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Looking at the Blue Jays’ best pick in each of the last 10 drafts
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Photo credit: © Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 2, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 1, 2026, 19:55 EDT
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About two weeks ago, the Toronto Blue Jays extended general manager Ross Atkins for an additional five seasons.
Since joining the team during the 2015/16 off-season, it’s been a bit of a wild ride. They made the American League Championship Series in 2016, spent the next three seasons rebuilding, started making the playoffs in the 2020s, and finally started to contend in 2025.
Atkins has done a great job at the helm of the team. You’d be hard pressed to find a trade that he’s outright lost, much-less “fleeced” on. The Jays started to become a playoff team in the 2020s thanks to signing big-name free agents (and attempting to sign superstars). That said, one area that has been hit or miss has been the team’s drafting since the 2016 draft.
The early years of Atkins’ tenure in particular were pretty rough, but it is something that has seemingly improved the last three or four drafts. In this article, we’ll look at the best selection the Jays have made in each of the last 10 drafts, with the last few seasons being more of a prediction.

2016: Bo Bichette

Bo Bichette is by far the best player that the team has drafted since Atkins became the general manager. Drafted in the second round, Bichette quickly became one of the best prospects in baseball (alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) and made his big league debut in 2019.
In his seven seasons with the Blue Jays, Bichette slashed .294/.337/.806 with 111 home runs in 3,307 plate appearances. Career highlights include earning MVP votes in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025. He was a two-time All-Star, and led Major League Baseball in hits twice, nearly three times if he didn’t get injured toward the end of last season.
Bichette almost had his Joe Carter moment, hitting a three-run blast off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series. His Blue Jays career should have ended with him winning the World Series, but this off-season, he signed with the New York Mets.
The other notable selection the Jays made in 2016 was Cavan Biggio. They also drafted Shea Langeliers, but he elected to go to college.

2017: Davis Schneider

For several years after the 2017 draft, it looked as if Nate Pearson was going to be the Blue Jays next ace. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his development and he never pitched particularly well in a Blue Jays’ uniform. Before the 2024 trade deadline, he was traded for Yohendrick Piñango and Josh Rivera.
There were a handful of other players drafted by the Blue Jays in 2017 who got big league action, such as Ryan Noda, Hagen Danner, Kevin Smith, Zach Logue, Riley Adams, and Ty Tice. However, the best draft pick by the Jays in 2017 was Davis Schneider in the 28th round.
It took Schneider several years to get going, but he had a strong 2022 campaign split between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A to become a legitimate prospect. Schneider’s strong 2023 with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons earned him a shot in the big leagues in 2023, where he had a historic debut.
Schneider maintained his play to end the season, struggled in from June onward in 2024, and carved out a role as a bench player for the team last season.

2018: Addison Barger

Like the draft before, the Blue Jays’ best pick in the 2018 draft was a high schooler who took a few years to develop. Addison Barger was drafted in the sixth-round of the 2018 draft and had two okay seasons in 2018 and 2019. The 2021 season saw him hit 18 home runs, but Barger broke out in 2022 alongside Schneider.
Splitting his time between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, Barger slashed .308/.378/.555 with 26 home runs in 526 plate appearances for a 154 wRC+. That skyrocketed him up prospect rankings, but he struggled in 2023, both with his health and on the field. Barger began the 2024 season in the Triple-A and performed well, getting a few looks in the big leagues.
Barger broke out in 2025, slashing .243/.301/.454 with 21 home runs in 502 plate appearances. He had a mid-season slump, which isn’t too surprising, but was one of the best hitters for the Jays during their postseason run.
There’s another level for Barger.

2019: Alek Manoah

The 2016, 2017, and 2018 drafts saw the Jays draft T.J. Zeuch, Logan Warmouth, and Jordan Groshans in the first round respectively. Combined, those three players played a combined 33 big league games.
In 2019, the Blue Jays finally found a big league-calibre player in the first round, drafting Alek Manoah. The 6’6” righty appeared in just minor league games before forcing the Blue Jays hand in 2021.
He instantly joined the rotation and made the team better, posting a 3.22 ERA and 3.80 FIP in 111.2 innings pitched. The following season, Manoah finished with a 2.24 ERA and 3.35 FIP in 196.2 innings pitched, finishing third in American League Cy Young voting.
Before the 2023 season, MLB introduced the pitch clock, which led to a 5.87 ERA and 6.01 FIP in 87.1 innings pitched. Manoah made just five starts with the Jays in 2024 before requiring Tommy John surgery, essentially ending his Blue Jays’ career. He was DFA’d and signed with the Los Angeles Angels this past off-season.

