Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

It looked like Messina would play NCAA ball for South Carolina like his brother, Cole, whom the Rockies drafted in the third round in 2024, but the Blue Jays selected him in the 12th round and signed him away from that commitment for $550,000. This was a smart, aggressive move by the Blue Jays' Draft team, adding another high-upside high school arm to the system, where they hope he can benefit from their player development complex and new pitching philosophy. His 2025 was severely limited, though he was back to throwing bullpens by the end of the season.

Messina was touching 97 mph in high school and regularly sits in the 93-95 range with his heater. (He's been up to 99 since then.) His breaking ball is his most advanced secondary pitch right now and shows legitimate potential, but like most high schoolers, he'll need to develop his feel for a changeup in the coming years. Messina has a strong build at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, so while that may already be toward the ceiling of his physical projection and leads to Messina throwing with max effort, there's plenty to work with here.

When fully healthy, Messina will be developed as a starter, of course, but if his control doesn't hold up to that consistently, there's some real potential for Messina to excel as a maxed-out, back-end bullpen arm. One advantage the Blue Jays have right now is time, making Messina one of this development staff's most important projects in 2026 and beyond.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

Messina's older brother, Cole, was one of the best college catchers in the 2024 Draft and went in the third round to the Rockies in July. While Cole was starring with the Gamecocks, Carson was establishing himself as Palmetto State's best prep pitching prospect. He ran his fastball up to 97 mph before missing the end of his senior season with a hamstring injury. It looked like he might follow his brother’s footsteps to South Carolina, but instead, the Blue Jays selected him in the 12th round and signed him for $550,000, roughly late fourth-round money.

Messina is all about power on the mound, where he regularly operates with a 92-95 mph heater with running action. His curveball can be a wipeout pitch at times, sitting in the low 80s with plenty of depth. While his fading low-80s changeup is a work in progress, he does show some feel for throwing it for strikes.

More physical than athletic, Messina throws with considerable effort, and his delivery puts stress on his shoulder. That leads to questions as to whether he'll have enough control -- he doesn't have a track record of throwing strikes -- or durability to succeed as a starter. He has late-inning upside if he winds up in the bullpen, but the Jays’ investment proves they’re willing to let him ride it out as a starter for a bit.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

Messina's older brother Cole is one of the best college catchers in the 2024 Draft, making it unlikely they'll be reunited at South Carolina next year. While Cole was starring with the Gamecocks, Carson was establishing himself as Palmetto State's best prep pitching prospect. He ran his fastball up to 97 mph before missing the end of his senior season with a hamstring injury.

Messina is all about power on the mound, where he regularly operates with a 92-95 mph heater with running action. His curveball can be a wipeout pitch at times, sitting in the low 80s with plenty of depth. While his fading low-80s changeup is a work in progress, he does show some feel for throwing it for strikes.

More physical than athletic, Messina throws with considerable effort and his delivery puts stress on his shoulder. That leads to questions as to whether he'll have enough control -- he doesn't have a track record of throwing strikes -- or durability to succeed as a starter. He has late-inning upside if he winds up in the bullpen, though teams usually are reluctant to invest heavily in a high schooler who projects as a reliever.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	09/25/2025	FCL Blue Jays activated RHP Carson Messina from the 7-day injured list.
	05/30/2025	FCL Blue Jays placed RHP Carson Messina on the 7-day injured list.
	08/15/2024	RHP Carson Messina assigned to FCL Blue Jays.
	07/23/2024	Toronto Blue Jays signed RHP Carson Messina.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated RHP Carson Messina.
	09/17/2021	3B Carson Messina and assigned to Braves (NC/SC '23).