ATLANTA - The Toronto Blue Jays selected shortstop JoJo Parker eighth overall in the first round of Major League Baseball's draft on Sunday.
The 6-foot-2 Parker, 18, attended Purvis High School in Mississippi. He became the highest-ever pick out of Purvis.
He batted .489 with 13 home runs, 64 runs scored and 35 RBIs this past season.
The 200-pound athlete also stole 30 bases to lead the Tornadoes (29-8) to the Class 4A state championship game.
Parker, also a right-handed pitcher on the high school level, boasted an 8-2 record on the mound with a 2.77 earned-run average and 89 strikeouts in 55.2 innings pitched.
He is currently signed to play college baseball with Mississippi State University next season.
In the third round, the Jays selected Jake Cook of Madison, Miss., with the 81st pick.
The 22-year-old left-hander was recruited as a two-way player by Southern Mississippi. He focused on pitching and reached 96 miles per hour with his fastball, but his inability to throw strikes led to him redshirting in 2023 and working just two innings last year.
Converted to a centre-fielder this spring, he batted .350 with a seven per cent strikeout rate and displayed some of the best speed and outfield range in college baseball.
He can get from home to first in less than 3.8 seconds and turned in the best 30-yard dash (3.51 seconds) of all players who participated in athletic testing at the draft combine.
Pitcher Will Hynes of Mississauga, Ont., was selected by the Cleveland Guardians with the 70th overall pick.
Hynes is a prep righty who is listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds. He wasn't expected to be drafted this high, but Hynes has been up to 95 miles per hour with his fastball and is advanced at spinning the ball.
He is committed to attending Wake Forest.
This report by ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø was first published July 13, 2025.
