The Toronto Blue Jays should be licking their chops if pitcher Emerson Hancock is still on the draft board when it’s their turn to pick.
Usually, this time of year spells doom and gloom for the Toronto Blue Jays. They haven’t had a decent first round pick in the last ten years. The Jays have produced just a -0.7 WAR from the three first rounders who have actually made it to the majors since the 2011 season. Time to let Emerson Hancock right the wrong as far as past drafts are concerned.
The Jays have not had a pitcher drafted in the first round do damage in the majors since Aaron Sanchez and Noah Syndergaard were both taken as sandwich picks late in the 2010 draft. Both pitchers have been All-Stars with Sanchez going 15-2 in 2016 (Syndergaard has done all his pitching for the New York Mets).
Emerson Hancock has the potential to be just as good as those two pitchers and the Blue Jays need to grab him with the fifth pick in the draft.
With a fastball thrown in the mid to high 90s and a mid-80s slider with which he manipulates the break exceptionally well, Hancock may not need too much seasoning before becoming major league ready.
The 21-year old had an impressive sophomore season with the Georgia Bulldogs before dialing it up this year in an abbreviated term. He has decreased his walks drastically since his freshman year, issuing just three in twenty four innings this season.
MLB.com’s Jim Callis thinks some teams may be souring on Hancock.
"There’s talk that Hancock, MLB Pipeline’s preseason No. 1 prospect, might be sliding a little because analytically minded teams don’t love his pitch metrics."
To this, I say forget the metrics and go with the gut instinct. The kid throws hard and can mix it up with a couple of different pitches. He has a great work ethic and is ready to prove himself as a major league caliber pitcher.
With a draft history in the first round like the Toronto Blue Jays have had, they need to have a sure thing this year. At 6-4, with a strong right arm, Emerson Hancock is that sure thing.