Blue Jays: History of the 352nd overall pick in the MLB Draft

In the 12th round, the Toronto Blue Jays pick 352nd overall.

Although the Blue Jays have never selected from the 352nd selection, they have had some success stories from the 12th round. The most notable is Tim Mayza, who was one of the best relievers in 2023 before struggling mightily in 2024. The Jays also drafted Doug Mientkiewicz and Tanner Houck in the 12th round, but they didn’t sign.

There are three 12th-rounders in the Blue Jays system right now: Riley Tirotta, Nolan Perry, Chay Yeager, and Carson Messina. Tirotta, in particular, has a chance of eventually making the Blue Jays, as he has a 127 wRC+ in Triple-A this season

The Blue Jays may have never picked 352nd overall, but the player with the most bWAR was one of their best players early in the franchise. Another player is still active in the big leagues. If you missed the last article, we looked at the history of the 292nd overall pick.

Notable players selected 352nd overall

In the 1972 draft, the Boston Red Sox selected Ernie Whitt 352nd overall in the 15th round. With the Red Sox, Whitt only received 20 plate appearances in 1976 before they left him exposed in the 1976 expansion draft. The Blue Jays selected him and he only received 50 plate appearances over the next two seasons before spending the entirety of the 1979 season in the minor leagues as a 27 year old.

Upon his return to the big leagues in 1980, the catcher seemed to figure it out. Over the next 10 seasons, Whitt slashed .254/.329/.4222 with 131 home runs in 3,927 plate appearances, accumulating 19.3 bWAR.

In 1985, Whitt slashed 245/.323/.44 with 19 home runs in 465 plate appearances, earning his first and only All-Star nomination. He was eventually traded to the Atlanta Braves in late 1989, and was the final Blue Jay remaining on the roster from their first MLB season.

Whitt wasn’t the only All-Star selected 352nd overall, as Joc Pederson is a two-time All-Star.  For his career, the outfielder/designated hitter is slashing .237/.340/.462 with 211 home runs in 4,451 plate appearances, winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 and the Atlanta Braves in 2021. He was an All-Star in 2015 and 2022.

Pederson participated in the 2019 Home Run Derby, hitting 39 home runs in the second round against Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Those 39 home runs are the third-most home runs in a single round in Home Run Derby history.

Whitt isn’t the only former Blue Jay selected 352nd overall. Another catcher, Dan Whitmer, received 10 plate appearances with the Jays in 1981, registering a double in that stretch. For his MLB career, he only had 112 plate appearances split between the 1980 and 1981 season.

Nate Karns (2009) is the only other player selected 352nd overall with more than 1 bWAR, as he pitched in 67 games with a 4.30 ERA. Billy Smith (1977) and Greg Keatley (1974) finished with a bWAR above 0, while Donnie Veal (2003), Whitmer (1978), and Austin Davis (2014)  finished with a bWAR below 0.

Aside from Pederson, the only other 352nd overall pick to play in the big leagues this season is catcher Seby Zavala. The catcher was selected in 2015 by the Chicago White Sox and has appeared in 18 games with the Seattle Mariners this season.

Pederson, Zavala, Davis, Fran Oschell (2024), Bryson Hammer (2023), and Corey Joyce (2019) are the only active players in affiliate ball in 2025.