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Blue Jays 2026 Draft: History of the 343rd overall pick
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 8, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 8, 2026, 19:48 EDT
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In recent years, the 11th round is where the Toronto Blue Jays have taken some gambles.
There’s a short break between the end of the 10th and beginning of the 11th round, which was implemented in the 2025 draft. Before that, there was an entire day between the two rounds, which allowed teams to figure out how much bonus pool they have. If teams had savings, they selected a better known prospect.
Last draft, the Jays drafted Jared Spencer, a top draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The year before that, they selected Troy Guthrie, a prep pitcher who has had a good start to his professional career. There’s a good chance we see the Blue Jays do that same in the 11th round this weekend, owning the 343rd overall pick. It’ll be the third time in franchise history that they’ve selected from the spot.
Let’s take a look at the history of the 343rd overall pick.

Tommy Fambrough, 1994

The first time the Jays selected 343rd overall was in 1994, selecting Tommy Fambrough out of South Florence High School. Fambrough didn’t sign, instead attending Northwest Florida State. He was never drafted again and never played professionally.

Chuck Kegley, 1999

Five years later, the Blue Jays selected right-handed pitcher Chuck Kegley with the 343rd overall pick. Kegley spent parts of four seasons in the organization, beginning his professional career in 2000 with the Dunedin Blue Jays.
He reached as high as Double-A, throwing 16 innings with the Tennessee Smokies in 2002 and another 14 innings with the New Haven Ravens in 2003. The 2003 was his final season as a professional.

Notable players selected 343rd overall

The most notable player selected 343rd overall happens to also be a former Blue Jays, Brandon Belt. Back in 2006, the Boston Red Sox selected him 343rd overall, but he elected not to sign. Belt was drafted in 2007 and declined to sign again. Finally, the San Francisco Giants drafted him in the fifth round in 2009.
Belt went on to win two World Series with the Giants, one in 2012 and the other in 2014. The first baseman was named an All-Star in 2016, and earned MVP votes in 2020 after slashing .309/.425/.591 with nine home runs in 179 plate appearances.
The Texas product finished his career with the Blue Jays, spending the 2023 season with the team. Over 103 games, he slashed .254/.359/.490 with 19 home runs in 404 plate appearances. Belt retired earlier this year after going unsigned following the 2023 season.
Another player selected 343rd overall who didn’t sign but went on to play in the big leagues is Danny Boone. Drafted by the California Angels in 1973, the left-handed pitcher didn’t sign until after he was drafted in 1976. Then he didn’t make his big league debut until 1981, hurling 63.1 innings with the San Diego Padres, finishing with a 2.84 ERA.
Boone struggled the following season, then was out of baseball entirely after the 1984 season, which was spent with the Pacific Coast League’s Vancouver Canadians. Well, that is until 1990, as he became a knuckleballer in a senior league and eventually threw nine and two-thirds innings with the Baltimore Orioles in 1990.
Another player who had a significant gap on their big league résumé is Paul Nonce.The infielder was selected by the Padres in 1981, and he made his big league debut in 1987. Over 70 games, he slashed .228/.261/.611 with three home runs in 192 plate appearances. He didn’t appear in another big league game until 1990, when he received one plate appearance and hit a single.
Bruce Robbins has the highest bWAR of any player selected 343rd overall that signed. The left-handed pitcher was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1977, and appeared in just 25 games
Jack Esch was drafted in 2011 by the Florida Marlins and appeared in four big league games, the least among the six big leaguers selected 343rd overall. That said, he represented Great Britain at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. 
They earned a berth through qualifying, defeating Spain 10-9, with then Blue Jays prospect Jaden Rudd hitting a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth. On that Spain team was another player selected 343rd overall, Justin Connell, who never played a big league game.
Ryan Meisinger was selected by the Orioles in 2015 and appeared in 27 big league games. His most recent big league action was with the Chicago Cubs. He currently serves as the Florida Complex League Twins’ pitching coach.
That’s it for the players selected 343rd overall who appeared in a big league game, but there are a few notable players drafted at the spot who have notable stories as well. 
Tom Harmon was selected by the Red Sox in 1967. While he never appeared in a big league game, he served as a bullpen coach for the Cubs in 1982. Beginning in 1989, he served as the University of Texas’ assistant coach, a tenure that lasted until 2012.
The Cubs selected Terry Joseph with the 343rd overall pick in 1995. His tenure in the minor leagues was brief, but he’s served as a coach since 1999, but not in baseball. Instead helping coach several college football programs from 1999 until 2024. Last season, he was the defensive pass game coordinator of the National Football League’s New Orleans Saints.
Clark Crist won the College World Series with the University of Arizona in 1980, then was selected by the Seattle Mariners shortly after. What Crist is best known for is his time as a scout, doing so from 1985 until 2015 with six separate teams.
No one selected 343rd overall has a story like Garret Osilka. Born in Guam, Osilka was an infielder that the Milwaukee Brewers selected in the 1996 draft, spending four seasons in the organization before playing in the Montréal Expos system in 2000. That marked the end of his affiliate career, but he pitched for the independent Winnipeg Goldeyes in 2001, then the Jackson Senators in 2002 and 2003.
Following his baseball career, Osilka became a police officer. In 2014, he was shot on duty while on a routine traffic stop, but survived his injuries and retired from the force in 2024.
The other player selected 343rd overall worth noting is Ryan Clifford. Drafted by the Astros in 2022, Clifford was MLB Pipeline’s 97th-best prospect in baseball in 2024. He was eventually traded to the New York Mets for Justin Verlander and currently ranks as Pipeline’s second-best Mets prospect.

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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