MLB: Toronto Blue Jays-Press Conference

MLB Draft: Blue Jays Select INF Bo Bichette With 66th Pick

For analysis and scouting reports on the Blue Jays earlier picks, click here

The Blue Jays have made their third selection of the 2016 MLB draft tonight, picking INF Bo Bichette out of Lakewood High School in Florida. He is 18-years-old, is 6’0″, and weighs 200 lbs. Bichette is the son of former big leaguer Dante Bichette. Bo fell a bit from where he was going in some of the mock drafts and rankings, so he may require a bit more $$ than the recommended slot amount to sign with the Blue Jays.

Bichette was ranked as the 47th best prospect available in this draft class by Baseball Prospectus‘ Chris Crawford, and 90th by MLB Pipeline.

Bichette received the following grades from MLB Pipeline:

Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

Bichette received the following grades from Chris Crawford’s BP Draft Book:

 Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Speed: 50 | Arm: 55 | Glove: 50 | OFP: 50+

From Chris Crawford’s fantastic MLB Draft book is the following report:

“Bichette was one of the real standouts of the Metropolitan Classic, and saw his stock shoot up after his performance this fall. He’s going to get com- pared to his brother, but that pick was a failure in both process and result. Bichette is a legit first round talent, and he could hit near the top of an MLB or- der if everything maxes out.”

MLB Pipeline had the following to say:

“The son of former big leaguer Dante Bichette, and brother of Yankee farmhand Dante Bichette Jr., Bo Bichette clearly has some serious baseball bloodlines. Like the others in his family, he does things in a less than conventional way, but he has had some success against good competition.

Over the summer, Bichette showed the ability to square up quality pitching and his raw power was on display when he won the Under Armour All-American Game Home Run Derby in Chicago. This spring, he was still hitting the long ball, but also was getting tied up on mid-range fastballs inside. While he doesn’t have the same exact leg kick setup as his father and brother, there are a lot of moving parts to his swing which concerns some scouts. He does have more bat speed than his brother did coming out of high school. A below-average runner, he’s probably best suited for second base defensively, or perhaps left field.

Bichette has been a bit of a polarizing prospect this spring, with some unsure his unorthodox setup will work at the next level. But the bloodlines and the power potential could still have the Arizona State commit off the board in the early stages of the Draft.”

Here’s MLB Pipeline’s scouting video featuring Bichette:

The Blue Jays are done drafting for the night. Tomorrow, rounds three through ten will be take place. We’ll have coverage on the picks in rounds three through five moments after they happen, and rounds six through ten at the end of the day.

Lead Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Crawford’s MLB Draft Book can be purchased on iBooks for just $4.99. It’s a must buy for anybody looking to learn more about all the top players in the 2016 draft class. 

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