Toronto Blue Jays recent draft picks dominated by pitching
A look back at the team's recent selections in the MLB amateur draft
Baseball is one of the most unpredictable drafts. Prospects can take time to develop and the fruits of the scouts' labour may not come to fruition until years down the road.
For example, Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez didn't make his big league debut until four years after being drafted in 2010.
Unlike other sports, the MLB Draft is held mid-season and runs 40 rounds as organizations stock their various minor-league teams.
There are also compensatory picks awarded to any team as a result of free agents rejecting their qualifying offer and signing with another team. In that case, teams can have multiple first-round picks.
Jays general manager Ross Atkins holds the 21st overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. Here's a look at the recent first-round selections made by the franchise:
Jon Harris (RHP, 29th overall, 2015)
Originally selected in the 33rd round of the 2012 MLB Draft, the St.Louis native had a rough professional debut in low-A ball with the Vancouver Canadians, posting an ERA of 6.75 in 12 games played, 11 of those starts.
Harris has turned things around in high-A ball with the Lansing Lugnuts, where the six-foot-four right-handed pitcher is 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA in nine starts.
Jeff Hoffman (RHP, 9th overall, 2014)
Many scouts had pegged Hoffman as the No.1 overall pick of the 2014 draft before he tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his junior year at East Carolina University.
The six-foot-five pitcher quickly ascended through the Jays' farm system to Double-A within a year. However, the Latham, N.Y., native was traded to the Colorado Rockies in the Troy Tulowitzki deal and began this season with their Triple-A club. In 11 starts, Hoffman has an ERA of 2.67, striking out 60 batters in 67 1/3 innings.
Max Pentecost (C, 11th overall, 2014)
When the Jays failed to come to an agreement with 2013 first-round selection, Phil Bickford, the team was given a supplemental pick which they used to select Pentecost. Brian Parker, the Jays director of amateur scouting, described the Kennesaw State Owl catcher as an "athletic, two-way position player."
However, a series of shoulder injuries has hampered his development.
When healthy, the Winder, Ga., native has shown flashes of what Parker was alluding to. In two injury-shortened minor league seasons, Pentecost has averaged .292, with a fielding percentage of .984, and has thrown out 20 per cent of base stealers.
Phil Bickford (RHP, 10th overall, 2013)
As mentioned, Bickford was drafted out of high school by the Jays but didn't sign with the club, choosing instead to play college ball instead. He was then taken 18th overall in last year's draft by the San Francisco Giants.
Bickford's pitching repertoire features a four-seam fastball topping out at 98-mph and a two-seam sinking fastball in the low-90's. The six-foot-four right-hander has demonstrated swing-and-miss stuff with 94 strikeouts in 75 1/3 minor league innings pitched.
D.J. Davis (OF, 17th overall, 2012)
The outfielder is ranked ninth on MLB's top 30 Blue Jays prospect list. The 21-year-old possesses great speed on the basepaths with 90 stolen bases in four minor-league seasons.
But Davis has struggled with plate discipline, racking up more than 100 strikeouts in his last two seasons and is already on pace to break the century mark again this season with the Dunedin Blue Jays in Advanced-A ball.
Marcus Stroman (RHP, 22nd overall, 2012)
With the Jays failing to sign another first-round pick, Tyler Beede, the organization selected Stroman with the supplemental pick they were awarded. The Stony Brook, N.Y., native fast-tracked to the majors where he has become the ace of the staff.
The Duke University alumnus is a career 20-8 in 42 games played (36 starts) with a 3.82 ERA and a 3.12 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Tyler Beede (RHP, 21st overall, 2011)
After declining to sign with the Jays, Beede attended Vanderbilt University where he played an instrumental role in their 2014 College World Series triumph. The Auburn, Mass., native was selected 14th overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2014 draft.
The 23-year-old pitcher is the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Giants system and is currently with the Richmond Flying Squirrels in Double-A. After struggling in his first season in Richmond, Beede has rebounded nicely, dropping his ERA from 5.23 to 3.05 and improving his command by increasing his strikeout-to-walk ratio from 1.40 to 3.07.