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Blue Jays 2026 Draft: History of the 223rd overall pick
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 2, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 2, 2026, 20:18 EDT
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Although not a top pick, the 223rd overall pick has produced a handful of big leaguers, including an award winning pitcher.
The Toronto Blue Jays will pick at the spot in the 223rd draft, their sixth pick in the draft (in the seventh round). They’ve selected 223rd just one time in franchise history, all the way back in 1999.
Let’s take a look at the history of the 223rd overall pick.

Derrek Nunley, 1999

In the 1999 draft, the Blue Jays selected Derrek Nunley with the 223rd overall selection. Joining the organization out of high school, the reliever joined the St. Catharines Stompers to end the season.
His 2000 was split between the Queens Kings (an awesome name) and the Medicine Hat Blue Jays, authoring a 4.09 ERA in 33 innings of work. In 2001, he pitched for the Charleston AlleyCats, posting a 3.93 ERA in 18 innings of work.
The most innings he pitched in a season was in 2002, finishing the season with a 4.81 ERA in 58 innings of work. Nunley improved the following season as he repeated the level in 2003, finishing the season with a 2.20 ERA in 57.1 innings of work.
Nunley’s final professional season was  in 2004, which was mainly spent in Dunedin. He had a rough season, posting a 7.43 ERA in 46 innings of work, but was teammates with current Blue Jays manager, John Schneider.

Notable players selected 223rd overall

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins spent a handful of seasons in the Cleveland Guardians farm system as a player at the same time Steve Kline was with the organization. While in the same organization, they were never teammates.
Shortly after making his debut for the Guardians in 1997, Kline was traded to Montréal Expos, spending parts of four seasons with the team. From 1999 until 2001, Kline led all pitchers in appearances, getting into 254 games. Kline also earned MVP votes in 2001.
Over his 11 seasons, Kline appeared in 796 games, playing for the Guardians, Expos, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, and San Francisco Giants.
Another left-handed reliever drafted 223rd overall is Ray King, with the Cincinnati Reds drafting him in 1995. King was teammates with Kline in 2004 in a career that spanned 10 seasons. In 593 games, King posted a 3.46 ERA and 4.24 FIP over 411 innings of work.
Selected in the 1991 draft by the Reds, John Courtright was in the Reds organization at the same time as King. They never crossed paths, and Courtright pitched a single big league inning in 1995. What Courtright is known for came a season before his big league debut.
In 1994, Courtright’s Chattanooga Lookouts played the Birmingham Barons. He welcomed the best basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, to baseball by striking him out. Jordan’s baseball career didn’t work out, but he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame twice. 
Somehow, Courtright isn’t the only player selected 223rd overall with a connection to the Naismith Hall of Fame. Darrell Miller, played 224 big league games, all with the California Angels from 1984 until 1988. He played some games for the Edmonton Trappers and Calgary Cannons, but Miller is the brother of Reggie Miller and Cheryl Miller, two players who are also in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
There’s another player selected 223rd overall named Darrell. Two years before Miller was drafted, the Minnesota Twins drafted Darrell Jackson. Like Miller, he pitched five seasons in the big leagues, with a career-best year coming in 1980 when he authored a 3.87 ERA and 4.08 FIP in 172 innings of work. 
Jackson’s 3.1 bWAR is fourth-best amongst players drafted 223rd, behind King (5.3 bWAR), Kline (9.9 bWAR), and Dontrelle Willis (19.7 bWAR). All four pitchers happen to be left-handed pitchers.
By far the best player ever drafted 223rd is Willis. Beginning his career in 2003, Willis helped the Florida Marlins win the World Series, posting a 3.30 ERA and 3.45 FIP in 160.2 innings of work. Not only did the Marlins win the World Series, but Willis won the National League Rookie of the year.
His other notable season came in 2005, finishing that season with a 2.63 ERA and 2.99 FIP in 236.1 innings of work. He amassed 7.3 bWAR from that season alone, finishing as the runner up for the NL Cy Young and 11th in MVP voting.
Willis went to the All-Star game in both seasons, finishing his career with a 4.17 ERA and 4.22 FIP in 1,221.2 innings of work. The lefty represented Team USA at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Another player selected 223rd overall, Bryan Augenstein, was teammates with Willis in that tournament, though he only made the provisional roster. Buck Martinez was the manager of that team, funnily enough.
There are a handful of other players selected 223rd overall who played in the big leagues. AJ Blubaugh currently pitches with the Houston Astros, while Cody Morris was active with the New York Yankees in 2025. Kristopher Negrón played 170 games, Luke French pitched in 31 games, Dave Schuler pitched in 18 games, and Jackson Tetreault pitched in four games with the Washington Nationals in 2022.

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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