Over the Toronto Blue Jays‘ last ten drafts, their first-round pick has been used fairly equally between position players and pitchers. The split sits at six pitchers and four batters, but that number has drifted more towards the pitching side in recent years, with three of their four most recent first-round picks being hurlers.

Of the five most recent drafts, only two are actively playing within the team’s system. 2024 draftee Trey Yesavage and 2023 rep Arjun Nimmala have been playing well in single-A and high-A, where they both currently play, but the Jays ’22 pick Brandon Barriera has been out since he had Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm last season (while also dealing with other ailments). ’21 and ’20 picks Gunnar Hoglund and Austin Martin were both traded away in the Matt Chapman and Jose Berrios deals, respectively.

As their picks from the most recent classes continue to develop, what sort of approach would be the best for the Blue Jays to use for their eighth overall pick and beyond this summer? Looking past just the first round, their 2024 draft was fairly even, with eleven players being pitchers and the other ten being hitters. Is that same balanced strategy the right approach for this year?

Here’s an argument for all three ways the team could lean in.

A balanced approach between hitters and pitchers is usually the safest option for a team to follow in any given draft. By simply selecting the top available player each time your team gets called, you – often, not always – end up with a solid batch of prospects.

With the way the 2025 draft appears to be trending, this doesn’t appear to be a bad way to go. The projected top ten prospects on MLB.com contain a mix of position players and pitchers, from both high school and college. There seems to be a solid number of middle infield prep stars trending towards the top, as well as a few college arms in the same area where the Jays are picking with their eighth overall spot.

Since the draft was cut down to 20 rounds in 2021, the Jays have drafted primarily college players (nearly a 3-1 ratio of college vs high schoolers), so top-ranking high school players like RHP Seth Hernandez may be off their radar despite his 3000+ rpm curveball (if he’s even available).

That still leaves them with a great selection of players to choose from, though, and if they do choose to go with a balanced draft, it doesn’t really matter what the seven teams ahead of them decide to do since the top of the talent pool is deep this year.

A theme that has followed the Jays this year has been their inconsistent play as they hover around the .500 mark. Keeping it simple and grabbing the top players available each time they’re on the clock isn’t an approach that many could blame them for.

Tossing the balanced approach out of the window, going all in on pitching is also a viable way to go in this year’s draft.

Looking at the Jays’ double-A and triple-A teams, Buffalo ranks 15th of 20 teams in International League ERA, while New Hampshire ranks seventh of 12 teams in Eastern League ERA.

A fresh round of pitchers would be welcomed with open arms to a depleted system. 2024 picks Yesavage and Khal Stephen appear poised to continue rising through the ranks if they keep up their excellent play. That would leave lower affiliates open for a new top arm.

Part of the reason that the farm has been so depleted of arms is that it’s been plagued with injuries. The list of injuries includes Barriera, Angel Bastardo, Jake Bloss, Ricky Tiedemann, Chad Dallas, T.J. Brock, Connor Cooke, and, impressively in a twisted sense, more than five others. Adam Macko also landed on the IL to start the year but is already back on the rehab train, as well as Kendry Rojas, who began a rehab assignment recently in the FCL.

Those pitchers will eventually return, but bolstering the depth with even more never hurts. That is, if the team can keep them healthy.

High-heat is the name of the game for the majority of the top projected arms, such as Hernandez and college star Kyson Witherspoon. Even the left-handers Kade Anderson, Jamie Arnold, and Liam Doyle throw around the mid-90s with wicked breaking pitches.

The Jays’ top pick seems probable to go with a pitcher, as all of the position players projected in the top ten this year all play shortstop. It’s not the most pressing position for the team at the moment, considering how well Nimmala has been playing in high-A Vancouver.

To be honest, this does seem like the least likely option for the Jays to pursue, but it’s not entirely off the table. The Jays find themselves in an interesting situation this year where their first and second picks are 73 picks apart due to the draft pick compensation provided when they signed Santander this winter, leaving them without a second-round selection.

Beyond their eighth overall pick, the team won’t go again until the 81st, 112th, and 143rd picks. Due to the nature of the game, batters get more reps than pitchers do, as pitchers are usually only needed once every few days. It can make picking a batter in later rounds more enticing if you have a position of need and are willing to let him develop for longer in the minor leagues, as you know he’ll get consistent reps.

The Jays could use more power bats; they rank 21st this year in home runs, and 19th in SLG, and later draft rounds are perfect for finding players who have one great tool (in this case, power), but need more work on the rest of their kit.

There’s no promise that players like this ever crack the majors, but the draft is all about creating depth, and there’s no better way to instantly stockpile your depth full of power bats than to draft a bunch all at once.

Projected to be picked near the 81st selection are four infielders and four outfielders, all of whom have shown flashes of power. Players projected to be taken around the 112 mark include power-hitting and strong-throwing catcher Trent Grindlinger, as well as power-hitting outfielders Josiah Hartshorn and Jacob Parker.

An interesting Canadian name should fall around the 143 mark as well. Alberta’s Tim Piasentin had a brilliant showing at the Canadian Futures Showcase last year and even won the home run derby of the event.

No matter which pick comes up, a suite of sluggers appear to be available each time the Jays get put on the clock should they choose to go in this direction.

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