2020: Austin Martin

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 draft was a weird one. The draft was shortened to just five rounds, with the Jays getting five picks, including the fifth overall. Austin Martin fell into their laps, but was traded a little over a year later alongside Simeon Woods Richardson for José Berríos.
Martin made his big league debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2024, earning 257 plate appearances where he hit one home run. His best season was in 2025, where he slashed .282/.374/.365 with a home run in 181 plate appearances for a 113 wRC+. Martin also made the Twins’ roster out of Spring Training.
The other four picks have yet to make it to the big leagues. Second-rounder CJ Van Eyk may have a shot this year, third-rounder Trent Palmer was released in 2024. Nick Frasso, drafted in the fourth-round, was traded for Mitch White and was at one point a top prospect before injuries derailed his last two seasons. Zach Britton, their fifth-rounder, retired in 2024.

2021: Ricky Tiedemann

This is where things start to be more of a prediction. Right now, the player with the most success from the Blue Jays’ 2021 class is Matt Svanson. Traded for Paul DeJong before the 2023 trade deadline, the right-handed pitcher posted a 1.94 ERA and 2.72 FIP in 60.1 innings pitched last season. He was one of 14 pitchers that pitched 30 or more innings and had a sub 2 ERA.
Who could be the best? Well, that’s none other than Ricky Tiedemann. The left-handed pitcher had a terrific 2022 season to become a top 100 prospect in baseball, but injuries began to hamper his career. Tiedemann still pitched 44 innings in 2023, but only made eight starts in 2024 before needing Tommy John surgery.
He hasn’t pitched since, being shut down early in Spring Training due to elbow soreness. But the 23-year-old is a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher with plus secondaries. If he doesn’t end up in the rotation, it’s easy to see Tiedemann become a high-leverage reliever.

2022: Mason Fluharty

Two of the Blue Jays’ 2022 picks have already made their debut: Mason Fluharty and Alan Roden. There are also a handful of players to keep an eye on this season, such as Brandon Barriera, Josh Kasevich, and Gage Stanifer.
Fluharty figures to be an important reliever in the Blue Jays’ bullpen for years to come, making his debut last season. Over 52.2 innings pitched, the left-handed pitcher had a 4.44 ERA and 3.97 FIP in 52.2 innings pitched.
So far through his young career, Fluharty has shown to have ice in veins, striking out several batters in high pressure situations. In his four outings this season, Fluharty has struck out four of the eight batters he’s faced, with two of those batters reaching on infield singles.

2023: Arjun Nimmala

No Blue Jays’ draft pick from 2023 have made their big league debut this season, but that may change depending on how 11th-rounder Grant Rogers performs. Last season, his 150.1 innings were the most pitched in the Blue Jays’ system since 2018.
That said, their first round pick in the draft, Arjun Nimmala, figures to be their best pick. The shortstop had a slow start to his career, but after a stint on the development list in 2024, Nimmala tore up the Florida Complex League and Single-A.
Beginning the 2025 season in High-A, Nimmala slashed .289/.372/.528 with nine home runs in 207 plate appearances. In that span, he had a 10.6 BB% and 17.9 K%  for a 145 wRC+. However, from June onward, Nimmala struggled. That may be in part due to an injury, the league adjusting, and just being one of the youngest players at the level.
The 20-year-old will begin the 2026 season in High-A, but he could find his way to Double-A at some point this season.

2024: Trey Yesavage

There are a few interesting players the Jays selected in 2024, such as third-rounder Johnny King and fourth-rounder Sean Keys, but the title of best pick by the Blue Jays in the 2024 draft belongs to Trey Yesavage.
You know the story by now. Yesavage made his professional debut with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, quickly rose up the minor league ladder, and made three big league starts to end the season. Yesavage made the Jays’ playoff roster and had two incredible starts, one in his debut and one in Game 5 of the World Series. He was also the Blue Jays’ Game 1 starter in the World Series.
So yeah, Yesavage gets this spot as he figures to be at or near the top of the Blue Jays’ rotation for years to come.

2025: JoJo Parker

It’s anyone’s best guess which 2025 draftee makes the big leagues, but right now it looks like JoJo Parker has the best shot of making it. In the spring, Parker made his professional debut in the Spring Breakout game, ripping a single at 109.1 mph. That wasn’t his only hard hit ball this spring.
Parker looks like the real deal as he begins his season with the D-Jays. It wouldn’t be surprising if the 19-year-old is a fast riser in the system. Other names to keep an eye on from this draft class are Jake Cook, Micah Bucknam, Jared Spencer, and Blaine Bullard.
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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