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Blue Jays prospect Jake Cook hits first career home run
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 14, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 14, 2026, 20:52 EDT
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The Dunedin Blue Jays are starting to string together some wins recently.
That included a 15-5 blowout of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels on Saturday. With the game well out of reach in the ninth, so much so that a position player was on the mound, Toronto Blue Jays outfield prospect Jake Cook stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded.
On a down and way inside, Cook was able to drive it over the right fence wall for his first professional home run, coming off the bat at 101.3 mph. They say you always remember your first home run, and while it came off a 35.7 mph pitch from a position player, Cook hitting a grand slam for his first homer is cool nonetheless.
It’s been a tough start for Cook in his professional career, but that’s to be expected given the fact he only spent one collegiate season hitting. Over 19 games with the D-Jays, the outfielder is slashing .227/.337/.33 with five extra-base hits and a 14.4 BB%. He’s stolen nine bases in 11 attempts, but has also struck out 28.9% of the time.
Cook is a raw prospect, but with 80-grade speed, terrific defence, and an above-average hit tool, he’s an interesting prospect to see if he can put it all together.

Other notes…

Cook’s first career home run may have been the most notable hit, but he didn’t have the best performance for the D-Jays. Aldo Gaxiola hit his eighth home run of the season, as well as his eighth double of the year. Juan Sanchez hit his 12th double of the season as he continued to stay hot, while Brock Tibbitts hit his first in Single-A.
But the best performance belongs to Blue Jays’ eighth overall pick in 2025, JoJo Parker. The 19-year-old hit his first career triple in a four-hit game, bringing his slashed line to .242/.379/.381 with four home runs, and 13 doubles in 240 plate appearances.
Every player in the starting lineup had a hit in this game, with Sanchez, Gaxiola, Tibbitts, Owen Gregg, and Raimundo De Los Santos all having two-hit performances. On the mound, Silvano Hechavarria pitched five scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout.
The Triple-A Buffalo Bisons also picked up a win on Saturday, walking off the Syracuse Mets. Down one and down to their final two outs, Josh Rivera hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth, his ninth of the season. That turned out to be the lone extra-base hit, but he and Eloy Jiménez each had three hits, while Jay Harry finished with two hits.
That said, it wasn’t a great pitching day for the Bisons. Grant Rogers allowed three runs (two earned) in four and one-third innings. Conor Larkin and Matt Bowman each struck out two, while Chase Lee was credited with the win. Both Yimi García and Adam Macko were tagged with blown saves.
The Florida Complex League Blue Jays defeated the FCL Phillies by a score of 6-4. Franklin Rojas had a two-hit performance, hitting his first triple of the season. Pascual Archila had the other extra-base hit, a double.
In Double-A, the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats fell 7-2 thanks to a five-run inning in the bottom of the eighth. Gage Stanifer started, giving up two earned runs and four walks over five innings of work, striking out five in the process. Carter Cunningham hit his first Double-A home run, while Victor Arias and Jorge Burgos hit doubles.
The Vancouver Canadians fell 10-6 to the Everett AquaSox, but Tucker Toman had a terrific game. Selected in the compensation round back in 2022, the infielder had a four-hit game, going deep for his fifth home run of the season, as well as hitting his seventh double this year.
Alexis Hernandez and Manuel Beltre both went deep, their eighth and fourth home runs respectively. Kendry Chirinos hit a triple, his second of the season. That said, it was a tough start for Landen Maroudis, who gave up five earned runs and five walks over three and two-thirds innings of work.
Both Dominican Summer League teams were in action on Saturday, as they happened to play one another. DSL Blue Jays Red took the win, but the standouts were on the DSL Blue Jays Blue. Michael Mesa hit his second home run of the season, while catcher Juan Caricote hit his first career home run in the 8-3 loss.
As for Friday’s games, Josh Fleming pitched six innings of one run baseball for the Bisons, striking out eight. Ryan McCarty and Sean Keys hit doubles. The Fisher Cats fell 11-1, with their lone run coming off the bat of Adrian Pinto, who hit his second Double-A blast.
The Canadians also lost 11-1, as Toman hit a double, the lone extra-base hit. In Single-A, the D-Jays were swept in their doubleheader, falling 4-2 and 4-3. The 4-2 loss saw Carson Messina start, striking out four in his Single-A debut before rain suspended the game. Their other loss saw Blaine Bullard and Cook each hit two singles.
Then in the DSL, Blue Jays Blue fell 6-2, with Caricote hitting his first career double. Blue Jays Red lost 7-6, with outfielder Luis Nunez hitting his first career double.
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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