Blue Jays 2024 MLB Draft: Analyzing the top picks from the first five rounds

His dominance has earned a promotion towards the bigger picture, getting Yesavage ready for a big league job. Double-A will be the test of time for the right-hander, and his repertoire and abilities will be tested at an elite level. Yesavage has thrown four innings so far in New Hampshire with four strikeouts, four walks, and one earned run. His command was shaky to begin the outing, similar to his first start in Vancouver, but he settled in well against the tougher competition. 

RHP Khal Stephen – Round 2

The big right-handed 59th selection is also in his development stages and showing great progression. He’s been working similarly between low-A and high-A to Yesavage, amassing a 5-0 record on the season so far. Stephen has an ERA of 2.12 in 59 1/3 innings and has authored an 11.1 K/9 while walking just 12 batters to the tune of a 1.8 BB/9 across both levels. 

He’s faced 238 batters, striking out 73. His delivery and offerings have been high calibre, with effective off-speed and pitch options. April is where things started strong, as Stephen recorded nine strikeouts over six innings against Miami’s single-A club, and the right-hander continues to impress. He might not be too far behind Yesavage when it comes to moving towards a slot in the double-A rotation. 

LHP Johnny King – Round 3

King was drafted out of Naples High School in Naples, Florida and didn’t pitch in affiliated ball last year. For development purposes, he started the 2025 season in the Florida Complex League and has just a handful of starts compared to his counterparts. King seems to be thriving at the start of his professional career. 

In five games (four starts), King has pitched to a 1.17 ERA with a 1.043 WHIP. He tossed 15 and 1/3 innings, only allowing 12 hits, two earned runs, and struck out a whopping 27 opposing bats compared to walking four hitters. King is a sinker-heavy pitcher and mixes in the occasional slider to keep hitters off balance and generate a significant amount of whiffs. The Florida product has a high ceiling and should get some reps in Dunedin to round out the season. 

3B Sean Keys – Round 4

Keys was a true fourth-round pick out of Bucknell. Unlike the trio of pitchers before him, Keys made his pro debut last year in Dunedin. This year, the Jays’ staff liked what they saw and had him begin the campaign in high-A Vancouver on the West Coast.

He’s off to a slow start offensively, batting .199 and hovering between the .199 to .240 mark all season long, but he’s slowly breaking out into his environment. He leads the team with his 40 RBIs and boasts a .713 OPS thanks to his 12 doubles and seven home runs this year while also racking up a .342 OBP and a .372 SLG. Keys is also putting up strong numbers at the hot corner, authoring a .957 fielding percentage across 334 1/3 innings. 

OF Nick Mitchell – Round 4C

As compensation for losing Matt Chapman in free agency the winter before, the Jays received the 136th pick and used it on college outfielder Nick Mitchell. His time in the organization would be limited to just 22 games in Dunedin as he was part of the trade package this past offseason for Andres Gimenez and Nick Sandlin from the Cleveland Guardians.

This year, Mitchell started the year on the IL and didn’t make his first appearance until May 8th in the ACL. After eight games there, he was moved to single-A and has 18 games under his belt in Lynchburg, amassing a .306/.421/.355 slash line with one double, one triple, 12 RBIs and 13 walks.

RHP Jackson Wentworth – Round 5

The fifth-round pick last summer, Jackson Wentworth also didn’t pitch following the 2024 MLB Draft and made his debut this season in high-A Vancouver, ahead of Yesavage and Stephen. Wentworth has tossed 54 innings for Vancouver, striking out 53 and walking 25. His ERA is 5.50 in 12 games (all starts), and he owns a 1.556 WHIP. 

Wentworth has been settling in well as a starter, living in the low to mid-90s on his fastball and working with confidence. His debut was flashy, striking out six versus Tri-City across five scoreless innings to earn the win. He also threw five shutout innings against the Hillsboro Hops on May 4th. Consistency will be his biggest hurdle, as Wentworth has mixed some solid outings with some rough starts, and has allowed four or more earned runs through 41.7% of his starts this season.