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Blue Jays 2026 Draft: History of the 373rd overall pick
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 8, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 8, 2026, 21:49 EDT
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In three of the last four drafts, the Toronto Blue Jays have selected a prep player in the 12th round.
Like the 11th round pick, a short break between the 10th and 11th rounds allows teams to figure out how much bonus pool money they have remaining. If there was enough money left over, they could use that money on a more notable prospect than would otherwise be selected this late in a draft.
In the case of the Blue Jays, they selected current top 100 prospect Nolan Perry in 2022, then Carson Messina in 2024 and Blaine Bullard in 2025. All three of these players were drafted out of high school, with Bullard signing the largest bonus for any 12th-rounder ever drafted.
This time around, the Blue Jays 12th rounder falls on the 373rd overall pick, a spot they’ve picked from twice in the 1990s. Let’s take a look at the history of the 373rd overall pick.

Rick Halbruner, 1992

In 1992, the Blue Jays selected first baseman Rick Halbruner out of Providence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Halbruner joined the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in 1992, a team he played for in all three of his seasons in affiliate ball. After departing the organization, Halbruner played two seasons in independent ball, retiring after the 1997 season.

Chris Weekly, 1999

Two years after Halbruner’s retirement, the Blue Jays selected Chris Weekly 373rd overall. Like Halbruner, Weekly never made it to the big leagues. He spent parts of three seasons in the Blue Jays organization, then seven games in the Cubs organization in 2002.
Weekly’s final team in affiliate ball was the St. Louis Cardinals. For the 2004 season, he joined the Schaumburg Flyers, spending three seasons there before retiring.

Notable players selected 373rd overall

Joel Piñeiro is by far the most notable player selected 373rd overall. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1997, Piñeiro played in 335 big league games, serving in a bulk relief role for most of his career. Toward the end of his career, Piñeiro joined the Blue Jays organization, pitching in their upper minors in 2015. His son, also named Joel, is a draft eligible player in 2026 after spending the season at the University of Cincinnati.
Piñeiro accumulated 12.7 bWAR, the most of any player drafted 373rd overall. Mike Trombley has the second-highest bWAR of any player selected in the spot, amassing 9.1 in over 509 games pitched. Trombley spent 11 years in the big leagues, and in the summer of 1995, he gave up a hit to Hall of Famer Eddie Murray. That was Murray’s 3,000th hit, one of just 33 players in big league history that has achieved that feat.
The Detroit Tigers selected left-handed pitcher Kyle Ryan in the 2010 draft, and he went on to pitch in 190 games. Another player drafted 373rd overall, Paul Mirabella, pitched in 298 games, including in 41 games with the Blue Jays in the early 1980s.
Clay Parker’s 1.9 bWAR is the fourth most of any player selected 373rd overall. He was a two-spot athlete, playing for Louisiana State University’s football team. Six years after Parker was drafted, Lou Hymel won the College World Series with the LSU Tigers. He was drafted by the Montréal Expos in 1991, but never played a big league game. Jeff Taylor was also selected by the Expos.
The 1991 season was a notable one for Parker as well, as he was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Mariners alongside Lance McCullers Sr. McCullers’ son, Lance McCullers Jr. currently pitches for the Houston Astros, and is teammates with a player selected 373rd overall, Zach Dezenzo.
The most notable play ever made by a player selected 373rd overall belongs to Chris Stewart. With the New York Yankees in 2013, the catcher dove into the screen behind home plate to catch a foul ball. The runner on first attempted to advance, and Stewart was able to throw him out. He went on to play 457 big league games.
Ben Blomdahl appeared in 14 big league games, but registered a save in one of them. Drafted by the Tigers in 1990, all 14 of his appearances were in 1995. In his penultimate big game, he entered with runners on first and second with one out. The best pinch hitter of all time, Canadian Matt Stairs, entered the game for the Red Sox, but Blomdahl got him to ground out for the save.
Blomdahl’s -0.3 bWAR is the second lowest among players selected 373rd overall. The player with the lowest bWAR is Allen Levrault. In 56 games, he amassed -1.2 bWAR, but found success on the Florida Marlins in 2003. Over 19 games, he had a 3.86 ERA in 28 games, but wasn’t on the World Series roster when the Marlins won their second World Series.
Glenn Harper was selected 373rd overall by the New York Mets in 1972. While he never played a big league game, his brother Brian won a World Series with the Twins in 1991. G. Harper isn’t the only player the Mets have selected 373rd overall.
Just last year, the Mets used the pick to select Truman Pauley. The right-handed pitcher appeared in three games with the organization before they shipped him to the Chicago White Sox in the Luis Robert Jr. trade this past off-season.

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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