With the eighth overall pick, the Blue Jays could select… Liam Doyle?
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Jun 21, 2025, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 20, 2025, 20:45 EDT
In the last four drafts, the Blue Jays have selected two left-handed starters in the first three rounds. First, it was Ricky Tiedemann in the 2021 draft, who quickly became one of the team’s top prospects.
The following season, they selected Brandon Barriera 23rd overall. Both players received Tommy John surgery in the past year or so, with Barriera on a rehab stint and Tiedemann throwing his first bullpen session on Friday.
In the upcoming draft, the Blue Jays pick eighth overall. In this article, we’ll look at collegiate left-handed starter Liam Doyle. If you missed the last draft profile, we looked at catcher/outfielder Ike Ireland.
Liam Doyle’s bio
Like Tiedemann and Barriera, Doyle is a tall left-handed pitcher who stands at 6’2”, 185 lbs. Doyle has pitched for three separate colleges (more on that later), but his junior season was spent at the University of Tennessee.
In MLB Pipeline’s most recent mock draft, they predicted that Doyle would fall to the Blue Jays after being ranked as high as second earlier this season. In fact, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel had Doyle going second in his recent mock draft, so who knows where he’ll fall.
The Jays have drafted 45 different players from the state of Tennessee, eight of whom were selected out of the University of Tennessee. Chad Dallas is their most recent draftee from the school, and J.P. Arencibia is their highest pick from the school, as he was selected 21st overall.
Looking at the entire state of Tennessee, the last time the Blue Jays had a top 10 pick, they selected Austin Martin fifth overall. He attended Vanderbilt, a different school in the state. Other notable players the Jays have selected from the state are Lane Thomas, Phil Clarke, and Daniel Norris.
Liam Doyle’s stats
Doyle, a New England product, started his collegiate career with Coastal Carolina, a team that’ll play in the College World Series final. In his 23 appearances, Doyle only started seven games, finishing with a 4.15 ERA and a 3.57 FIP.
He transferred to the University of Mississippi to begin the 2024 season, where he finished the year with 55 innings pitched, starting 11 of the 16 games he appeared in. It wasn’t a great season for the lefty, as Doyle authored a 5.73 ERA and a 4.27 FIP, with a 34.7 K% and an 8.7 BB%.
Doyle once again transferred, this time landing with the University of Tennessee before the start of the 2025 season. He’s excelled as a full-time starter, posting a 3.20 ERA and a 2.45 FIP in 95.2 innings pitched, with a 42.6 K% and an 8.3 BB%.
Liam Doyle’s tools
Doyle ranked as MLB Pipeline’s ninth-best prospect in their most recent top draft prospects. His best pitch by far is his fastball, which sits in the mid-90s but touches as high as 99 mph. Doyle’s high release point makes the pitch that much better.
As for his secondary stuff, Doyle has an above-average slider and cutter, but hangs them a bit too often. Doyle also features a splitter, another above-average secondary pitch. There is some reliever risk due to his delivery, but he throws strikes, and the stuff remains late into games.
Liam Doyle’s grades
Doyle’s fastball is arguably the best in the draft class, as it’s given a 70 rating. Here are his grades according to MLB Pipeline.
Tool | Grade |
Fastball | 70 |
Slider | 55 |
Cutter | 55 |
Splitter | 55 |
Control | 50 |
Will the Blue Jays select Liam Doyle?
The Blue Jays have shown a tendency to draft left-handed pitchers who are 6’2” or taller somewhat early in the draft. Although the end of his season was rocky, Doyle has potential, which was reflected in his high ranking earlier in the season.
If he falls to the Blue Jays and they select the 21-year-old, he’s a prospect that could quickly rise the minor league ladder in the next few seasons. It all depends on whether they view him as the best player available.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.