Toronto Blue Jays Sign Stanford Catcher

Saum spent four years at Stanford and will be entering his age 22 season in 2026, so he's a bit older than a number of the bats that the Blue Jays added in the draft, but he's also a low-risk addition given that he was undrafted.

In 2025 with Stanford during his senior season, his numbers dipped a bit from the previous year with the backstop batting .236 with a .345 OBP and a .713 OPS, along with four home runs, seven doubles, and 19 RBI across 173 plate appearances.

The previous season he'd hit for a higher average (.283) and slugged more homers (8), which led to a .900 OPS in 112 plate appearances. The one big gain he made from '24 to '25 was in his walk rate, which went from 7.1% to 11.6%. This made it so that his on-base percentage stayed fairly consistent year-over-year, despite the drops in slugging and average.

The 43 games with 173 plate appearances for Saum were each career highs in 2025. The hope here is that with some coaching from a pro team, there may be some untapped potential for Toronto to unlock. He showed in 2024 that he can hit, though he was the backup to Malcolm Moore--a first round pick of the Texas Rangers last season.

Part of the reason for the drop in production at the plate could be the heavier workload, and the increased exposure that comes with it. Another issue could have been Stanford's switch to the ACC, which included more travel that in previous seasons.

On top of both of those factors was that the Cardinal pitchers weren't quite what they were expected to be this previous season, which may have led to more time spent by Saum working on his catching and game calling, rather than his hitting.

Regardless, Saum is getting his opportunity with a big-league team. While it's not as a top draft pick, it's still a chance to grind his way up to Toronto and make an impact for the Blue Jays, which is what matters.