While the Blue Jays don’t have much of a history with this pick, there are some notable players selected 103rd overall who were drafted by other teams.
History of the 103rd overall pick
In 1999, the Blue Jays selected 103rd overall, using the selection to draft Matt Ford. The left-handed pitcher spent four seasons in the Blue Jays organization, but the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the Rule 5 draft in December 2002. Ford’s lone season in the big leagues came in 2003, where he authored a 4.33 ERA and 4.84 FIP in 43.2 plate appearances. He appeared in 25 big league games and finished with a 0.5 bWAR.
There are two players selected 103rd overall with a bWAR higher than 10. Russ Ortiz is the lone All-Star the 103rd overall pick has produced, posting a 2.81 ERA and 4.17 FIP in 212.1 innings pitched with the Atlanta Braves in 2003.
A year before that, Ortiz pitched for the San Francisco Giants, who won the National League pennant. Up 3-2 in the World Series over the Anaheim Angels, Ortiz threw six and one-third innings, departing the game with a 5-0 lead after surrendering back-to-back singles.
Leaving the game with a 93 percent win probability, Félix Rodríguez gave up a three-run home run to the first batter he faced. The Angels went on to win that game, as well as Game 7 to capture the one and only World Series.
Eric Plunk is the other player selected 103rd overall with a bWAR over 10. Drafted by the New York Yankees in 1981, he made his big league debut with the Oakland Athletics, joined the Yankees, then pitched for the Cleveland Guardians for the bulk of his career. Over his 714 games, Punk had a 58-35 record, posting a 3.82 ERA and 4.21 FIP.
One of those wins happened to be at the newly opened Progressive Field, becoming the first pitcher to ever win a game at the stadium.
Similarly, Paul Sorrento, who was drafted 103rd overall in 1986 by the California Angels, registered the first hit at the newly opened Camden Yards in 1992. He and Plunk both joined the Guardians in 1992, with Sorrento’s tenure in Ohio ending following the 1996 season.
Sorrento was the lone player selected 103rd overall to win a World Series. Well, kind of. Josh Hancock was selected 103rd by the Brewers in the 1996 draft, but elected to attend college. He was drafted in the fifth round in 1998, and found his way to the St. Louis Cardinals for the 2006 season, helping the team win the World Series.
Tragically, Hancock passed away in a single vehicle accident on April 29, 2007, less than six months after helping the team win the World Series. He was 29 years old.
Mayo is teammates with another 103rd overall pick, Nick Raquet. Drafted in 2017 by the Washington Nationals, the left-handed reliever has pitched in just five big league games, including three this season with the Orioles.
The active player with the highest bWAR is Richie Palacios, who has 2.4 bWAR so far. Palacios is the younger brother of former Blue Jay Joshua and currently plays for the Tampa Bay Rays. In 781 career plate appearances, he’s slashing .235/.332/.313, good for a 2.4 bWAR.
There is one other player selected 103rd overall with a link to the Blue Jays organization, as well as two others who played baseball in Canada. Sean O’Sullivan was drafted in 2005 by the Angels, who went by their official name of “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim” at the time.
In the summer of 2012, he was traded to the Blue Jays and joined their Triple-A team, the Las Vegas 51s. He elected free agency following the season, and pitched at least three games in each of the next four seasons.
Lastly, Andrew Lorraine was drafted by the Angels (named California at the time) in 1993, making his big debut in 1994. The left-handed pitcher appeared in 59 big league games for seven different teams in career that last from 1993 until 2010.
However, most of his career was spent in the minor leagues, and he did something I don’t think any other player has done: He played for all four Triple-A Canadian teams. In 1994, he pitched for the Pacific Coast League’s Vancouver Canadians. In 1996 and 1997, he pitched for the PCL’s Edmonton Trappers, then found his way to the PCL’s Calgary Cannons in 2001. Three years later, he pitched for the International League’s Ottawa Lynx.
While he pitched for all four Triple-A Canadian teams that were around in his career, there were a handful of other lower level Canadian teams he missed playing for. The London Tigers relocated in 1993, the Hamilton Redbirds relocated in 1992, the Welland Pirates relocated in 1994, th e St Catharines Stompers relocated in 1999, the Lethbridge Black Diamonds the relocated in 1998, and Medicine Hat Blue Jays relocated in 2002. He’s still an honorary Canadian, though.