Blue Jays Undergo Major Transformation in 26-and-Under Power Rankings
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In the aftermath of a season in which they came agonizingly close to being World Series champions, the Toronto Blue Jays have arrived at Spring Training preaching a message of looking forward and not backward. Or as John Schneider put it, "we're not defending anything."
Yet, the 2025 campaign ushered in such a dramatic organizational shift for the Blue Jays, as they went from fringe playoff hopefuls to expectant title contenders and saw a new group of key, impact players emerge, that it bears noting how much has changed.
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One example of that change comes in Yahoo Sports' annual 26-and-under rankings. On the surface, Toronto's ranking has largely held steady, improving ever-so-slightly from 25th to 24th. But it's the evolving factors within that ranking that tell the story of just how much is different.
New Faces Drive Blue Jays' 26-And-Under Ranking
A No. 24 ranking keeps the Blue Jays on the edge of the league's bottom-fifth and is hardly a mark of pride for the franchise. However, it could be so much worse.
Toronto's 2025 ranking included some key players that have since aged out of eligibility for the 26-and-under qualifications. Theoretically, losing star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., along with Alejandro Kirk, Andres Gimenez and Davis Schneider, should have torpedoed their ranking, but it didn't.
For one thing, the rise of Addison Barger helped offset some of what was lost with Guerrero Jr. and others graduating from the list. In his first full Major League season, he ranked third on the club with 21 home runs and fifth with 74 RBI. In the postseason, he served as a major offensive force, delivering 22 hits and three home runs while slashing .367/.441/.583.
Even if the Blue Jays took a slight step back in the offensive category for their 26-and-under ranking, the growth of their young pitching helped make up for it.
Contrary to 2025, in which Toronto began the season with no 26-and-under pitchers on the roster, the team now boasts four young arms that could factor into the Opening Day equation.
The rise of Trey Yesavage looms large. The righty won't even turn 23 until late July, but his 2026 campaign holds significant anticipation after he broke through in 2025 as a playoff sensation despite just three games of regular season MLB experience. He begins the new year as a rotation lock and an AL Rookie of the Year favorite.
Beyond Yesavage, lefty Mason Fluharty and righty Braydon Fisher also return for their second Major League seasons and should help bring balance and stability to the bullpen. Rule 5 draft pick Spencer Miles also hopes to be a part of the relief mix after spending the 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery as part of the San Francisco Giants organization.
The Blue Jays' 2025 season didn't just raise the win-now hopes of the organization, but managed to up the stock of some of their young players. Losing Guerrero Jr., Kirk, Gimenez and Schneider could have been disastrous for the team's 26-and-under ranking, but the development of Barger and Yesavage, in particular, has kept them afloat.
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.