​Arizona State pitcher Cole Carlon was selected with the 39th overall pick by the Toronto Blue Jays on the opening day of the 2026 MLB Draft, July 11. He becomes ASU’s first first-round selection since 2020, when Spencer Torkelson and Alika Williams were chosen, and his selection marks the highest-drafted ASU pitcher since Mike Leake went eighth overall in 2009. Though the pick landed at 39th, Carlon counted as a first-round selection because Toronto benefited from a 10-slot penalty tied to the Blue Jays’ exceedance of the second MLB Competitive Balance Tax threshold in 2025. That penalty caused their original No. 29 overall first-round pick to slide down to 39.
Carlon, a Corona Del Sol product, posted a 5-2 record with a 3.87 ERA during the 2026 season. Over 83.2 innings, he surrendered 36 earned runs on 69 hits, issued 21 walks, and struck out 133. He’s coming off his second All-America campaign, having earned third-team All-America recognition from D1Baseball. He is the first Sun Devil to earn All-America honors in multiple seasons since Spencer Torkelson, who received honors from at least one outlet in each season from 2018 through 2020.
With this selection, Carlon becomes the 53rd overall first-round pick for Arizona State—including supplemental, competitive balance, secondary, and January drafts—leading all Division I programs. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound left-hander is also the 22nd Sun Devil to be chosen in the primary MLB Draft’s first round, excluding supplemental picks, which ranks fourth among all Division I programs. Carlon’s selection pushes ASU’s all-time tally of MLB Draft picks to 487, the most of any Division I program.
ASU has had at least one pick in the first 10 rounds in all but four drafts in its history (2017, 2014, 2002, 1970). Head coach Willie Bloomquist has overseen 16 selections in the first 10 rounds across his first five seasons and 28 selections overall, with Carlon representing his first first-round pick. The MLB Draft comprises 20 rounds, and Carlon’s arrival in the first round adds to ASU’s long-running presence among early selections.
Carlon’s selection continues a pattern of recent Sun Devil success in the draft: ASU has had at least one player taken in the first five rounds in 10 of the last 11 drafts, and in 22 of the last 24. The Blue Jays’ choice of Carlon also highlights ASU’s continued ability to produce high-level pitching talent capable of advancing to the professional ranks.
This recap reflects reporting surrounding Carlon’s draft status and ASU’s broader historical context within the MLB Draft landscape.