Toronto Blue Jays have the 8th overall pick in tonight's 2025 MLB Draft, this is who they are going after
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With their farm system trending upward in 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays have a chance to add another cornerstone piece with the eighth-overall pick in tonight's MLB Draft.
Toronto's last two first-rounders, Arjun Nimmala and Trey Yesavage, have firmly secured their place among baseball's most exciting prospects, a group the Blue Jays will hope to bolster as they look to select in the top 10 for the first time since 2020.
It's a position the organization has rarely found itself in this century, having drafted fifth in 2020, ninth in 2014, 10th in 2013 and sixth in 2005.
Blue Jays pick 8th overall today. Best ever 8th overall picks include a couple Hall of Fame type players (Todd Helton, Francisco Lindor) and some other very good ones (Jay Bell, Jim Abbott, Kyle Freeland, Mike Leake).
In the lead-up to this year's draft, Toronto has been frequently linked to high school shortstops and college pitchers, two of the class's strongest demographics.
But with no clear consensus beyond the first few picks, the draft board could break in several directions before the Blue Jays are on the clock.
Given the uncertainty ahead of them, here are some players who could be available when the Blue Jays select eighth.
The Athletic's Mitch Bannon concurs with his eyes firmly on these players for the Blue Jays with the eighth pick.
Got my eyes on the high school shortstops and college arms for Blue Jays at 8 in tonight's MLB Draft: LHP Liam Doyle, SS Eli Willits, SS JoJo Parker, SS Billy Carlson, RHP Kyson Witherspoon. College SS Aiva Arquette and LHP Jamie Arnold are potential wildcards/fallers.
The Blue Jays have also been heavily tied to the trio of prep shortstops at the top of the class, Eli Willits, JoJo Parker and Billy Carlson.
Each offers a unique blend of tools that have made them candidates to go in the top 10.
Billy Carlson is expected to go in the top 10 in large part because of his glove.
A standout at powerhouse Corona High School in California, the six-foot-one Carlson showcased Gold Glove potential and a rocket arm.
It's not just the mitt that impressed evaluators, though, as Carlson flashed a solid hit tool, batting .365 with a .517 on-base percentage in 2025.
Mocked to be the Blue Jays' pick at No. 8 by Baseball America on Wednesday, Jo Jo Jo Parker's carrying tool is his bat.
The lefty swinger hit .489 with 13 home runs on his way to earning Gatorade Mississippi Baseball Player of the Year honours in 2025.
While there are some questions about whether he can stick at shortstop, Parker's ability to hit for power and average would give him a future at second or third base.
Ranked as the top college right-hander in this year's class, Kyson Witherspoon transferred to Oklahoma out of a Florida Junior College in 2024 and broke out as a full-time starter with the Sooners in 2025.
Witherspoon features a unique delivery, an unorthodox windup and short arm action, but operates with a deeper pitch mix.
He pairs a mid-to-high 90s fastball with a slider, cutter, changeup and curveball, helping him finish sixth in Division I for strikeouts.
Perhaps most instrumental to Witherspoon's success for Oklahoma in 2025 was an improved ability to pound the zone.
The 20-year-old cut his walk rate nearly in half, dropping it from 11.2 per cent to 5.9 per cent year-over-year.
Witherspoon, who has been regularly mocked to land with the Blue Jays, and his twin brother, Malachi, hope to become just the 11th set of twins to play in MLB.
Malachi also pitched at Oklahoma and is expected to be taken between the third and fifth rounds.
With no second-round pick due to the signing of Anthony Santander, the Blue Jays could look to go underslot at No. 8 to stretch their bonus pool later in the draft.
Tyler Bremner could be an option in this case, following his excellent season at UC Santa Barbara.
Bremner ranked fourth among qualified Division I pitchers with a 29.7 K-BB percentage, using an arsenal headlined by his changeup, ranked as one of the best offerings in the class. He backed it with a mid-90s fastball and a developing slider.
Born to Canadian parents in San Diego, the six-foot-two righty told Canadian Baseball Network that he would like to pitch for Canada at the World Baseball Classic to honour his late mother.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 13 | 95 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays have the 8th overall pick in tonight's 2025 MLB Draft, this is who they are going after Will the Blue Jays take a high school shortstop or a college arm in tonight's draft? | ||
| High school shortstop | 56 | 58.9 % |
| College pitcher | 39 | 41.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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