2024 MLB Draft Day 3: Picks, Notes, Open Thread

Today marks the end of the 2024 MLB Draft, the last 10 rounds starting at 2:00 EDT again streamed on MLB.com. What used to be in prior years a six-hour, 30 round, and 900 player rapid-fire marathon is now a much more manageable 10 rounds that takes little more than a couple hours.

As a reminder, players chosen after the third round can sign for up to $150,000 without it counting against a team’s draft pool, with any excess counting against. If past years are any indication, the Jays tend to take a lot of college pitching early on the third day, though it will be interesting if that’s tempered by all the pitching they’ve already stockpiled.

The irony of the system is the calibre of players taken early today will exceed those of later yesterday (at least on average), since there’s no consideration of saving slot dollars. For the most part, they’ll be taking the best players who will sign for $150,000. Below we’ll track the Blue Jays picks as they come in, and add some notes and thoughts.

11. Troy Guthrie, RHP, Parrish Community HS (Florida)

• A second Floridian high school pitcher draftee, Guthrie is from right in their backyard less than 50 miles from Dunedin (at least as the crow flies). The 6’3”, 205 pound righty is committed to Florida Gulf Coast.

12. Carson Messina, RHP, Summerville HS (South Carolina)

• 6’2”, 225 pound power pitcher with a mid-90s fastball touching 97 who is committed South Carolina (from where his brother Cole was drafted by the Rockies in the third round). Ability spin an a curve and some feel for change-up but strike throwing issues and high effort delivery make for a high-risk development project

13. Brock Tibbitts, catcher, Indiana

• Three year starter at Indiana, hit a solid .313/.404/.472 as a junior that represented a setback after a mammoth .357/.447/.585 sophomore season. Hit for average but little else else in the Cape Cod League last summer (.289/.366/.331 in 142 PA).

14. J.R. Freethy, 2B/OF, Nevada-Reno

• Switch-hitter has a breakout junior season, hitting .303/.414/.580 in the offense-friendly Mountain West conference. Pure hitter profile. Listed as 2B but mostly played outfield in college. First Jays’ draftee from Nevada-Reno in 18 years, when Shawn Scobee was also a 14th round selection.

15. Jonathan Todd, RHP, Western Carolina

• 6’6, 235 pound senior who transferred from community college for his junior season in 2023, when he struggled with control and contact (9.52 ERA, 31 BB and 11 HR in 40.2 innings) as a swingman. In a pure relief role in 2024, struck out 49 (!30%) against just 13 walks in 36 innings so a relief only name to keep an eye on.

16. Colby Martin, RHP, Southeastern (NAIA)

• Well-travelled 5’11”, 195 senior. Three seasons at a pair of D-III schools, including posting video game offensive numbers in 2022-23 with Shenendoah (~.425/.510/670 in 451 PA). In 2024, transferred to NAIA powerhouse Southeastern and moved to the mound, striking out 31 of 72 batters(43%) in 16.2 innings. An intriguing development project to keep an eye on.

17. Gavin Smith, SS, Valley Christian HS (Arizona)

• Not be confused with another Arizona prep shortstop Gavin Smith who is a Harvard commit (ironically, Perfect Game has them ranked back-to-back among the state SS rankings at 4 and 5). No listed commitment, perhaps one of the late round high school picks really looking to go pro and signable?

18. Holden Wilkerson, RHP, Virginia Military Academy

• Pitched only 64 innings in three years, with a 7.73 ERA and 87 strikeouts against 62 free passes. Notable peripheral improvement to 29/8 K/BB in 18 innings over four starts despite 7.85 ERA in 2024 before a season ending injury. Likely another power armed development project they’ll try to harness.

19. D’Marion Terrell, 1B, Thompson HS (Alabama)

• Lefty bat with top shelf raw power, committed to Auburn. Purely a courtesy pick/insurance at this point.

20. Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek, SS, USC

• Son of Mark (and cousin of Brandon, who was in the Jays system for a couple years as a 2017 non-drafted free agent). Hit .297/.388/.457 in a couple years at USC after a redshirt freshman season at UCLA.