TORONTO — For the second time in three years, the Blue Jays have gone back to the prep shortstop ranks in the first round, selecting JoJo Parker with the No. 8 pick.
Parker (MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 Draft prospect) and his twin brother, Jacob (No. 109), were the top two prep prospects out of Mississippi this year; JoJo, a shortstop, was the 2nd-highest-ranked left-handed bat behind No. 1 prospect Ethan Holliday. (The Parkers were also one of two sets of twins represented in Pipeline’s top 10, along with Oklahoma right-handers Kyson and Malachi Witherspoon, ranked No. 10 and No. 121, respectively.)
Parker will quickly join No. 1 prospect Arjun Nimmala atop the Blue Jays’ system. Nimmala, now with High-A Vancouver, was selected with the No. 20 pick in the 2023 Draft before the Blue Jays went heavy on pitching with their early ‘24 picks.
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A Mississippi State commit — as is his brother — Parker is distinctly bat-first, his hit tool receiving a 60 grade from MLB Pipeline. Already a solid and athletic 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds as an 18-year-old, he’s still growing and only coming into more exit velocity as he does.
Parker has an excellent arm — he was a very successful high school pitcher as well, although he’s seen exclusively as an infield prospect — but his fielding ability is considered average and he likely lacks the quickness to stay at short long-term, projecting more as a second or third baseman in pro ball.
Parker is just the fourth player drafted out of Purvis (Miss.) High School and by far the earliest, surpassing Kris Rayborn, a sixth-round pick (168th overall) by the Cardinals in 1998. Only one Purvis alum has ever made it to the bigs — Walter Young, who played 14 games for the 2005 Orioles.
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