The Numbers Behind Khal Stephen’s Rise in Toronto Blue Jays System

The Toronto Blue Jays have a tantalizing arm in Trey Yesavage. But there is another in Khal Stephen that is worth monitoring.

Yesavage has received plenty of publicity as he’s moved from Class-A Dunedin to Double-A New Hampshire in three months. But Stephen, a right-hander like Yesavage, has turned heads in the system as the Blue Jays’ No. 9 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

He’s still at High-A Vancouver. But it may only be a matter of time before the 22-year-old Stephen moves up to New Hampshire and joins Yesavage.

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Baseball America (subscription required) recently highlighted 10 pitching prospects that had standout data during their appearances in June. It was Stephen, not Yesavage, who made the list. Part of the reason could be the fact that Stephen is an incredible 7-0 entering July.

Undefeated pitchers in the minor leagues are rare. Most don’t go long enough to be involved in the decision, especially if theyre pitching at Class-A, where Stephen started the year.

But, in 14 games, 13 of which have been starts, he is undefeated with a 1.92 ERA in 70.1 innings. He has 78 strikeouts and 14 walks.

He’s averaging five innings an appearance this season. He’s claimed wins in each of last three starts and has pitched at least five innings in each of his last five starts.

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It was his June that turned Baseball America’s head. He is 3-0 in four starts 0.78 ERA, with 25 strikeouts and four walks in 23 innings.

He has shown practically no drop-off from his time at Dunedin. Batters are hitting just 2.20 against him this season, his first as a professional.

So, what’s working for him? Baseball America explained it simply — it’s his pitch mix, velocity and college experience.

“Stephen’s heater sits 93-95 mph and touches 97-98 at peak with between 19-21 inches of induced vertical break on average,” wrote Geoff Pontes. “His ability to ride the fastball at an elite rate has allowed him to continually generate whiffs despite only average velocity. In addition to the fastball, he also features a cutter, slider and changeup.”

Like Yesavage, Stephen has college baseball polish and started the season in Dunedin knowing that he might overwhelm hitters. That’s certainly been the case.

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The 22-year-old from Danville, Ill., was selected in the second round of the MLB draft last year. But the Jays opted to shut him down for the rest of the season as the Bulldogs typically make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament each season. He was just MSU’s 12th second-round pick.

He joined the Blue Jays with three years of college baseball experience. He spent his first two college seasons at Purdue before he transferred to the SEC power.

With the Bulldogs last season, he was named third team all-American by several outlets, along with NCAA Charlottesville all-regional team selection. He was also a first-team all-SEC pick.

In 16 starts he went 8-3 with a 3.28 ERA, which was seventh in the SEC. He struck out 107 hitters, which was also seventh in the conference. His 96 innings pitched was third in the SEC and he allowed just 21 walks, a team best. Batters hit just .213 against him. His 5.10 strikeout-to-walk ratio was the sixth best in the SEC.

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