The Toronto Blue Jays kept building their pitching pipeline on day two of the draft, selecting right-hander Nolan Higgins from Michigan State with the 161st overall pick.
Higgins stands 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and only shifted into a relief role during his senior season at the school.
The results that came with that move are hard to ignore. His strikeout rate jumped from 13.1 percent in 2025 to 30.1 percent this year, while his walk rate dropped from 12.5 percent to 6.3 percent.
That combination gave him a 3.93 FIP, the best mark of his college career, even though his ERA sat at 5.20 across 45 innings and 27 games.
Higgins just turned 22 on July 5th, and his development curve tells its own story. His freshman year in 2023 produced a 6.56 ERA and a 6.50 FIP over 46.2 innings.
The stuff behind those numbers stands out too. Broadcasters had him sitting 93 to 95 miles per hour with his fastball, touching as high as 98, with a breaking ball scouts describe as either a slider or a curveball depending on who's asked.
He showed up when it mattered too, closing out both of Michigan State's Big Ten Tournament wins, striking out four batters over one and two thirds innings in relief.
Why Toronto's draft strategy shows up in the slot value
As a senior reliever, Higgins carries almost no leverage in bonus negotiations, and Toronto is expected to sign him below the pick's roughly $421,300 slot value.
That savings matters. The Blue Jays need the extra bonus pool space to sign fourth-round pick Will Brick, another piece in an increasingly crowded pitching and catching pipeline.
It's a bit like trading roster spots on a budget, where saving in one place lets an organization spend where it actually wants to.
Does a senior reliever with a jump this dramatic in strikeout rate translate to pro ball, or does that swing-and-miss growth need more seasoning before it means anything at the next level?
Higgins now enters an organization that's clearly building out its bullpen depth from multiple directions this summer, between the draft and recent trades.
Whether his velocity and improved command carry over to a wood bat league will start answering itself the moment he takes the mound as a pro.
Are you excited about the Blue Jays drafting reliever Nolan Higgins in the fifth round?
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