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Blue Jays 2026 Draft: History of the 283rd overall pick
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 7, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 7, 2026, 20:42 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays have had some success selecting in the ninth round.
Their most recent success story selected in the round is left-handed relief pitcher Aaron Loup. Selected in the 2009 draft, Loup pitched 12 seasons in the big leagues, with seven of those years coming with the Blue Jays from 2012 until 2018, when was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.
However, their biggest success story by far is one of their first draft picks in franchise history, Jesse Barfield. They selected the outfielder in the 1977 draft, and he went on to become an All-Star, win two Gold Gloves, as well as a Silver Slugger Award. Over 12 seasons, Barfield accumulated 39.4 bWAR and is one of the most recognizable players in the early days of the Blue Jays.
As for their ninth-rounder in this draft, the 283rd overall selection, the Blue Jays have picked there twice in franchise history. Neither player ending up playing in the big leagues, but their most recent selection in the spot has gone on to make a name for himself. The 283rd overall pick has produced some notable players. 
Let’s take a look at the history of the 283rd overall pick.

Nate Cromwell, 1987

In 1987, the Blue Jays selected left-handed pitcher Nate Cromwell 283rd overall. While he never reached the big league level, he had a lengthy career in the minor leagues, spending parts of five seasons in the organization.
Midway through the 1993 season, he joined the San Diego Padres organization, remaining there until the 1995 season. Cromwell pitched two more seasons professionally, both in independent ball, retiring following the 1998 season.

Josh Holliday, 1999

One year after Cromwell’s retirement, the Blue Jays selected Josh Holliday with the 283rd overall pick in 1999. Holliday didn’t have a lengthy career in the minor leagues, playing just 145 games split between the St. Catharines Stompers in 1999 and the Hagerstown Suns in 2000.
If Holliday’s last name sounds familiar, he is the brother of long-time big leaguer Matt, meaning he’s also the uncle of Baltimore Orioles’ Jackson Holliday and Colorado Rockies’ Ethan Holliday.
While J. Holliday’s tenure in minor league baseball was brief, he served as an assistant coach for five college programs before joining Oklahoma State as their head coach in 2013, a position he still holds. Holliday’s crowning achievement is winning the College World Series in 2016.
During his tenure, the Jays drafted two of the players he has coached, Kale Davis in 2022 (he didn’t sign), and Juaron Watts-Brown in 2023.

Notable players selected 283rd overall

Ryan Kalish is one of just two players selected 283rd overall who went on to play in the big leagues and also have a connection to the Blue Jays’ organization. After 156 big league games, he nearly joined the organization during the 2014/15 off-season, but the deal didn’t go through, and he never played a game (Spring Training or otherwise) with them.
The most notable player selected 283rd overall is Kevin Seitzer. The third baseman was a coach in the Blue Jays organization in 2014, and even won a World Series while serving as the Atlanta Braves’ hitting coach in 2021.
Seitzer had a memorable playing career as well. Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1983, he made his debut in 1986, but was named an All-Star in 1987 while earning MVP votes and finishing as the Rookie of the Year runner-up. Over 1,439 games, Seitzer finished with 28.9 bWAR, the most by any player selected 283rd overall.
Another player selected 283rd overall who went on to sign and win a World Series is catcher Austin Barnes. Drafted by the Florida Marlins in 2011, Barners was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, making his big league debut that season. The first half of his career was spent serving as their primary catcher, but when Will Smith joined the team, Barnes moved into a backup role and won the World Series with the Dodgers in 2020 and 2024.
Rob Dibble was selected 283rd overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982, but didn’t end up signing. The right-handed pitcher appeared in 385 big league games, making his big league debut in 1988 with the Cincinnati Reds.  Dibble was a part of the 1990 Reds that won the World Series, and the 1990 season was the first of two seasons he attended the All-Star Game. Moreover, he won the National League Championship Series MVP in 1990.
Casey McGehee was drafted 283rd overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 2003 draft, going on to play 856 big league games. What he’s best known for is his time in Japan, winning the Japan Series with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2013. He was also named a NPB All-Star in 2017, with a big league stint sandwiched between the two achievements.
There’s a Canadian connection with the 283rd overall pick as well. In 2002, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Richmond Hill product David Davidson with the selection. The left-handed appeared in 166 big league games and pitched for Canada in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Daniel Stumpf is one of four players selected 283rd overall to appear in a big league game, but didn’t do anything notable enough to cover in this article. Dwight Taylor and Robert Mosebach also fit into this category.
The 223rd overall pick has two connections to Hall of Fame Basketball players, while the 283rd overall pick has two connections to cinema. Paul Zuvella appeared in 209 big league games and has the lowest bWAR of any player selected here, but he appeared in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, sort of. A scene in the movie has footage of a game where he was on first base.
Moneyball is one of the most famous baseball movies, and it has a connection to the 283rd overall pick. Mike Magnante was drafted by the Royals in 1988 and was on the Oakland Athletics in 2002. In the movie, he’s played by Derrin Ebert, who currently is the pitching coach of the Pacific Coast League’s Salt Lake City Bees.
But in real life, Magnante is released after the A’s acquire Ricardo Rincón from Cleveland, a team which current Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro was the general manager of. What the scene doesn’t mention is that Magnante was less than a week away from earning a fully vested pension, which he would’ve gotten after 10 years of service time.
Magnante never pitched another big league game after the A’s released him, but he did have a solid big league career. Over 484 games, he had a 4.08 ERA and a 26-32 record. He’s also the 29th pitcher in big league history to throw an immaculate inning, doing so in 1997 with the Houston Astros.
Jeff Austin was selected by the Montréal Expos in 1995, but he elected not to sign. Three years later, the Royals selected him fourth overall. Austin pitched in just 38 games, but holds the distinction of giving up back-to-back-to-back home runs to begin the game. At the time, it was just the second time in big league history that it happened. It’s happened three times since.
Lastly, Damon Buford was acquired by the New York Mets in the Bobby Bonilla trade in 1995. Buford appeared in 699 big league games in a career that spanned from 1993 until 2001. The Baltimore Orioles selected him 283rd overall in the 1990 draft.

Other history of a pick…

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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