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Blue Jays Nation’s 2026 Pre-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 24: Micah Bucknam
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Feb 17, 2026, 07:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 17, 2026, 07:41 EST
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Micah Bucknam is the second player drafted in 2025 to make our 2026 pre-season top prospect list!
This is Blue Jays Nation’s bi-annual prospect ranking, where we’ll look at the top 35 prospects in the system in the month of February. As always, I’ll look at the player’s stats, what other publications have to say, as well as my own observations of the players. If you missed the 25th-ranked prospect, you can read about Edward Duran here.

Getting to know Micah Bucknam…

Position: Starting pitcher
Throws: Right
Born: August 26th, 2003
Acquired: Fourth round, 2025 draft
Previous ranking: 29th
Born in New Zealand but playing his high school ball in British Columbia, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Bucknam in the 16th round of the 2021 draft out of the Mennonite Educational Institute, in Abbotsford, BC. Bucknam elected not to sign, honouring his commitment to Louisiana State University.
Taking a gap year, Bucknam pitched for the Trenton Thunder in the Major League Baseball Draft League, authoring a 0.53 ERA over 17 innings pitched. He joined the LSU Tigers for the 2023 season, and while they went on to win the College World Series that year, Bucknam pitched just seven innings where he had an 11.57 ERA and 10.06 FIP. Bucknam’s playing time didn’t increase much in 2024, posting a 7 ERA and 4.87 FIP in nine innings of work.
Entering his junior year of college, Bucknam transferred to Dallas Baptist for more playing time, which is exactly what he received. Not only did he appear in more games (13), all of those games were starts. In 62.1 innings pitched, Bucknam authored a 4.62 ERA and 3.67 FIP, with a 29.4 K% and 9.2 BB%.
Bucknam ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 131st-best draft prospect entering the 2025 draft, and the Blue Jays selected the right-handed pitcher with the 112th overall pick. He’s yet to make his professional debut, but Pipeline ranked the 22-year-old as their 16th-best prospect in the Blue Jays mid-season update. Bucknam’s scouting report notes that he has a mid-90s fastball that doesn’t generate a ton of whiffs, but he’s armed with two plus-or-better breaking balls, a 60-grade curveball and a 65-grade slider.
The scouting report also notes that he’ll have to command his fastball better and improve his changeup, but there is a strong chance that Bucknam could find success as a multi-inning reliever if things don’t work out as a starter.
It’s likely that Bucknam will start his 2026 season with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays, but a trip to High-A Vancouver Canadians toward the end of the season isn’t out of the cards either.
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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