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With the eighth overall pick, the Blue Jays could select… Brendan Summerhill?
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jul 9, 2025, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 9, 2025, 06:44 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays‘ prospect pool for outfielders has drastically increased over the past few seasons.
Just a few years ago, it seemed like the biggest area of need was outfield prospects, but with the emergence of Addison Barger, Joey Loperfido, Alan Roden, Jonatan Clase, and many others, it’s an area of strength now. Moreover, the Jays already have some solid veteran outfielders in Anthony Santander, Daulton Varsho, and George Springer.
That said, what’s wrong with just one more outfield prospect? After all, you need three on a nightly basis.
In this article, we’ll take a look at collegiate outfielder Brendan Summerhill. If you missed the last draft profile, we looked at Steele Hall.

Brendan Summerhill’s bio

Brendan Summerhill attended the University of Arizona and is ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 16th-best draft prospect. The 21-year-old stands at 6’3”, 200 lbs and is one of the best outfielders available in the draft, depending on how you view Ike Irish.
The Blue Jays have selected 57 prospects out of the state of Arizona, with the most recent one being shortstop Gavin Smith out of high school in 2024. The most recent collegiate player was selected from Arizona State, left-handed pitcher Cooper Benson. 
As for the most recent time the Jays selected someone from the University of Arizona, you have to go back to 2018 when they selected Cal Stevenson in the 10th round. Stevenson was traded as part of the package that brought Derek Fisher to Toronto, one of the trades of all time. Stevenson is the only player selected out of the University of Arizona since Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins took over.
However, the Jays have drafted eight players from the University of Arizona in franchise history: Andy Burns, Brad Glenn, Brad Mills, Brad Hassey, Ernie Durazo, James Abbott, and Ed Vosberg. They really like players named Brad from the University of Arizona. Unfortunately, there were no players named Brad on the 2025 Wildcats roster.
The last time a player from the University of Arizona was picked in the first round was in 2022, when the Oakland Athletics selected Daniel Susac 19th overall. The highest University of Arizona players selected were Craig Chambelain and Dave Stegman, both selected second overall in the 1970s.

Brendan Summerhill’s stats

In Summerhill’s freshman season, he slashed .259/.419/.414 with two home runs in 75 plate appearances for a 102 wRC+. He improved in his sophomore season, as the outfielder slashed .324/.399/.550 with eight home runs in 279 plate appearances for a 122 wRC+.
His home run production dipped in 2025, but he slashed .343/.459/.556 with four home runs in 207 plate appearances for a 137 wRC+. Moreover, Summerhill had a higher BB% (17.4%) than K% (11.6%) for the first time in his collegiate career.

Brendan Summerhill’s tools

According to Summerhill’s MLB Pipeline scouting report, he’s average or better in all five tools. He has a good approach at the plate, albeit there’s still a little bit of chase. Summerhill has some raw power, but it hasn’t shown up in games just yet, as he hit just 16 home runs in three collegiate seasons.
MLB Pipeline believes his best position is at centre field thanks to the pressure being off his bat, and his above-average speed and above-average fielding, but he profiles well in the corner outfielder as well. He’s compared to Arizona Diamondbacks’ outfielder Jake McCarthy.

Brendan Summerhill’s grades

As always, let’s take a look at Brendan Summerhill’s grades according to MLB Pipeline.
Tool
Grade
Hit
55
Power
50
Run
55
Arm
55
Field
55

Is Brendan Summerhill a fit for the Blue Jays?

Summerhill is arguably the best outfielder available, but it just doesn’t seem like a fit for the Blue Jays, at least this early. Summerhill is ranked 16th by MLB Pipeline, well below where the Jays selected eighth overall.
Sure, they can underslot him to overslot their third-round pick, but there’s a much better bat available in Ike Irish, who they may also be able to underslot if they go that route.
Summerhill has a good floor thanks to his average-or-above tools, but he isn’t a player the Blue Jays should be selecting eighth overall, because there’ll be plenty of better players available at that point.
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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