With the MLB draft approaching next week, the Toronto Blue Jays will have the opportunity to further improve their farm system. The Blue Jays’ farm system is average, but it has improved over the past year. With a clear need to continue improving, however, the Blue Jays find themselves in an intriguing spot.
Blue Jays Linked to Top Draft Prospects
Many have linked the Toronto Blue Jays to Kyson Witherspoon. Witherspoon, a right-hander with big-time stuff out of the University of Oklahoma, could find himself at pick No. 8 for the Blue Jays. However, when predicting who the Blue Jays will select, The Sporting Tribune recently predicted them to take JoJo Parker, a high school shortstop out of Mississippi. He was the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024-25.
“Most local scouts don’t see Carlson getting past this pick, but many of those same scouts say the same about picks 6, 12 and 13 so it’s hard to believe which of those landing spots will be the real one (obviously, I picked No. 6). Parker has less of a chance than Carlson does of falling out of the top 10, particularly, with Chicago at No. 10 where they may have interest in drafting his twin brother, Jacob, later in the draft.
“Cunningham may not get the notoriety his prep counterparts receive, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Toronto had him highest among the group and snatched him here. If one of the lefties falls in the likes of Arnold or Doyle, Toronto could be a good landing spot. They also might be one of the first landing spots for the top right-handed collegiate arm in Kyson Witherspoon who has sneaky fits and rumors all across the top 10,” they wrote.
Parker’s Fit With the Blue Jays
Parker would be an intriguing addition for the Toronto Blue Jays. According to Perfect Game, he’s the 16th-ranked player in the nation.
He’s committed to Mississippi State and is the twin brother of fellow perfect game All-American, Jacob Parker.
Despite the intrigue surrounding the selection of Parker, ESPN recently examined what the Blue Jays might do during the draft. Their question for them was what the Blue Jays could do regarding finding offensive talent in the upcoming draft.
“One big question: Given the stars of last year’s draft class and the strength of the farm system are both on the mound, do the Jays try to find a bat with their first pick?
“Pitchers Trey Yesavage, Johnny King and Khal Stephen were the Jays’ top three picks last year and are all arrow up this year. Throw in currently/recently injured pitchers Ricky Tiedemann, Jake Bloss and Brandon Barriera, and that’s the top of the farm system, outside of shortstop Arjun Nimmala. Given where the Jays’ first pick is, Oklahoma RHP Kyson Witherspoon and prep RHP Seth Hernandez are options, but otherwise it’s looking like mostly position players as the top options expected to be available for the No. 8 pick,” they wrote.
As they touched on, Witherspoon could be an intriguing option here. However, if he and Seth Hernandez are selected before this pick, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them go the high school bat route.
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