Blue Jays Pitching Prospect Continues Breakout Season with Stellar August
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The Toronto Blue Jays are one of the best teams in the MLB. The Blue Jays currently hold a four-game lead in the American League East, and have shown no signs of letting up. In fact, if the season ended today, Toronto would have earned themselves a first-round bye into the divisional series.
The Blue Jays have set themselves up for success in 2025, but the future of the organization is bright, as well. Their minor league teams do not have great records, but their prospects are still some of the best. The team's No. 1 prospect, Trey Yesavage, has been fantastic this season. But it is their No. 6 prospect that is making the most noise right now.
Gage Stanifer Is Having a Breakout Year
The Blue Jays drafted Gage Stanifer in the 19th round of the 2022 MLB draft. With the draft lasting only 20 rounds, the later picks are not necessarily expected to amount to much. This is especially true considering the right-hander was coming out of high school and committed to Cincinnati to play baseball. In order to sway him away from that, Toronto signed Stanifer for $125,000.
The now 21-year-old did not have the best first season as a professional. In 2023, Stanifer made 11 appearances, started seven games, threw 42.2 innings, struck out 47 batters, walked 23, allowed 44 hits and he finished with a 6.33 ERA. 2024 was more of the same as his ERA was 6.34 and he walked 50 batters in 59.2 innings. The young right-hander has always had strike out stuff, but it was the other aspects of his game that needed work.
Well, Stanifer has seemed to figure something out in 2025. In 24 appearances (13 starts) across two levels, the top prospect has thrown 97.0 innings, allowed 61 hits, walked 48 and his ERA is just 2.69. Most impressively, Stanifer has struck out 145 batters this season.
August has been one of his best months yet. Stanifer has made five starts this month, thrown 27 innings, struck out 34 batters, walked 10, allowed just 19 hits, and his ERA is 2.00. He has been dominant in August and MLB.com has named him one of the hottest pitching prospects in the MLB because of this.
What Changed This Season?
The massive improvement Stanifer has seen this year can be attributed to his jump in velocity. According to his scouting report, his fastball now sits 94-96 with exceptional ride throught he zone. More than that, the righty throws a mid-80s gyro slider that pairs nicely with an upper-80s changeup.
His walk rate will be a problem as he continues to climb the ranks, but the Blue Jays have to be happy with what they are seeing out of their former 19th-round pick. It would be a little bit shocking to see him get promoted once more this year because of the end of the season nearing. However, it would not be surprising to see Stanifer begin 2026 in Double-A.
There is still a lot season left at the MLB level, but if Stanifer can continue to grow and develop, Toronto should be excited for the future of their pitching staff.
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Cameron Zunkel is a sports writer from the western suburbs of Chicago. He played Division-II baseball at the University of Illinois at Springfield where he earned a masters degree in Communication. Cameron also played independent league baseball for the Joliet Slammers and Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League. He has been in journalism since 2022 and has a passion for baseball specifically, but he enjoys all sports. His other work includes writing sports betting articles for ClutchPoints. In his free time, you can catch Cam at the gym, on the golf course, or coaching the youth in the beautiful sport of baseball.