Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 35 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

Bucknell University in Pennsylvania has had just one player get drafted and reach the big leagues -- right-hander Eric Junge, a 1999 pick -- and just three players get taken in the top 10 rounds in school history, now including Keys. Coming off a fantastic showing in the Cape Cod League, which the Blue Jays have always valued highly, they selected Keys in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft and signed him for right around slot value at $569,700. Keys put up an .829 OPS and drove in 20 runs over 22 games at Single-A in his brief pro debut.

Keys has easy power. An analytics darling coming out of the Draft, he is big and barrel-chested, producing pop without needing a max-effort swing. In the same vein of past development projects like Spencer Horwitz and Alan Roden, Keys has an excellent approach at the plate and could keep a walk total close to his strikeouts. Whether Keys’ raw power shows up in games consistently will be a deciding factor on his long-term ceiling, but either way, his profile is heavily tied to his bat.

Defensively, his glove at third base is still a work in progress. First base remains an option for Keys, but the goal here will be to get his defense up to a level that’s at least solid. The Blue Jays are betting heavily on Keys’ bat carrying him up the ladder, though, and being enough to overshadow those other parts of his game. In his first full season, he's gone from a high-contact hitter in college to a loud-contact hitter in the pros, and marrying the two concepts would go a long way as he reaches for the upper Minors.

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 35 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

Bucknell University in Pennsylvania has had just one player get drafted and reach the big leagues -- right-hander Eric Junge, a 1999 draftee -- and has had just three players get taken in the top 10 rounds in school history, now including Keys. He put himself on the map with a solid sophomore season for the Bison in 2023, followed by posting a 1.254 OPS in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League and slashing .385/.422/.769 in 10 Cape Cod League games last summer. He followed it up with a huge junior year, finishing with a .405/.535/.798 line to go along with 13 homers en route to winning Patriot League Player of the Year honors. The Blue Jays selected him in the fourth round and signed him for right around slot at $569,700.

Big and barrel-chested, Keys is a left-handed hitter who likely will be an analytics darling. He’s improved his approach, walking more than he struck out in 2024, and makes consistent hard contact. He rarely swings-and-misses or chases, and he showed the ability to handle all kinds of stuff, particularly punishing fastballs. He hit 26 homers the last two years combined at Bucknell, and while some scouts aren’t sure the power will play at the next level, his pop with a wood bat in the summer leagues does provide a little more confidence.

There’s less surety about where Keys will play defensively at the next level. He’s been a third baseman throughout his college career, but he’s not athletic or agile enough to stick at the hot corner, and he made 11 errors there in 2024. A move to first is the most likely outcome, but the Blue Jays were betting on the bat with their selection anyways.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 35 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40

Bucknell University in Pennsylvania has had just one player get drafted and reach the big leagues -- right-hander Eric Junge, a 1999 draftee -- and has had just two players get taken in the top 10 rounds in school history. Keys put himself on the map with a solid sophomore season for the Bison in 2023, followed by posting a 1.254 OPS in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League and slashing .385/.422/.769 in 10 Cape Cod League games last summer. He followed it up with a huge junior year, finishing with a .405/.535/.798 line to go along with 13 homers en route to winning Patriot League Player of the Year honors.

Big and barrel-chested, Keys is a left-handed hitter who likely will be an analytics darling. He’s improved his approach, walking more than he struck out in 2024, and makes consistent hard contact. He rarely swings-and-misses or chases and showed the ability to handle all kinds of stuff, particularly punishing fastballs. He’s hit 26 homers the last two years combined at Bucknell, and while some scouts aren’t sure the power will play at the next level, his pop with a wood bat in the summer leagues does provide a little more confidence.

There’s less surety about where Keys will play defensively at the next level. He’s been a third baseman throughout his college career, but he’s not athletic or agile enough to stick at the hot corner, and he made 11 errors there in 2024. A move to first is the most likely outcome, and there will undoubtedly be teams on Day 2 willing to roll the dice that his left-handed bat will play professionally.

Awards

NWL Player of the Week

Week	Team
09/07/2025

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	04/02/2025	3B Sean Keys assigned to Vancouver Canadians from Dunedin Blue Jays.
	04/02/2025	Vancouver Canadians activated 3B Sean Keys.
	03/06/2025	activated 3B Sean Keys.
	08/06/2024	3B Sean Keys assigned to Dunedin Blue Jays.
	07/22/2024	Toronto Blue Jays signed 3B Sean Keys.
	06/27/2024	3B Sean Keys assigned to Cotuit Kettleers.
	06/20/2024	Cotuit Kettleers released 3B Sean Keys.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated 3B Sean Keys.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated 3B Sean Keys.
	04/03/2024	3B Sean Keys assigned to Cotuit Kettleers.
	08/23/2023	3B Sean Keys assigned to College Workout.
	06/09/2023	Cotuit Kettleers activated 3B Sean Keys.