Forty rounds of hope and hopefuls
Blue Jays scouting director Steve Sanders insisted at the end of baseball’s June draft that it was a great three days — and 40 rounds — for the organization. But the bottom line is it may take years to find out if that optimism rings true.
Under baseball’s unique system of slotting bonus money in descending amounts by draft position through the first 10 rounds, the Jays and all other MLB clubs will have until July 15 to agree to terms with their new players or else they can return to school and go back into the draft the next time they are eligible.
“We think we were able to bring a lot of talent to the organization and a bunch of different types of players,” Sanders said. “Some position players, some upside pitching. All in all our staff’s really excited about what we were able to do.”
The Jays selected 20 righthanded pitchers, two lefthanders, nine infielders, five catchers and four outfielders. Twenty-nine came from NCAA four-year schools, nine from high schools and two more from junior or community colleges.
In a rarity for any draft, the Jays pegged two of their top three selections from the same school in Texas. Their No. 1 pick, the 12th overall selection, was Magnolia High SS/3B Jordan Groshans, a righthanded hitter. The Jays’ third round pick, No. 88 overall, was burly 17-year-old right-hander Adam Kloffenstein, six-footfive and 243 pounds. Sanders insisted they were scouted separately and not intentionally paired.
“Both guys have been on our radar for a long time, both on their own merit,” Sanders insisted. “We certainly saw a lot of Magnolia High School this year. Really excited at the way it worked out that we were able to land both in that type of situation. More-so we were interested in both players.
“The way the draft worked out we were opportunistic in being able to make it happen, which we were excited about. A lot of things had to go right for that to happen, but two guys we were certainly interested in coming into the draft.”
The Blue Jays continued with the theme of accumulating sons of major-leaguers or pro ballplayers for the organization. In the second round, 52nd overall, the Jays chose outfielder Griffin Conine from Duke University. Conine, 21, is the son of former major-leaguer Jeff Conine. Should he sign with the Jays, which is likely, he would join Vlad Guerrero Jr. (Vlad), Bo Bichette (Dante), Cavan Biggio (Craig), Kacy Clemens (Roger) and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (Lourdes) as sons of pro players.
Conine had a tough junior season at Duke, but Sanders believed they had seen enough to stick with their decision and in fact that it may have helped him still be available when the Jays name was called in the second round.
“Griffin is somebody that we scouted for a long time, dating back especially to his breakout season on the Cape Cod League last year,” Sanders said. “But, yes, being the son of a major-leaguer and having the bloodlines and the pedigree, it certainly plays into it, but I think we’ve seen that on the field from him.
“He’s somebody that grew up around the game and it’s no surprise that he’s as well- versed in it and as talented as he is. It all kind of baked into it, but it made us comfortable with taking him (52nd overall).”
The Jays also grabbed two of the 19 Canadians that were selected in the 2018 draft. That total is one shy of the number of Canadians chosen in 2017, but well behind the record 48 Canucks tabbed in 2002.
“It was a good year in Canada for the group,” Sanders said, speaking for the draft-eligible ballers. “We were able to grab two guys, which we’re always excited about. Obviously there was a high-school player, Noah Naylor (of Mississauga), who went pretty high and he was somebody who we certainly scouted very hard. It’s always good to see the Canadian talent go, especially high up in the draft. And we’re excited to add two Canadians to the organization.”
The two Canadians drafted but not yet signed by the Jays were college right-hander Will McAffer, a junior at Tulane University, chosen in the 25th round, and third baseman Damiano Palmegiani, an Alberta high schooler born in Venezuela chosen in the 35th round.
Some had projected Naylor, a member of the junior national team, as going 12th overall to the Jays, but they selected Groshans instead, with Naylor being grabbed by the Indians with the 29th pick in the first round. Naylor’s older brother Josh had also been a firstrounder in 2015, going 15th to the Marlins as a first baseman. Tristan Pompey, an outfielder from the University of Kentucky, was the second Canadian selected, going to the Marlins in the third round. He is the brother of Dalton Pompey, currently on the Jays’ 40-man roster and playing at Triple-A Buffalo.
The Mariners used their 40th round pick to choose White Rock, B.C. native David Rhodes, dedicating the pick to long-time scout Wayne Norton, a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont. Norton passed away in January after battling ALS.