Toronto Blue Jays 2023 MLB Draft Review
See Also: 2023 MLB Draft Database
Draft Theme: Blending Power & Polish.
Toronto’s draft was one of the toughest to boil down to one theme, so if you have a better one let me know. But it’s interesting that the Blue Jays took a pair of upside players with power at the top of the draft and then went with two players right after who have a bit more polish. First-rounder Arjun Nimmala has electric bat speed and huge power potential, but some swing decision questions, while third-rounder Juaron Watts-Brown has a high-carry fastball and snappy breaking ball—but he needs to find more control. Fourth-round righthander Landen Maroudis has a penchant for strike-throwing with a well-rounded three-pitch mix, while fifth-rounder Connor O’Halloran is a touch-and-feel lefty who can spot his fastball to both sides of the plate.
Most Interesting Day 2 Pick: RHP Juaron Watts-Brown, 3rd round
Watts-Brown was a standout, multi-sport athlete in high school who excelled at baseball, football and basketball. He began his college career at Long Beach State, but redshirted in 2021 to recover from an arm injury he sustained in football. When he returned to the mound in 2022, Watts-Brown was named a Freshman All-American and his draft stock exploded over the summer when he showed improved velocity and some of the best all-around pitching upside during the summer in the Cape Cod League. In his first and only season with Oklahoma State, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound righthander posted a 5.03 ERA over 15 starts and 82.1 innings and led the Big 12 with 124 strikeouts and a 33% strikeout rate. He’s a good mover on the mound with a clean, fast arm, a bit of length in the back of his arm path and a three-quarter slot. Watts-Brown averaged 92 mph and touched 95 with a fastball that had around 19 inches of induced vertical break. He used that pitch less than half the time however, thanks to a high-usage, mid-80s slider that flashes plus with hard, tight spin and looks like a real out pitch. He generated whiffs at a 53% rate with the slider, with 40% usage, and often shows better feel to land it for strikes than either his fastball, his low-80s 12-6 curveball or his mid-80s changeup. Watts-Brown has fringy control and needs to improve his fastball command to make the most of a solid four-pitch mix.
Most Interesting Day 3 Pick: 1B/OF, Sam Kulasingam, Air Force, 17th round
Over the past two seasons, Kulasingam quietly established himself as one of the best hitters in all of college baseball. After hitting .411 in 2022, Kulasingam managed to upstage that performance in 2023, hitting .426 with 28 doubles, four triples and six home runs. A 6-foot-2, 190-pound switch-hitter, Kulasingam has both an outstanding approach and bat-to-ball skills, which translated to a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 50-to-24 and .537 OBP. Kulasingam had an impressive in-zone contact rate of 93% and showed the ability to drive the baseball with authority to all fields. The trickiest part with Kulasingam is his military commitment, and if he were to sign with Toronto, he may not be able to play affiliated baseball until 2024.
