The Blue Jays enter the 2021 MLB Draft in a much different place than they found themselves in 2020, and they’d like to keep it that way.

Picking fifth overall last summer netted them Austin Martin, the club’s No. 2 prospect who projects as another key piece in their young core, but high picks mean losing seasons. Coming off their brief postseason appearance in 2020, though, the Blue Jays hold the No. 19 pick in next week’s Draft.

It’s a crucial pick, too, as the Blue Jays forfeited their second-round Draft pick to sign George Springer to a six-year, $150 million deal this past offseason. After that 19th pick, Toronto will not select another player until the No. 91 pick in the third round. It's also dealing with the third-smallest bonus pool in the league this season at $5,775,900, so this Draft won’t just require accuracy and conviction, but also creativity.

Day 1 of the 2021 Draft will take place live from Denver’s Bellco Theatre on Sunday. It will feature the first 36 picks and will air on MLB Network and ESPN at 7 p.m. ET. Day 2, which will span rounds 2-10, begins at 1 p.m. ET on Monday. The Draft will conclude with rounds 11-20 on Tuesday, starting at 12 p.m. ET. MLB.com will simulcast MLB Network’s broadcast and provide live coverage on all three days.

To view when teams pick, the Top 200 Prospects list, mock drafts from analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, scouting video and more, visit to MLB.com/Draft. Follow @MLBDraft and @MLBDraftTracker on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying and to get each pick as it’s made.

Here is a look ahead at five things to watch as the Blue Jays enter the Draft.

Striking a balance between old and new
The Blue Jays will have 20-25 staff together at their player development complex in Dunedin, Fla., for the Draft, including cross-checkers, analysts and other members of the front office. It’s a little less “virtual” than the 2020 Draft, and while access to players often varied by state or college, some of the scouting process returned to a more “normal” style recently. Still, the Blue Jays have learned from their remote work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It took what felt like a need to go see every player in person away,” said Shane Farrell, the Blue Jays’ director of amateur scouting. “We can sit at a desk or sit in a hotel on the other side of the country and watch every at-bat a player has taken over the course of the season. It creates some familiarity with the player in the event you do ever run into them in person.”

Keeping their options open
Martin falling to the No. 5 pick last summer was a surprise, but something Toronto would have prepared for. At 19, though, the Blue Jays need to prepare for far more outcomes, including the potential of a top player taking an even farther fall down the Draft board.

“This year we’re definitely casting a wider net in terms of who we think will be available at our pick,” Farrell said. “It will be a bit more reactionary as to what’s going on in front of us this year, just with more picks being in front of where we are.”

Money matters
The slot value of the No. 19 pick this season is $3,359,000. Given their small total bonus pool, the Blue Jays could target a player they’re confident they can sign under that slot value and save cash for later, or they could be aggressive off the top and make it work in the later rounds. Toronto has options, but the money available to it will be a major factor in this Draft.

“We’re definitely open to looking at various ways to use our bonus pool,” Farrell said. “I think the most important thing for us to focus on is trying to acquire the best player at each pick in each round. It’s about staying true to that, and weighing the cost that is associated with that pick is something we’ll have to do in the moment as our pick approaches.”

The hunt for late-round gems
Farrell is happy to be picking 19th instead of fifth, but it does present the challenge of top-end talent being selected in front of the Blue Jays. Their task now is to uncover talent in a later Draft slot, especially when they don’t pick again until the 91st selection.

“It’s challenging, obviously, the deeper you pick in each round," Farrell said. "But you can look at organizations like the Dodgers who have had a lot of recent success picking deep, and they’ve done a tremendous job in their amateur Drafts led by Billy Gasparino. They’ve done a really great job, but I think the important thing as we start to pick deeper and deeper in the Draft is just coming into each Draft and each round with an open mind, and not getting too specific on what you’re looking for -- recognizing that baseball players are coming from all areas and all different backgrounds.”

Canadian prospects still on the map
Scouting Canadian players was complicated at times due to border restrictions and the inability to see them play in live games at ball parks, but the Blue Jays got a chance to see some young Canadians as they played in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere over the past year.

“As any scouting staff would, wherever the players were playing we were going to show up and we were going to be there.” Farrell said. “Despite the challenges, we made sure we were still present and still evaluating them.”

The most recent Canadian picked in a high round by the Blue Jays was outfielder Dasan Brown, who went in the third round in 2019. Brown, now the Blue Jays’ No. 15 prospect, is one of the most gifted athletes in the organization, already profiling as an elite runner and above-average defender while he works to develop his offensive game.