Blue Jays select Jaxson West 472nd overall

It took until the 16th round, but the Toronto Blue Jays have selected their first catcher in the 2025 MLB draft.

With the 472nd overall pick, the Blue Jays selected Jaxson West from Florida State University. The 21-year-old is a left-handed batter and has attended both FSU and the University of Alabama. He has spent the past two seasons with FSU and his freshman season with Alabama.

With Alabama, West slashed .185/.371/.333 with one home run in 35 plate appearances. After the 2023 season, West transferred to FSU, where he slashed .274/.398/.404 with three home runs in 183 plate appearances, along with a higher BB% (14.8%) than K% (10.4%), finishing the year with an 85 wRC+.

West’s offence took a step back in 2025, as he slashed .236/.370/.311 with two home runs in 188 plate appearances. He walked more often (16 BB%) than he struck out (8.5 K%), but he had just seven extra-base hits for a 68 wRC+. Behind the plate in summer ball last season, West caught six of the 24 would-be base stealers for a 25% caught stealing percentage. He committed just one error in 120 chances. 

West didn’t win any awards in 2025, but he was selected to the 2024 College World Series All-Tournament Team in 2024, as well as the Tallahassee All-Regional Team. One game in the College World Series saw him hit a ninth-inning home run.

Just from the numbers, it doesn’t seem like his bat is why the Blue Jays drafted him, which leads me to believe he’s good defensively behind the dish. It’ll be interesting to see where he ends if/when he signs, but the likely spot is with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.