Toronto Blue Jays Have Prospect Pitching Depth Beyond Star Trey Yesavage
The future of the Toronto Blue Jays could have drastically changed with the selections they made in the first round of the last two MLB drafts.
In 2023, they selected shortstop Arjun Nimmala, who is now their No. 1 ranked prospect and one of the best young power hitters in the minor leagues.
He is having an excellent season at High-A Vancouver with a .270/.358/.484 slash with 16 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 32 RBI.
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With a below average strikeout rate and above-average walk rate, Nimmala could be getting close to a promotion to Double-A New Hampshire, where 2024 first-round pick Trey Yesavage was recently promoted.
After dominating Single-A Dunedin and High-A Vancouver, the talented right-handed pitcher was quickly promoted to Double-A.
He has all the looks of a future front end starter with a 2.67 ERA across his first 57.1 innings pitched with 96 strikeouts. His walk rate, issuing 4.1 per nine innings, is the only concern right now as he owns a 4.4 H/9 ratio and 0.8 HR/9.
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While Yesavage is garnering a lot of attention for his rapid ascension, and rightfully so, he isn’t the only pitcher performing at a high level in their first full professional season.
Khal Stephen, who was selected in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft with the Blue Jays doubling up on pitchers, is also throwing incredibly well.
He is carrying over the positive momentum created collegiately last year.
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“Stephen took a major step forward after transferring from Purdue to Mississippi State for his junior season last spring, going 8-3 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 107 strikeouts in 96 innings,” wrote Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.
Between Dunedin and Vancouver this year, he has made 13 appearances, throwing 64.1 innings with a 2.10 ERA. He has struck out 75 batters and issued only 13 walks, showing incredible pinpoint control with his entire arsenal.
Stephen has done a great job limiting hard contact, allowing only 6.9 hits per nine innings and 0.4 home runs.
The future looks incredibly bright for the Toronto pitching staff with Yesavage and Stephen excelling early in their careers.
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