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BJN Draft Profiles: Zion Rose is a catcher turned outfielder who bats right handed

Photo credit: © Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

By Ryley Delaney

Jun 30, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 30, 2026, 20:59 EDT

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While it is wise for the Toronto Blue Jays to select the best player available, it’s hard to ignore their need for right-handed outfield prospects.

Imagine telling someone three years ago that the Blue Jays have too many left-handed batting outfielders. Well, that’s now that case, as Yohendrick Piñango, Jesús Sánchez, Addison Barger, Daulton Varsho, and Nathan Lukes occupy spots on the big league roster, or are on the injured list.

On the way are prospects like RJ Schreck, Jace Bohrofen, Eddie Micheletti Jr., Victor Arias, and others. They don’t really have any right-handed batting outfielders, at least close to the major league level, as Jonatan Clase is a switch hitter.

This may be a case of a need being more important than selecting the best player available, but if Zion Rose drops to the 39th overall selection, the Jays could get the best of both worlds.

Scouting report

I remember writing about Rose back in 2023, as he was then a prep catcher. Three years later, he ranks at MLB Pipeline’s 31st-best draft prospect after spending three seasons at Louisville. Now an outfielder, Rose is 6’1”, 200 lbs with a ton of power and speed.

Pipeline graded both his power and hit tools as a 55. Rose has good bat speed, and paired with strength, he smacks the ball. He is a good contact hitter with some chase in his game, but the bat is enticing.

Rose is also an above-average runner with a strong arm. The one tool considered fringe is his fielding, as Pipeline grades it at 45.

The statistics

Rose had a strong freshman campaign with the Louisville Cardinals, slashing .380/.455/.584 with five home runs in 192 plate appearances. He also walked more than he struck out, finishing with a 9.9 BB% and 9.4 K%, good for a 129 wRC+.

The right-handed batting outfielder hit a career-best 13 home runs in 2025, but his play as a whole regressed. He posted a collegiate career-worst 12 K%, walking 10.3% of the time. The slash line was still solid, slashing .310/.396/.552, but his 109 wRC+ was a step in the opposite direction.

Rose bounced back in a big way in 2026. In his junior year, the 21-year-old slashed .417/.491/.646 with six home runs in 173 plate appearances, good for a 147 wRC+. Additionally, Rose walked more (11 BB%) than he struck out (8.7 K%).

For his entire collegiate career, Rose was thrown out just nine times on 74 attempts, successfully nabbing 31 bases on 34 attempts in 2025 and 24 bases on 27 attempts this past season.

What Rose can offer the Blue Jays

Defence aside, Rose is a player that the Blue Jays look for. He can hit for power, but he doesn’t sacrifice good at-bats in the process, while also making contact and rarely striking out. Rose’s ability to steal bases is an added bonus, though his defensive woes may be a bit of a concern for the Blue Jays.

He’s the type of player the Blue Jays like, but he’s also the type of player that they need. As it stands, there are just way too many left-handed batters at both the big league and minor league levels. Selecting Rose would give the Jays a right-handed batting outfielder to being big league ready.

Rose would likely finish the season in either Single-A or High-A, but there’s a strong likelihood he’d begin the 2027 season in Double-A, with a chance to even reach Triple-A before the end of the season.