Today was the first day of the 2026 MLB amateur draft. The Jays made three picks, after losing their second rounder as a penalty for signing Dylan Cease, and had their first pick moved back 10 spots (effectively into the top of the second round) for exceeding the second luxury tax threshold last season.
Pick 39 Overall: Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State
Baseball America: 33 Fangraphs: 11 Keith Law: 15 MLB.com: 26
Carlon, 21, is an imposing left handed pitcher standing 6’5” and weighing 230lbs. He was a reliever for his first two seasons in Tempe, before
moving into the rotation this past spring. He flourished there, posting a 3.87 ERA and striking out 133 against 33 walks over 83.2 innings. His best pitch is a high 80s slider with nasty late drop that has an argument as the best breaking ball in the class. He’s able to throw it for strikes, and uses is more than half the time against both lefties and righties with excellent results. The fastball got about two miles per hour harder this season, sitting 96 and touching as high as 101 occasionally. It’s a bit straight and so plays a little below its pure velocity, but it’s still a comfortably above average weapon. Carlon rounds his arsenal out with a curveball in the high 70s and a decent looking change up, but threw both sparingly in college. He’ll need to develop more confidence in those secondary offerings if he wants to remain a starter.
It’s a bit of a jerky delivery, and although he threw a good number of strikes this past season his command is still somewhat below average. It’s the other point of refinement beyond repertoire depth. If Carlon can iron that out and fill in his arsenal a bit more, he looks like a mid rotation starter with potential for more. Even if he continues to struggle, the slider and fastball give him a fallback as a back end reliever.
Pick 103: Ryan Cooney, 2B, Oregon
Baseball America: 175 Fangraphs: NR Keith Law: NR MLB.com: 137
Cooney is a slightly undersized infielder who draws rave reviews for his pure contact ability and makeup. He hit .331/.420/.524 for the Ducks this season while shifting form shortstop to second base. The latter position is his natural fit in pro ball, as he lacks the big arm for short, and he could be an above average defender there. He’s an above average to plus runner and an efficient base stealer. The hole in his game is power, as his size and line-drive oriented swing limit his over the fence potential. He did make some strides in that department as a junior, hitting 22 doubles in addition to eight home runs.
Blue Jays scouting director Marc Taramuta comped Cooney to Ernie Clement. Cooney isn’t quite the defender Ernie is, but that shape of offensive production is probably what it would look like if he worked out.
Pick 131: Will Brick, C, Christian Brothers HS, Memphis, Tenn.
Baseball America: 61 Fangraphs: 36 Keith Law: 32 MLB.com: 46
Brick is a standout athlete who played multiple positions this spring, but there’s no doubt that his eventual home is at catcher. His arm is comfortably plus even by the standards of the position, and has shown the fundamentals to be an above average blocker and framer with development. Scouts also apparently rave about his makeup.
He has a few more questions on offence. He can show above average raw power in batting practice, with the frame to add some more muscle and get to plus. Right now, though, his swing is contact oriented and puts too many balls on the ground. There are also some questions about how well his contact ability will hold up against top end velocity. He has good control of the barrel, though, and with his defensive ability and power the bar for batting average he has to clear to be a quality regular is very low.
High school catchers are a high risk and slow developing demographic, but Brick has the upside to be a plus regular who hits for power in the bottom third of a lineup while adding tons of value with his glove.
Analysis:
Carlon is a great get, by all accounts significantly more than the 39th best player in this draft. Cooney looks like a money saving move. He’s a type of player this front office likes, though, and Clement is proof that they can get some value out of that archetype. Brick is an ambitious selection. I assume that they know what it’ll cost to sign him and that some of the cash saved on Cooney might also help, but don’t be surprised if we see a few other clear money savers tomorrow to free up some cash. Coming away from this draft with two consensus top two round talents is a coup, even if it means the depth of the class gets hollowed out a little. The success of Danny Thompson jr. and some others in recent years shows that they can find some value among the ranks of low bonus college players if they need to. Overall, I think fans should be very happy with the way things have shaped up so far.
