Blue Jays take Southern Mississippi outfielder Jake Cook 81st overall in MLB Draft

The Toronto Blue Jays selected Southern Mississippi outfielder Jake Cook with the 81st overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft on Sunday.

The left-handed hitting outfielder was originally recruited as a two-way player for the Golden Eagles. After initially focusing on pitching and reaching 96 m.p.h. with his fastball, Cook eventually converted to centre field after struggling with his command and throwing only two innings in 2024.

The 22-year-old slashed .350/.436/.468 with three home runs and 32 RBIs over 60 games this past season.

According to his MLB pipeline scouting report, Cook used “a disciplined approach to consistently put the ball in play to all fields.”

Cook’s time from home to first has been clocked at an eye-popping 3.8 seconds, and both his 3.51-second 30-yard dash time and 10-foot, 8.25-inch long jump led all players who participated in athletic testing at the Draft Combine.

While he has yet to apply his plus athleticism as a base stealer — going only 3-of-8 last season — he has utilized his quickness to gain a reputation as a rangy centre-fielder.