Micah Bucknam Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays
TORONTO — Previously selected by the Toronto Blue Jays, Micah Bucknam was uncertain about his status with the team until a meeting at the MLB combine last month clarified things for him.
His conversations with the club were promising, suggesting to the 21-year-old right-hander from Abbotsford, B.C., that he could be a strong candidate for a second draft selection. However, he remained cautious, given his experience as part of the COVID-affected 2021 draft. Ultimately, he was selected in the fourth round, No. 112 overall, earlier this week.
“It was surreal,” Bucknam shared over the phone from Langley, B.C., where he was visiting family. “I got a call from my agent saying, ‘Hey, it’s going to be the Blue Jays,’ and I was like, Wow, this is wild. Just the day before, I saw a blue jay, which turned out to be a sterling jay, and I thought that was such a coincidence! Everything happens for a reason, so I was really excited.”
This selection came with a different vibe compared to when the Blue Jays picked him in the 16th round in 2021. This time, both parties reportedly agreed on a contract worth $680,800 for the slot.
Bucknam, a raw but promising talent from high school, has significantly progressed during his two years at LSU. He credits much of his development to his experiences there and a critical junior year at Dallas Baptist University, where he accumulated 62.1 innings across 13 starts.
With ambitions to enhance his skills using the Blue Jays’ advanced training resources, Bucknam is eager to apply the knowledge he gained at LSU. He learned to utilize technologies such as force-plate mounds and Trackman data, leading to significant improvements in his performances.
Under the guidance of Dallas Baptist pitching coach Cale Johnson, he transformed his secondary slurve pitch into two distinct types—a sharp slider and a slower curveball—both effective in achieving strikeouts. Combining these with a mid-90s fastball and a competitive changeup enhances his chances of succeeding as a starting pitcher.
Bucknam’s best performance was recorded on March 21 against Middle Tennessee State University, where he struck out 14 batters, allowing only three hits and one walk over seven scoreless innings. Reflecting on his journey, he emphasizes the importance of focusing on both results and processes to optimize his performance and aims to replicate those successful moments more frequently as a Blue Jay.
