Blue Jays Top Prospect Continues Meteoric Rise in the Farm System

As mentioned, Yesavage has quickly ascended from Low-A Dunedin to Triple-A Buffalo. Yesavage dominated the NCAA with East Carolina for two seasons. Now, he’s picked up right where he left off in his first professional season.

The 22-year-old has elite swing and miss stuff. Yesavage leads all minor league pitchers with a 15.0 K/9 (minimum 80 innings pitched). However, he’s also limited the traffic on the basepaths with a 0.930 WHIP across his three stops down on the farm.

Yesavage’s main pitches are a fastball, slider, and splitter. He also has a slower breaking ball, which gives him options when it comes to keeping hitters off balance. The fact that he can turn to multiple plus pitches as weapons makes him a threat on the mound.

He was selected for the Futures Game this season and has made a name for himself in the prospect world. He’s currently the No. 1 Blue Jays prospect according to MLB Pipeline. MLB Pipeline also lists him as the No. 3 right-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball. He’s also the No. 26 prospect in all of baseball, and could very well find himself pitching big league innings before the year is over.

His rise through the ranks has positioned him to be a potential bullpen or even rotation option for the Blue Jays down the stretch as they make a postseason push. While Yesavage has shown his strikeout stuff is elite, he’ll have to work on the walks if he wants to make it in the big leagues. He’s an exciting pitcher to watch, but a 3.3 BB/9 could slow his effectiveness.

Teammates and coaches have applauded him for his work ethic. With his “grizzly grit,” and the refreshing impact he has on team culture, his reach extends beyond the mound. Add this with his strikeout ability, Yesavage can do a lot of damage on the mound. If he can pitch deeper into games, he’ll make things easier on the bullpen down the stretch. The hope is he can put it all together and help the Blue Jays get to the postseason.