Blue Jays Pitcher Named Team's Breakout Prospect By MLB Writers

This Blue Jays pitcher showed his mettle this year.

Mar 6, 2021; Dunedin, Florida, USA; A detailed view of the Toronto Blue Jays logo on a building at TD Ballpark during the spring training game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays are making a push to secure home field advantage through the American League Championship Series. To help with their stretch run, they called up top pitching prospect Trey Yesavage from Triple-A Buffalo. However, they have plenty of other noteworthy prospects that have taken strides beyond Yesavage that are still within the farm system and could make an impact sooner rather than later.

Among those prospects is right-hander pitcher Gage Stanifer, their No. 6 prospect. He had a strong 2025 season and made it all the way to Double-A New Hampshire by the end of the year.

Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com named him the Blue Jays breakout prospect of the year.

Blue Jays Pitcher Named Team's Breakout Prospect

Mar 18, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; A detail view of a Toronto Blue Jays hat and glove against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

"A 19th-round pick in 2022, Stanifer posted ERAs above 6.00 in each of his first two full seasons. He opened this campaign back with Single-A Dunedin as Trey Yesavage’s piggyback partner and has been one of Toronto’s many pitching success stories in 2025. The 21-year-old righty closed out the season at Double-A New Hampshire and finished with a 2.86 ERA with 161 strikeouts (fifth-most in the Minors) in 110 innings. Stanifer shows two plus pitches in his mid-90s fastball and mid-80s slider."

In addition to some very impressive numbers this year, Stanifer showed off some incredible swing-and-miss capability, averaging 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings and posting a 2.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He also posted a 1.173 WHIP this season at three minor league levels.

Unfortunately, he struggled once he got to Double-A, going 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in those starts, though he did average nine strikeouts per nine innings in those starts.

The future appears to be bright for the young right-hander. If the 21-year-old took some big steps in 2025, then perhaps he has more left in the tank for 2026 and could even pitch his way into consideration for a role on the Major League roster at some point during the season.

Toronto selected Stanifer out of Westfield High School in Indiana back in 2022, but he is quickly making a name for himself within the Blue Jays organization and could take some more important steps next year after a very strong showing in 2025.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Stanifer after putting together a great 2025 season.

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