The Blue Jays have agreed to terms with second-round selection and No. 49 overall pick Sean Reid-Foley, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter). Reid-Foley himself hinted on Twitter recently that he would be signing with Toronto. Many thought that Foley, who was projected as a potential first-round talent, would be signed to an over-slot deal due to his slide to No. 49, but Heyman reports that he will sign for the slot value of $1.128MM, which seems like a nice deal for Toronto.
Reid-Foley, a high school right-hander out of Florida, was MLB.com’s 18th-ranked prospect heading into the drat. Baseball America ranked him 19th, and ESPN’s Keith Law, while a bit more pessimistic on Reid-Foley, still ranked him 35th on his pre-draft Top 100. Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com praised Reid-Foley’s fastball, which sits 91 to 93 mph and touches 95 mph, as well as his four-pitch mix and his ability to repeat his delivery. Law praised Reid-Foley’s fastball and breaking ball but felt that his changeup needs work if he is to reach his ceiling as a No. 3 starter in the Majors.
A Florida State commit, Reid-Foley will be the second top pick to join the Blue Jays organization today rather than head to college. Toronto agreed to a well-above-slot, $750K bonus for fifth-round outfielder Lane Thomas earlier today, who had been committed to Tennessee. The ability to sign Reid-Foley at slot value is a big boost to Toronto’s draft, as it will allow them to reallocate the savings from selecting Tommy John victim Jeff Hoffman with the ninth overall selection. Hoffman and Max Pentecost — Toronto’s other first-round selection — remain unsigned to this point.
