Toronto Blue Jays select Braden Halladay in 32nd round of MLB draft

With their 32nd round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Braden Halladay, son of longtime ace Roy “Doc” Halladay.

It’s been just over a year and a half since the baseball world lost Roy Halladay, and on Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays paid homage to the longtime ace and future Hall of Famer.

The Jays selected Halladay’s oldest son, Braden, as a legacy pick in the 32nd round – Halladay wore No. 32 and had his number retired by the team in 2018.

While the pick was a great sentimental moment for Jays fans, Braden won’t be signing with the team. The right-hander, who played his high school ball at Calvary Christian in Florida, committed to Penn State just a month after his father’s death in 2017 and has held that commitment ever since. He’ll join the Nittany Lions this coming fall.

“We obviously know the family well, know him well … he’s headed to college and we are glad to have drafted him,” Jays general manager Ross Atkins said, according to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi.

During his senior campaign, Braden went 3-1 with a 4.06 ERA and 37 strikeouts across 31 innings of work, per TSN.

The 18-year-old was born in Toronto and spent a week-long stint with the Canadian National Junior Team last spring, making an appearance in their exhibition game against the Blue Jays.

"“Thank you @BlueJays for drafting me in the 32nd round today! It’s a great honor! It’s with mutual understanding that I’ll still be honoring my commitment to Penn State! I look forward to college and bettering myself as a player and person, thank you to all who have supported me!” Braden said on Twitter following the selection."

Roy Halladay was selected by the Blue Jays out of high school with the 17th overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft.

The big righty made his major league debut for the Jays in 1998. After a tough campaign in 2000, the Jays sent him back to Class-A Dunedin to fix his pitching mechanics. That trip helped turn Halladay into the greatest hurler in the franchise’s history.

Over his 12-year career in Toronto, the man affectionately referred to as “Doc” compiled a 148-76 record (.661 winning percentage) with a 3.43 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 1495 strikeouts in 2046 2/3 innings.

In order to give Halladay his first taste of the postseason, the Blue Jays shipped their star pitcher to Philadelphia in December 2009.

The Phillies would make the postseason in 2010, and in his first postseason start, Halladay would no-hit the Cincinnati Reds – it was just the second playoff no-hitter thrown in MLB history.

Doc finished his career with eight All-Star nominations as well as two Cy Young Awards – one each with the Blue Jays and Phillies.

He would sign a one-day contract with the Blue Jays on December 9, 2013, in order to retire as a member of the organization.

Halladay will enter the Cooperstown on July 21 as part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s class of 2019 alongside Mariano Rivera, Edgar Martinez, and Mike Mussina.

His legacy on the mound will be carried on by Braden who, in a few years, will once again have the chance to be drafted. With any luck, he could fall in a position where the Blue Jays have the chance to select him again.

For now, however, we’ll settle for this special moment that the organization took to honour a man that had a lasting impact on Toronto.