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Blue Jays: History of the 172nd overall pick in the MLB Draft
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Photo credit: © Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 5, 2025, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 5, 2025, 03:23 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays have found some success in the sixth round before.
In 2018, they selected a high school shortstop from King High School in Tampa for a modest $271,100 signing bonus. That player is Addison Barger, one of the most important players on the 2025 Blue Jays. Other sixth-rounders of note over the past decade and a half are Anthony DeSclafani, Matthew Boyd, Cam Eden, T.J. Brock,  Hayden Juenger, and Jace Bohrofen.
In the coming draft, the Blue Jays pick 172nd overall, a spot that they’ve picked from once. Moreover, there have been four All-Stars picked from that spot, three World Series Champions, and three Blue Jays.
Let’s take a look at the history of the 172nd overall pick. If you missed the last edition, we looked at the history of the 143rd pick, their fifth-rounder in the coming draft.

Blue Jays selected Jose Silva in the 1991 draft

Just over a year before the Blue Jays won back-to-back World Series, they selected Jose Silva 172nd overall in the 1991 draft.
Of the 17 players that made it to the big leagues from the 172nd selection, Silva has the worst bWAR at -0.9. He pitched just two innings with the Blue Jays in 1996, giving up three earned runs for a 13.50 ERA.
Silva became a regular for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1997 until 2001 and then played a season with the Cincinnati Reds before bouncing around Triple-A and Mexico. For his career, Silva finished with a 5.41 ERA and a 4.32 FIP in 427.1 innings pitched.

Other notable players picked 172nd overall

There isn’t a Hall of Famer who was selected 172nd… yet. Mookie Betts was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 2011 draft in the 172nd selection. In his big league career, Betts is slashing .291/.370/.516 with 281 home runs in 6,625 plate appearances. He’s won an MVP, three World Series, is an eight-time All-Star, a six-time Gold Glove winner, and has won seven Silver Slugger awards. Betts has also finished as the runner-up for the MVP on three separate occasions. He’s produced 72.8 bWAR and 61.2 fWAR. Betts is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Jim Sundberg was selected 172nd in the 1972 draft by the Texas Rangers, didn’t sign, and then was drafted second overall in the “Secondary Phase,” meant for players that didn’t sign. For all intents and purposes, he is a 172nd overall pick. In his 16-season career, the catcher slashed .248/.327/.348 with 95 home runs in 6,899 plate appearances, accumulating 40.5 bWAR. He was a three-time All-Star, a six-time Gold Glove Winner, and won the World Series in 1985 with the Kansas City Royals.
Another All-Star drafted from the 172nd draft selection is Lary Sorensen, selected in the 1976 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-handed pitcher finished with a 4.15 ERA and 3.90 FIP in 1,736.1 innings pitched and was named an All-Star in 1978. Sorensen played the 1987 season with the Montreal Expos, pitching just 47.2 innings.
One player who was an All-Star, was drafted by the Expos, and played for the Blue Jays is Erik Hanson. The right-handed pitcher didn’t sign with the Expos after they selected him in the 1983 draft. Instead, he was picked in the second round by the Seattle Mariners in 1986 and went on to play six seasons there, with a 3.69 ERA and a 3.25 FIP in 967.1 innings pitched. He was named an All-Star in 1995 with the Boston Red Sox and played his final three seasons with the Blue Jays from 1996 until 1998.
The other player who was selected 172nd overall, who played for the Blue Jays, was Dave Revering. Drafted in the 1971 draft, Revering played part of the 1982 season with the Jays, where he slashed .214/.276/.302 with two home runs in 174 plate appearances. Josh Labanderia was an Expos pick and had 14 big league plate appearances with them in 2004, his only MLB action.
There’s one other World Series champion selected 172nd overall, Michael A. Taylor. The 34-year-old was selected in the 2009 draft by the Washington Nationals (formerly the Expos), winning the World Series with them in 2019. 
He’s one of several active players, including Peyton Olejnik (2024), Cade Denton (2023), Jared Polan (2022), Carson Seymour (2021), Cooper Johnson (2019), Brandon Leibrandt (2014, in China), and Betts.
Other players who finished with a bWAR above 0 are Chuck Cary (1981), Horacio Ramirez (1997), Mike Trujillo (1982), Brandon Bailey (2016), and Leibrandt (2014). Some players finished with a bWAR below 0; they are: Seymour (2021), Gary Cooper (1986), Steve Curry (1984), Labanderia (2001), Mike Thompson (1999), and Silva (1991).
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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