​Today marked the opening day of the 2026 MLB amateur draft. The Toronto Blue Jays selected three players, following the loss of their second-round pick as a penalty for signing Dylan Cease, and their first selection was pushed back 10 spots, effectively placing them at the upper end of the second round for exceeding the second luxury tax threshold last season. Various outlets ranked the Jays’ trio differently: Baseball America had them at 33, Fangraphs at 11, Keith Law at 15, and MLB.com at 26, with Carlon listed at 21 among prospects.
Carlon is an imposing left-handed pitcher, standing 6’5” and weighing 230 pounds. He spent his first two seasons in Tempe as a reliever before moving into the starting rotation this past spring. He thrived there, posting a 3.87 ERA and punching out 133 batters against 33 walks over 83.2 innings. His best pitch is a high-80s slider with a nasty late drop, which some regard as the best breaking ball in the class. He can throw it for strikes and uses it more than half the time against both left-handed and right-handed hitters with excellent results. His fastball gained velocity this season, sitting around 96 mph and reaching up to 101 on occasion. While it’s a bit straight and thus somewhat secondary to pure velocity, it remains comfortably above average. Carlon also features a curveball in the high-70s and a decent-looking changeup, though he threw both sparingly in college. To remain a starter, he’ll need to develop more confidence in those secondaries. His delivery has a somewhat jerky quality, and although he threw a solid number of strikes last season, his command remains a notch below average. The improvement of his control and a deeper, more complete repertoire will be the keys to realizing his ceiling. If those adjustments don’t fully materialize, his slider and fastball give him a clear fallback as a back-end reliever.
Cooney is a slightly undersized infielder who receives high praise for his pure contact ability and his makeup. He hit .331/.420/.524 for the Ducks this season, transitioning from shortstop to second base, which is his natural fit in professional baseball due to his limited arm strength for short. He’s an above-average to plus runner with efficient stealability on the basepaths. Power is his swing’s weak spot, constrained by his size and a line-drive-dominated approach that caps his over-the-fence potential. He did show some improvement in that department as a junior, collecting 22 doubles in addition to eight home runs. Blue Jays scouting director Marc Taramuta compared Cooney to Ernie Clement in terms of offensive profile, noting that while Cooney isn’t quite the defender Ernie is, the style of production could resemble what he might become if his development continues in the right direction.
Brick is a standout athlete who played multiple positions this spring, but his eventual home is at catcher. His arm is comfortably plus, which bodes well for his future behind the plate. He displays the athleticism and speed that could translate into well-rounded defensive tools, and his bat offers additional potential of value depending on how his hitting approach develops in pro ball. The Jays will likely prioritize refining his receiving and game-calling skills while gauging his ability to contribute offensively down the line.
As the organization moves forward with these selections, all eyes will be on how each teenager adapts to professional development, how their tools translate against pro competition, and how they fit into the Jays’ broader strategic plans for cultivating a sustainable pipeline of major-league impact players.