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Blue Jays: History of the 143rd overall pick in the MLB Draft
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 4, 2025, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 4, 2025, 16:07 EDT
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In the fifth round, the Toronto Blue Jays will select 143rd overall.
Since Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro took over after the 2015 season, the Blue Jays have had a handful of successful fifth-round picks. One even impacted the Blue Jays in 2025, as Mason Fluharty was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft.
The most notable player selected in the fifth round by the Blue Jays is Cavan Biggio, who was eventually traded for Braydon Fisher. Lane Thomas is another notable Blue Jay pick in the fifth round, as he was selected in 2014. The Blue Jays have never picked 143rd overall.
That said, there haven’t been a ton of success stories emanating from the 143rd overall pick, as it’s produced just 12 big league players, two All-Stars and one Blue Jay.
The Blue Jay player selected 143rd is Ken Macha, who’s final season in the big leagues came with the Jays in 1981. That season, he slashed .200/.266/.224 with no home runs in 94 plate appearances. It was his third consecutive season north of the border, as he played the 1979 and 1980 seasons with the Montreal Expos. 
Another player who was selected 143rd overall, Brian Schneider, also played for the Expos. Drafted in 1995, the catcher played five seasons in Montreal before the team relocated to Washington (bring them back). Schneider played eight seasons with the franchise, slashing .252/.323/.377 with 47 home runs in 2,608 plate appearances. Schneider played with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies to finish his career, retiring after the 2012 season.
The best player selected 143rd overall happens to be one of the All-Stars. In 1988, the California Angels selected Gary DiSarcina. He slashed .307/.344/.459 with five home runs in 394 plate appearances with the Angels in 1995, and spent his entire career with the organization. In 12 seasons, DiSarcina slashed .258/.282/.341 with 28 home runs in 4,032 plate appearances for an 11.2 bWAR
Jim Johnson was the other All-Star. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in 2001, accumulated 8.3 bWAR in his career. Over his 13-season career, the right-handed pitcher pitched for the Orioles, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Angels. Johnson finished his career with a 3.79 ERA in 704.2 innings pitched, and in 2012, he finished with a 2.49 ERA in 68.2 innings pitched, not only going to the All-Star Game but finishing seventh in Cy Young Award voting and 14th in MVP voting.
Nick Hundley finished with a 7.3 bWAR, the third-most bWAR for any player picked 143rd overall. However, he elected to go to college and was picked 76th overall by the San Diego Padres in the 2005 draft. For his career, Hundley slashed .247/.299/.405 with 93 home runs in 3,373 plate appearances in 12 seasons. He played for the Padres, Orioles, Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, and Oakland Athletics, retiring after the 2019 season.
Other players with a bWAR above 0 are Warren Morris, Fred Stanley, Joe Boyle, Garin Cecchini, Darryl Cias, and Ron Keller. Additionally, Macha and Kevin Padlo finished with a bWAR below 0.
Boyle was selected in the 2020 draft and pitched five innings with the Tampa Bay Rays this season. Dylan Jordan, Jaden Hamm, Brandon Birdsell, and T.J. White are the other active players selected 143rd overall.
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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