The Toronto Blue Jays were so close to winning it all last season, just a couple of outs shy of winning the World Series. Not only does it sting to come so close to winning it all, but the additional fallout from sniffing a championship is felt in the following season as well at the MLB Draft. 

Because Toronto finished second (runner-ups), they earned the 29th overall pick in the MLB Draft. On top of this late-round selection, the Jays were penalized for exceeding the second level of the CBT, meaning that the pick drops down ten spots into the 39th slot. The Jays also lose their second-round pick and fifth-round pick as compensation for signing Dylan Cease, who declined the Padres’ qualifying offer. They do gain a pick following the fourth round because of Bo Bichette signing with the Mets, so the Jays will select in the following order for the first five rounds:

Things get a bit more bunched up for the Jays towards the end of the fourth round with their two final picks, but the club will really need to execute with their 39th selection. There is still star potential that far in the draft – Myles Naylor, Jake McCarthy, and Joey Gallo – are all notable names that were taken 39th overall. There’s no guarantee with prospects that they will pan out, but the Jays will need to be wise with their top choice, given the lack of picks behind them in the gap from the start of the second round through to the end of the third round.

Toronto has done well as of late – Trey Yesavage, Johnny King, JoJo Parker, Gage Stanifer, and Arjun Nimmala – are all trending in the right direction, and that’s not including some recent prospects that were traded last winter to bolster the active roster in Alan Roden, Khal Stephen, and Juaron Watts-Brown. Since Ross Atkins has taken over the helm, the Jays have used their first pick on a high school player just four times; however, three of those selections have come within the past four seasons (Brandon Barriera, Nimmala, and Parker). That’s not to say the Jays will go back to the well, but there is some history behind the Jays potentially using their top selection on a high school star over a college bat/pitcher.

Here are some potential prep star names the Jays could pursue this time around:

Scouts are flocking to Georgia to see Etowah High School, as the team boasts three seniors who are gaining some steam heading into the 2026 MLB Draft. One of those players is outfielder Trevor Condon, who could be a first-round pick later this summer.

So far this year, Condon leads the team in batting average (.500), OBP (0.577), and SLG (0.750) while boasting a 1.327 OPS. He also has four stolen bases to his credit and patrols centre field for the Eagles. Condon is one of the top high school prospects from Georgia entering the summer and has an easy swing from the left side that can hit for both power and contact.

These bat-to-ball skills, added with his plus speed, make him a threat at the top of the lineup and one of the reasons Tennessee scooped him up quickly.

The Blue Jays have a strong presence in Florida and are not afraid to flex their draft muscle in the state. This makes Jacksonville product Brady Harris a potential option here for the Jays at #39.

Harris was everywhere this past summer, playing at various showcases across the country to improve his draft stock. The right-handed bat features an easy swing that should gain some more power as he develops, and mixed with his plus speed, could make him a deadly bat at the top of the order. He routinely posts exit velocities in the triple digits and doubles turn into triples with his speed, which should keep him in centre field post-draft.

Ranked at #34 on MLB Pipeline, Harris ticks off a lot of boxes for the Jays and what they are looking for in the farm system. He is committed to Florida.

Jim Callis at the MLB Network predicts the Jays will go down the high school route in his first mock draft, and Blake Bowen is slotted into the spot. Ranked at #33, there is a chance that Bowen finds himself still available when the Jays step up to the podium – especially since rankings go out the window to an extent on draft night.

Bowen was a rising football star before committing to baseball fully, and the 6-foot-3 right-handed bat is showcasing his power at the plate that he developed on the gridiron. He does have some swing and miss to his game, which comes with power bats, but his plus athleticism and all-around tools on the diamond have him ranking high on the scouting boards.

Teams interested in Bowen will have to pry him from a commitment to Oregon State.

The Jays have not normally gone down the high school pitching route, but the folks at Baseball America think that Coleman Borthwick Jr. could change that narrative in their latest mock draft.

At 6-foot-6, Borthwick has a starter’s frame, and he uses it to his advantage on the mound. He sits in the mid-90s with his fatball and uses a plus slider that generates a ton of swing and miss. On top of his ability on the mound, he can also handle himself on the diamond, playing the corner infield spots and holding his own at the plate from the right-side. He earned tournament MVP honours with Team USA at the WSBC U-18 World Cup for his work on both sides of the game.

The jury is still out on whether he will focus on one part of the game moving forward, but scouts believe his future is on the mound. He’s committed to Auburn, although there is a good chance he hears his name called this summer.

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