Blue Jays select Jake Bennett 252nd overall in 2026 MLB Draft
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Jul 12, 2026, 14:10 EDTUpdated: Jul 12, 2026, 14:23 EDT
For the second day in a row, the Toronto Blue Jays selected a catcher in the 2026 MLB Draft.
In the eighth round with the 252nd overall selection, the Blue Jays drafted Jake Bennett from Dallas Baptist University.
Bennett is coming off his second season in the NCAA with the Patriots, and took his game to a new level this past season. In 43 games with the Patriots, Bennett batted .346 with 19 home runs and 53 RBIs, building on his first year in the NCAA where he batted .276 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs.
The 21-year-old is listed at 6-foot-2, 231 pounds, and per MLB.com’s broadcast is likely to shift into more of a first baseman/designated hitter role as he enters the professional baseball world. While an ankle injury limited Bennett’s ability to play the entire season, he had a .475 on-base percentage, and an OPS of 1.250 due to the consistent showings of high exit velocities. Bennett was named to the 2026 All-CUSA First Team after his big season.
A part of a strong program at Dallas Baptist University, Bennett helped the Patriots go 32-26 during the season before falling in the Conference USA Tournament. Across three games in the tournament in which the Patriots went 1-2, Bennett went 3-for-8 with one home run, two RBIs, and three walks.
Through 75 career NCAA games, Bennett batted .321 with 31 home runs and 87 RBIs to go along with a .456 on-base percentage. The slot value for this selection is $219,500, a figure that the Blue Jays will be likely paying around for Bennett to join the organization.