Conversations with the Herd: Sean Keys

By: Brian Frank

Sean Keys has been one of the hottest hitters in minor league baseball this season. The slugging infielder has hit 21 combined home runs between New Hampshire and Buffalo. Reports out of Toronto indicate that Keys will be promoted to Toronto today to make his major league debut. His promotion caps a rapid rise through the Blue Jays' system that began just two years ago.

Keys recently spoke to The Herd Chronicles at Sahlen Field about starring at Bucknell University and his whirlwind journey through the minor leagues.

Keys has hit 40 home runs over the last two seasons. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Baseball wasn't the only factor Keys considered when choosing where to go to college. After starring at Harborfields High School on Long Island, where he could not only play baseball, but that also matched his academic ambitions. He found both at Bucknell, where he majored in mechanical engineering while becoming one of the Patriot League's top players.

"Out of high school, I was looking for an engineering degree, honestly,” Keys explained. “That was my interest. It became a little difficult to find baseball programs and engineering programs. Bucknell fit the mold. Their coaching staff reached out to me and really wanted me to come. It was really my first full offer to a Division I school. Then I visited there and loved it. It was the best choice I could have made."

While majoring in mechanical engineering, Keys dominated on the baseball field in his three seasons at Bucknell. As a sophomore, he slashed .339/.444/.679 with 13 home runs in 47 games. He followed that up by slashing .405/.535/.798 with 13 home runs and a 1.333 OPS in 46 games as a junior. He was the 2024 Patriot League Player of the Year, a two-time All–Patriot League selection, and a two-time Academic All–Patriot League selection.

"I loved playing there,” he said. “The true memories come with my teammates and what we were able to do off the field, and just the bond that we created there. It was such a great place and program that the coaches built there. We just had so much fun playing the whole year."

Creating a robot at Bucknell.

He also played two seasons for the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League after his sophomore and junior seasons, playing under manager Mike Roberts, whom Keys cites as a major influence on his career.

"He actually was working with us in spring training this year," Keys said. "I was fortunate to get the opportunity to play there. I think that's what really put my name on the board for looking into pro baseball. So, I'm really thankful and grateful that I got the opportunity there. Coach Roberts, what he taught me there I continue to use in my game today."

Following his junior season at Bucknell, Keys was selected by the Blue Jays in the fourth round of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft.

"I was at home," he said of the moment he was drafted. "I had my best friend from home and his dad there with my family, and a couple other family friends. We were just watching and waiting. I knew it was going to happen at some point. I knew the Blue Jays were interested, and I'm really glad that it worked out the way it did because I'm happy playing here. It's really just a great organization to be a part of."

He began his professional career with the Dunedin Blue Jays, slashing .293/.378/.451 with one home run in 22 games.

"The workdays became longer," he said of his adjustment to professional baseball. "Less school, more baseball—which was a lot of fun. Meeting a lot of new people, that was a big thing. The Blue Jays do not short-staff anyone. So meeting a lot of great people, and a lot of new players that became my teammates."

Last year, Keys had one of the most remarkable seasons in Vancouver Canadians history, hitting 19 home runs to set the franchise's single-season and career records.

"I really enjoyed my time there," he said. "It's a beautiful city. Great stadium, great fans to play in front of. That was really my first experience with that. It was a long year—being away and on a new part of the continent, my first time in Canada. So a lot of new things and a lot of experiences that I learned from that I can take with me for my future."

Walkoff home run with the Herd.

Keys began this season at Double-A New Hampshire, where he slashed .285/.411/.581 with 14 home runs and a .993 OPS in 49 games. He was promoted to Buffalo at the beginning of June and continued his hot hitting. In 18 games with the Herd, he slashed .281/.403/.719 with seven home runs and a 1.121 OPS.

A natural third baseman, Keys has also begun seeing time at first base in order to expand his defensive versatility. The Blue Jays recently enlisted longtime major leaguer Sean Casey to work with him at his new position.

"I put a lot of focus on defense this season," Keys said of what he needed to focus on to take his game to the next level. "Continuing to do what I've done offensively is important and testing it against the next level. But also, working with the staff [in Buffalo]. They've really helped me a lot already in this first week. Working on the defensive side and really becoming an all-around player."

With all of his success, Keys admitted it's hard not to think about what his major league debut will be like. But until that opportunity came, he was determined to keep his focus on the work in front of him.

"It's hard not to," he said while standing in front of the Bisons’ dugout at Sahlen Field. "I think ever since I was drafted, I've thought about it. A lot of times I've got to realize that, but just stay present, stay with what's in front of me, and know the task at hand. Eventually, the Lord has me in his hands, and if that day comes, I'll be super fortunate and blessed."

Now that day has finally arrived. Just two years after being selected by Toronto in the fourth round out of Bucknell, Keys has completed his meteoric rise through the Blue Jays’ farm system. After dominating at every stop—from Dunedin to Vancouver, New Hampshire, and Buffalo—the 23-year-old will finally step onto a major league field, turning the dream he’s envisioned since the day he was drafted into reality.