Blue Jays Star Prospect Trey Yesavage Named Team’s MiLB Player of the Year
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The Toronto Blue Jays are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2023 this season. They also have 90+ wins for the first time since 2022, but have yet to clinch the American League East. Tied with the New York Yankees with 92 wins, the Jays will fight for the division over the final two games of the season.
They are going to be down an important piece in José Berríos who went on the injured list prior to the postseason. Although he has taken a step back this season, he's still a veteran pitcher with postseason experience even if he is pitching out of the bullpen.
Luckily for the Jays, they will have some talented reinforcements to replace him. Trey Yesavage, one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball, as been impressive all season long and won Baseball America's (Subscription Required) Blue Jays Minor League Player of the Year.
Yesavage Dominated Minor Leagues
The 21-year-old has had a dominant, whirlwind of a year. Drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft, the right-hander didn't debut until this season. In doing so, he played at four levels of the minor leagues and made the big leagues all in his first season in pro ball.
In 25 appearances, Yesavage started 22 games from Single-A to Triple-A this season. In 98 innings, he pitched to a 3.12 ERA, 0.969 WHIP and 14.7 K/9. In is first go around at all levels, he was able to limit runners at an incredible rate.
It's impressive, as just last year he was still pitching in college. Yesavage is still learning how to pitch in many ways.
"Being able to adapt to different situations and different hitters, being able to read swings. In college, I was having my pitching coach call most of my pitches for me, and now it's me and the catcher working together," Yesavage told Baseball America of his improvement.
Yesavage showed without a doubt that he's able to adjust to all levels, as he's now pitching in the major leagues. Just a little over a year after being drafted, the right-hander was called up on September 15.
He sports four pitches, starting with a fastball, slider, and splitter which are all plus pitches, and a curveball that is more average. The splitter is by far his best pitch, as seen in his debut when he got 11 whiffs on 14 swings on the pitch.
"The dude's not fazed by anything. And he's one of the best, if not the best, competitors we have on the bump,' said Blue Jays farm director Joe Sclafani.
Yesavage moved incredibly quickly. From the Futures Game earlier this summer to pitching in October, it's a testament to how much the Jays believe in their young starter. He has a chance to really announce himself in a big way and help Toronto get far in the postseason.
