MLB Draft: Blue Jays Select RHP Jon Harris, RHP Brady Singer
With the 29th overall pick of the MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Missouri State RHP Jon Harris. The 6’4″ right-hander set a school record by winning his first starts in his Freshman season. He posted an ERA of 2.45 with 116 strikeouts in 110 innings. The Blue Jays had previously selected Harris in the 33rd round of the 2012 draft. MLB.com had Harris ranked #10 overall, and Kiley McDaniels of FanGraphs.com had Harris ranked #14 overall. The consensus seems to be that Harris is something of a steal; widely projected to go within the first 15 or so picks, Harris lasted all the way until pick #29.
Harris is a projectable guy, standing at 190 pounds with plenty of room to fill out. Harris pitches from a 3/4 arm slot, throwing a sinker that sits around 92 MPH. However, Jheremy Brown reported that Harris’ sinker might actually be closer to 94. Along with his fastball, Harris brings a curveball that McDaniel has this to say about:
Early in the outing, he had limited feel for the offering, which registered between 75-79 mph, and would noticeably alter his release point (higher) when throwing the curve. At it’s best, the curveball displayed 11/5 to 12/6 break, big depth, and solid, late break in the bottom half of the zone.
To round out Harris’ four-pitch arsenal, he pitches a solid changeup as well as a slider. Harris bumped his K/9 by 3.4 strikeouts this year, striking out 10.14 batters per nine innings, an excellent rate. The main concern with Harris is the command; Harris’ BB/9 was a touch high at 3.15 per 9. Still, a 3.22 K/BB is a very good rate, and there are no injury concerns with Harris. In his chat, Kiley McDaniels said that Harris “might be one of the best value picks.” In all, Harris projects to be a solid middle of the rotation guy with a touch of upside for more. The general consensus seems to be that Harris was a great value pick and a steal for his spot in the draft; a job well done by the Blue Jays in the draft once again, or so it appears.
Update: With the 56th pick, the Jays took prep RHP Brady Singer. Singer, the 83rd ranked prospect on MLB.com, struck out a whopping 110 batters in 67 innings pitched. Singer is a helium guy who saw a velocity increase on his fastball that brought him up to touching 94.
June 11, 2015
Think there may be a error.. ” He posted an ERA of 2.45 with 116 strikeouts in 10 innings.”
Unless he did indeed strike out 116 in 10 innings, watch out Cy!