Another Canadian was the target of the Blue Jays in the 26th round of the draft as they selected Quebecker Jean-Christophe Masson, an outfielder. He played this year with the Junior National Team and Academy Baseball Canada in 2018, and hit .692 with two doubles, a home run and five RBI in six games at the Perfect Game 16U Elite Championship in Texas last year. He’s also played at the T-12 Tournament in Toronto. Masson has a commitment to Missouri and it may be unlikely the Jays actually sign him.
The Blue Jays drafted righty Roel Garcia from Rice University in the 27th round. Garcia is a junior who hasn’t pitched since the fall and underwent Tommy John surgery. So, if he signs, don’t expect him to pitch until next season for the Blue Jays’ affiliates. Roel is 6-foot-4 and weighs 240 pounds and he was a starter in 2018 as a sophomore, pitching 52 innings with a 5.02 ERA and 45 strikeouts with 28 walks.
For their 28th-round pic, the Blue Jays went with Gabriel Ponce, a righthanded pitcher out of Arizona Western College (a community college). Ponce tossed 72 innings this year, with a 1.75 ERA and 92 strikeouts to just 20 walks. He also allowed only 47 hits. Ponce transferred to Arizona Western after pitching for a year at the University of San Diego with a 5.68 ERA and 43 strikeouts with 21 walks in 38 innings. Professional baseball runs in Ponce’s family as his grandfather played professionally in Mexico.
The Blue Jays took another Canadian, Owen Diodati out of Stamford Collegiate in Ontario. He’s been a member of the Canadian Junior National team but had a strong commitment to the University of Alabama that he plans to honour over signing professionally.
Noah Myers, another junior college player, was selected by the Blue Jays in the 30th round, coming out of Wabash Valley College. Myers is yet another Canadian selected by the Blue Jays, coming from Wyoming, Ontario. The lefthanded hitter is 6-foot-3 and weighs 195 pounds and scouts think he’s a solid defender in center field but has a “below-average arm.” He’s got “60 speed, quick first step, solid base stealer.” More of a line drive hitter, scouts think that he’s a “top of the order type.” In his sophomore year (this year), he hit .397/.531/.613 with 18 doubles, a triple and eight home runs, stealing 77 bases and getting caught just once (according to NJCAA stats). He’s got a commitment to South Carolina but I’m sure the lure of playing for the Jays might help sign him away.
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