Jays Draft History

So, after reading a blog post about the recent Royals' draft picking, I decided to peek at the Jays drafting and who they selected and who they didn't.

So, let's start with 2009 and work backwards, that way I can stop whenever I feel like it and it won't seem lazy.

2009
Round 1, Pick 20: Chad Jenkins
I liked this pick at the time, as it is always nice to get a polished college arm that can rise quickly. They passed up on athletic prospects Jio Mier (SS) and Jared Mitchell (CF) and high upside, but injured P Kyle Gibson. I still like this pick, but if Gibson's injury doesn't slow his movement and becomes a better arm than Jenkins, it may start to look bad.

2008
Round 1, Pick 17: David Cooper
I liked this pick too, but was upset that Canadian Brett Lawrie and Brett Wallace were off the board. Another college 1B Ike Davis was drafted one spot after and is now is much superior prospect. Three guys picked after Cooper have already reached the big leagues, while Cooper has stalled in AA. Reese Havens (SS) would have been a better pick for talent and organizational needs. It now looks like a wasted 1st rounder that was a "safe" and "cheap" pick.

2007
Round 1, Pick 16: Kevin Ahrens
I liked this one, as SS has been a weak hole for the Jays for a while and Ahrens was listed at SS. He moved to 3B right away, taking away his shine for me. Looking at who was drafted after Ahrens and before their next pick, I am not too impressed, but having an athletic SS (Peter Kozma) is probably better than an athletic 3B. RHP Chris Withrow would've probably been the better choice, but again, it seems that the Jays were drafting "safer" signs, who wouldn't require a huge bonus.

Round 1, Pick 21: J.P. Arencibia
Again, I loved the pick at the time, as catcher is another week organizational hole. Arencibia rose pretty quickly and is now kind of a AAAA candidate at a young age. I still like him and am still glad he was drafted. RHP Tim Alderson was drafted right behind and has surpassed Arencibia in hype. I would take Arencibia again with the same circumstances (although Rick Porcello was drafted late in the round).

2006
Round 1, Pick 14: Travis Snider
Snider was the 5th hitter taken in a pitcher heavy early 1st round. I loved the pick after reading about his power potential. Snider has progressed well, and is looking to establish himself in the Majors at age 22 while the guys after him have yet to taste the Bigs or got a taste and didn't like it.

2005
Round 1, Pick 6: Ricky Romero
This was the first season I really started to care about the frat and about prospects in general and it happened to be the infamous J.P. Riciardi draft choice, choosing the pitcher over the more talented Troy Tulowitzki. I understood the reasoning behind the choice (the Jays drafted 2 SS in the first round in the past few drafts), but that doesn't excust the pick. Romero was looking like a flop until last season, when he came in and pitched well for 3/4 of the season. Cam Maybin, Andrew McCuthen, and Jay Bruce were all selected after Romero in the early 1st round.

2004
Round 1, Pick 16: David Purcey
I wasn't a big draft follower then, but the next season I started to pay attention to the Jays prospects and liked Purcey's power arm. I would probably still take him again if I had to choose between Purcey and the next few picks, although having Josh Fields would be nice Encarnacion insurance.

2003
Round 1, Pick 13: Aaron Hill
Drafted as a SS, Hill looked like a solid prospect when I started to pay attention. I would draft Hill again every time knowing what I know now. Great pick.

2002
Round 1, Pick 14: Russ Adams
I have always liked Adams, and liked him as a prospect. Looking back on the draft, the next 3 picks are all great players. Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, and Cole Hamels went the next 3.

2001
Round 1, Pick 15: Gabe Gross
Another solid pick, there seems to be a trend here. The next 10 picks after Gross didn't outperform him. Good pick at the time, and it still looks decent based on what followed closely behind.

2000
Round 1, Pick18: Miguel Negron
This is the most recent complete bust, which is pretty impressive. It still looks unimpressive for the next few picks, but the next 4 guys all reached the Majors. Best case pick was Adam Wainwright at #29.

1999
Round 1, Pick 19: Alex Rios
Great pick. No one after him in the 1st round became a big league regular with any impact. Rios has the most homers of any 1st rounder. Still a great pick.

1998
Round 1, Pick 8: Felipe Lopez
Carlos Pena was picked 2 later, but kind of performed a "Hinske" before that's what it was called. Still a good pick.

1997
Round 1, Pick 5: Vernon Wells
Wells is still a good pick, although I would rather have Lance Berkman (selected at #16).

Allright, I think that raps up this terrible idea.