TORONTO — When JoJo Parker turns on a big-league baseball game, he watches hitters, of course, and how pitchers attack them. If the first-round pick is going to reach his potential and make an impact in the major leagues, he needs to understand those battles.

That’s not all Parker looks for in MLB players, though.

“The biggest thing is how they carry themselves,” the 19-year-old explains in a recent interview with Sportsnet. “Like even when they get out, what they're going to do the next at bat.”

Take Shohei Ohtani, for instance. Like any hitter, he makes his share of outs. What’s interesting to Parker is how Ohtani responds to the out.

“He’s just so impressive to me,” Parker says. “Like even if he gets out. It's just like, ‘All right, so what? I'm going to dominate this next at-bat.’ Which is why he's probably one of the greatest of all time.

“It's awesome to have that guy to look up to, that we both live in the same world, you know what I mean?”

The ability to absorb lessons like that helped make Parker the eighth-overall pick out of Purvis, Mississippi, last summer and, so far in 2026, the left-handed hitting shortstop is succeeding in his first attempt at professional baseball. Through 68 games at Class A Dunedin, Parker has nine home runs and an .845 OPS, making him Toronto’s top-ranked prospect less than a year after signing pro. And, internally, the Blue Jays believe he will become a big-league difference-maker because his passion for baseball and relentless work ethic may be just as uncommon as his swing. 

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“He’s our most advanced teenager since Bo (Bichette) and Vladdy (Guerrero Jr.),” says Joe Sclafani, the team’s director of player development. “In my 10 years here, I just haven’t seen anybody who’s that locked in and knows themselves that well.”


The Blue Jays really started to get to know Parker a year ago, when he was a draft-eligible 18-year-old. Other teams were showing serious interest too, but the Blue Jays were consistently involved, sending 14 scouts to watch him in person as the draft approached.

As decision day approached, Blue Jays amateur scouting director Marc Tramuta had one pressing question. 

“What kind of worker is this kid?” Tramuta recalls........

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