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Blue Jays 2026 mid-season top prospect list: No. 27 Jake Cook
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Photo credit: © Matt Bush/Special to USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Sep 5, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 5, 2026, 14:01 EDT
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No Toronto Blue Jays prospect’s stock has fallen quite like Jake Cook’s this season.
The Blue Jays’ third-rounder in 2025 entered this season as one of their better prospects, but has struggled to adjust to professional pitching in his first professional season. Entering the season ranked as our eighth-best Blue Jays’ prospect in our 2026 pre-season rankings, Cook has fallen all the way to 27th.
If you missed our 28th-ranked prospect, you can read about Brett Bateman here!

Jake Cook

Position: Outfield
Bats: Left
Born: July 13th, 2003
Acquired: Third round, 2025 MLB Draft
Previous ranking: 8th
Cook began his collegiate career as a left-handed pitcher, but only appeared in two games for Southern Mississippi in 2024, struggling with command. The 23-year-old served as an outfielder in 2025, slashing .350/.436/.468 with three home runs in 284 plate appearances, along with a 10.9 BB% and 6.7 K%. That led to the outfielder getting drafted in the third round by the Blue Jays.
The start of his professional career has been less than ideal, to say the least. Mainly playing with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, Cook is slashing just .249/.367/.372 with five home runs in 345 plate appearances, good for a 102 wRC+. More concerning is his strikeout rate, which has ballooned to 28%.
Cook’s underlying metrics aren’t encouraging either. His power is graded out well below average, and that shows in his average exit velocity of 82.8 mph, in the 15th-percentile for Florida State League hitters according to Prospect Savant. Making contact and getting on base is his calling card, but Cook has a 32.8 whiff percentage this season.
That said, there are still positives from his first professional season. Cook’s best tool by far is his 80 grade speed, but he became a base stealer this year, nabbing 22 bases in 27 attempts. That’s up from a 3/8 success rate during his college season in 2025.
Cook is also a raw prospect, as he didn’t start hitting until his junior year of college. There were always going to be growing pains, but he’ll need to show something in 2027, namely getting back to what made him success in college.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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