It’s been a long time since the Toronto Blue Jays drafted a college bat in the first round.
Ironically, the last time the Jays went the college bat route in the first round was the last time they had a top 10 pick, as they selected Austin Martin fifth overall in the 2020 draft. While Martin’s career hasn’t quite panned out, the Jays traded him for Jose Berrios, so it worked out for them.
This year’s draft is loaded with college pitching and prep shortstops. There are only a finite number of college bats that could go in the top 10, namely Ike Irish and the prospect we’ll look at in this article, Aiva Arquette.
If you missed the last article, we looked at one of those high school shortstops, JoJo Parker.
Aiva Arquette’s bio
Arquette stands at 6’5”, 220 lbs and is a junior at Oregon State University. The 21-year-old has played all around the dirt in his collegiate career, but played all 65 of his games in 2025 at shortstop. He was drafted in the 18th round of the 2022 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but didn’t sign.
In the history of the Blue Jays, they’ve selected 29 players from the state of Oregon. The last time they drafted a player from the state was Josh Mollerus in the 10th round of the 2023 draft. In the draft before, the Jays selected shortstop Josh Kaseivch in the second round; both players played at the University of Oregon.
Brandon Eisert, a 2019 draftee selected in the 18th round, was the last player the Jays selected from Oregon State, and the only player selected from the school since the Mark Shapiro/Ross Atkins era. Overall, they’ve selected five players from the university, including Matthew Boyd, who helped the Jays net David Price before the 2015 trade deadline.
In recent times, Oregon State has produced a bunch of young stars who were selected in the first round. Nick Madrigal was selected fourth overall in the 2018 draft, followed by his teammate Adley Rutschman being selected first overall in the 2019 draft. Cooper Hjerpe was selected 22nd overall in the 2022 draft, but is starting to look like a great prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals. Travis Bazzana was the second Oregon State player to go first overall, as the Guardians drafted him in 2024.
Aiva Arquette’s stats
Arquette, from Honolulu, started his collegiate career with the University of Washington in 2023, slashing .244/.393/.578 with five home runs in 56 plate appearances. He stuck around in his sophomore season, slashing .325/.384/.574 with 12 home runs in 229 plate appearances for a 123 wRC+.
Before the start of the 2025 season, Arquette transferred to Oregon State University, where he slashed .354/.461/.654 with 19 home runs in 310 plate appearances for a 153 wRC+. He doesn’t strike out a ton, posting a 16.5 K% in 2025 with a 12.6 BB%.
Aiva Arquette’s tools
Arquette is considered MLB Pipeline’s sixth-best draft-eligible prospect. Across the board, the 6’5” infielder’s tools are considered average or better. He’s athletic and has a ton of raw power thanks to his size. There’s also room for more projection, and it helps that he’s a strong hitter as well due to his fluid swing.
It appears that shortstop is the position of his future, as he played all his games at the position. Thanks to a strong arm and good mechanics, Arquette should be able to stick at short. He’s an average runner.
Aiva Arquette’s grades
As always, here are Arquette’s grades according to MLB Pipeline.
| Tool | Grade |
| Hit | 50 |
| Power | 55 |
| Run | 50 |
| Arm | 60 |
| Field | 50 |
Will the Blue Jays select Aiva Arquette?
By signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays are committed to winning for the next 14 and a half seasons. There are a ton of high school shortstops available around where the Jays pick, but they take longer to develop as they are far less polished.
That’s not the case for Arquette, as he could realistically be in the big leagues as soon as the 2027 season. His position flexibility is important as well. If Bo Bichette leaves in the off-season, Arquette could be his successor. Perhaps Arquette could be a long-term solution at third base, a problem the Jays have had since they traded Josh Donaldson. He’s even played at second base in his career.
Arquette is the best college bat available, and if he falls to the Jays, there’s a strong chance he’ll be the best player available. That said, it seems a bit unlikely he drops to the Blue Jays, as both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America’s mock drafts have Arquette going third, while ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has him going sixth. That said, CBS’s most recent mock draft has him going 13th, which, while technically possible, is something that will not happen.
It’s possible Arquette will fall to the Jays, but don’t count on it.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.