 with a home run in 21 plate appearances. It was the second of three consecutive World Series Baylor participated, although the Boston Red Sox lost in 1986 and the Oakland Athletics lost in 1988.
Baylor was the first manager of the Colorado Rockies, and also served as the Chicago Cubs manager for a few years. Baylor passed away in 2017 at the age of 68.
Those three players are the only players selected 39th overall who finished with a bWAR higher than 20. That said, the 39th overall pick also produced Joey Gallo, one of the most unique players in baseball, as well as Todd Hundley
Starting with Gallo, the Texas Rangers selected the outfielder in 2012 and he had some ridiculous seasons in his career. Take his 2017, for example. Over 145 games, Gallo slashed .209/.333/.536 with 41 home runs in 532 plate appearances. Despite just batting over the Mendoza Line, Gallo reached base nearly a third of the time thanks to a 14.1  BB%. 
If he wasn’t swatting home runs or drawing walks, Gallo was striking out. Over 10 MLB seasons, Gallo slashed .194/.319/.456 with 208 home runs in 3,403 plate appearances. He also finished with a 14.6 BB% and 38 K%, one of the best examples of a “three true outcomes” hitter.
To make an already unique career even more unique, Gallo created some buzz this past off-season as a pitcher.
Gallo attended two All-Star games, as did Hundley. Drafted by the New York Mets in 1987, the catcher earned All-Star nods in both 1996 and 1997. His best season was the former, slashing .259/.356/.550 with 41 home runs in 624 plate appearances.
Hundley went on to play for the Cubs in the twilight of his career, the same Cubs that were managed by Baylor. There’s a connection to Bonds as well, as Hundley’s father, Randy, played for the San Francisco Giants early in his career and the Cubs late in his career. They were never teammates, but for one year, 1965, they were in the same organization.
R. Hundley’s final season with the Giants was in 1965, with Bonds making his debut just three years later. The 1977 season was Hundley’s final big league season (he played two games), with Bonds also finishing his career with the Cubs, joining the team in 1981.
The bulk of players selected 39th overall don’t turn into superstars, but there are some notable players selected there in recent drafts. Matt Wallner, who has absolutely torched the Jays early in his career, was selected by the Twins at the spot in 2019. Speedy outfielder Jake McCarthy was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018, and Robby Snelling (2022) made his big league debut in early May.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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