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2025 MLB Draft – Canadian Watchlist: Micah Bucknam
Ron Schloerb/Cape Cod Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

2025 MLB Draft – Canadian Watchlist: Micah Bucknam

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation  |  By Chris Georges  |  Last updated Jul 7, 2025 12:00 PM ET

In this series, Blue Jays Nation will be featuring Canadians who are eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft. For this article, right-hander Micah Bucknam will be featured. Player: Micah Bucknam Hometown: Abbotsford, BC Position: Right-hander pitcher Description: Bats: R / Throws: R / 6-foot-2 Program: Dallas Baptist University

Background

Micah Bucknam has had one of the more interesting upbringings of any prospect featured on this draft watchlist thread. Born in New Zealand but spending time in Seattle before attending high school in Abbotsford, the right-handed pitcher has been on the draft radar since the Blue Jays selected him in the 16th round back in 2022. He opted to attend LSU instead of signing, where he spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons in the Tigers bullpen. In the summer of both those years, he also played in the Cade Cod League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

Bucknam worked just 16 innings across two seasons in purple and yellow, struggling to carve out a bullpen role on a top tier team that would win the National Championship in 2023. After the 2024 season, he transferred to Dallas Baptist University, where he had the chance to be the school’s number one starter.

Over 13 starts in 2025, Bucknam worked a 4.62 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, with 80 strikeouts over 62 1/3 innings pitched. He routinely pitched into the sixth inning for the Patriots, coincidentally wrapping up his collegiate career against the eventual National Champion winning Tigers, to which he allowed three earned runs over 2 2/3 innings.

Profile

Bucknam has a strong, athletic body type and repeatable delivery, which bodes well for his durability moving forward. The B.C. product has a four-pitch mix that could make him an effective starting pitcher in pro ball given further development. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90’s but doesn’t offer a whole lot of movement to it and struggles to locate it at times.

His slider and curveball are his best offerings and allows the 6-foot-2 righty to stand out. The slider has been pegged as a 65-grade pitch by MLB Pipeline, working in the upper 80’s and generating a ton of swing and miss. The curveball sits in the low 80’s with more depth that is almost as effective as the harder slider. The 21-year old mixes in a changeup that could possibly be more effective if he didn’t throw it quite as hard, landing in the upper 80s.

Draft Potential

Bucknam ranks as the 131st prospect on MLB Pipeline’s top 250 list, as well as seventh on Canadian Baseball Network’s list of top Canadian draft prospects, giving him a chance to hear his name in the first five rounds.

Most teams will be interested in the plus off-speed pitches that the Canuck throws, but his draft destination will likely be determined by which teams believe he can throw an effective fastball for strikes in the pros. The development of the heater as well as his changeup would give him an ideal starter’s repertoire. There is also a chance that he is drafted as a swing man/long reliever type, scrapping the changeup and focusing on his three pitch mix. Although the ceiling may not be incredibly high, he offers a solid floor as a professional prospect.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

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