Blue Jays' Playoff Hero Ranks Among MLB Pipeline's Top 10 Right-Handed Pitching Prospects
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MLB Pipeline has released their ranking of the top 10 right-handed pitching prospects in baseball ahead of the 2026 season. And to no one's surprise, the Toronto Blue Jays are represented with the third entry on the list.
Postseason breakout star Trey Yesavage is ranked third on the list, behind No. 1 Nolan McLean of the New York Mets and No. 2 Bubba Chandler of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Yesavage's status as a prospect to watch seems a bit misleading considering the level of success he's already experienced at the big league level. Debuting in September, he went 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings across three starts before being named to the postseason roster and striking out 39 batters in 27.2 innings along the way to a 3-1 record over five starts and six appearances.
In the World Series, Yesavage got the nod to start Game 1, scattered just one run and struck out 12 Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 and even pitched 1.2 innings in the Blue Jays' ill-fated Game 7.
Yesavage Remains Prospect to Watch
In spite of all the buzz surrounding Yesavage, the 22-year-old playoff pitching phenom has plenty still to prove heading into the 2026 season. Succeeding over the course of a full, 162-game MLB campaign will require more of the dominant stuff that he showcased in the fall, but also demands durability and adaptability in order to change up his arsenal to ensure that big league hitters don't figure him out.
Yesavage has earned his place in the starting rotation to begin the season, but Toronto boasts a level of depth to ward off against potential growing pains from the Pottstown, Penn. native.
If he falters, the Blue Jays can lean on a deep rotation that also includes Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Jose Berrios and Eric Lauer as starting options.
That depth should serve to lessen the pressure on the young Yesavage, but the hope is that he can build on his impressive debut and make a push in the AL Rookie of the Year race. He already seems to be generating plenty of buzz.
As part of MLB Pipeline's ranking, they touted Yesavage's splitter, highlighting his "sky-high release point" and suggesting that a case could be made that it might already be the best in the majors. He was also recognized as having the highest floor, perhaps an obvious bit of recognition for a rookie who has already enjoyed some pretty rare big league achievements.
Ultimately, being MLB Pipeline's third-ranked right-handed pitching prospect is a nice bit of recognition, but Yesavage has bigger fish to fry. Already a critical part of a Blue Jays team that came two outs away from winning the World Series, he faces some lofty expectations as he heads into his "rookie" season.
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Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.