'This place is unbelievable': Yesavage gets 1st taste of Toronto?

TORONTO -- All the pieces are in place for Trey Yesavage to keep thriving.

“It’s on me to become the best player I can be,” said Yesavage.

He’s eager to get going, too.

A little over a week after signing with the Blue Jays as the No. 20 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Yesavage made his first visit to Rogers Centre ahead of Friday’s 3-1 win over the A’s.

The 6-foot-4 right-hander looked the part already, dressed head to toe in Blue Jays gear as he fielded questions from reporters in the dugout. It was an early look at the midterm future this club worked to fortify through this year’s Draft.

“This place is unbelievable,” said Yesavage. “Getting to know the guys here and getting shown around the clubhouse and whatnot was an amazing experience. I can’t wait to watch the game tonight.”

Fittingly, Yesavage was treated to a pitching clinic by José Berríos, who struck out eight with a solo homer as his only blemish over seven innings of work.

Watching the Blue Jays claim the contest over the A’s -- as George Springer rewrote the record books once again with his 59th career leadoff homer -- was a nice way to cap the visit.

Yesavage made a good first impression at the big league ballpark, playing catch on the field and picking the brains of several current Blue Jays. Another early talking point? The confidence.

“Impressive young man,” manager John Schneider said. “Firm handshake, eye contact. … He seems like he’s got his act together.”

The Blue Jays are hopeful this level of maturity will help with Yesavage’s move from college to the pros, but how quickly he makes Friday’s “amazing experience” into a more permanent one will hinge on a few factors.

You’ve heard about the uniquely high release point, the refined command and the successful transition from the bullpen to the rotation at East Carolina University. Those developments helped Yesavage rise all the way up to No. 11 on MLB Pipeline’s pre-Draft rankings, and they’re a big reason why the Blue Jays were “thrilled” Yesavage was still available at No. 20.

Now comes the next wave of growth.

“I don't want to fall in love with the analytical stuff that makes him good,” said Schneider. “I think that's all fine and dandy, but you want to kind of see how that guy goes out and competes and does everything that pitching entails, really.

“But it is a pretty unique delivery and good stuff.”

Yesavage is working to add more to his repertoire.

The move from reliever to starter worked out well for the 21-year-old because of his ability to add a slider and a splitter to his repertoire. Yesavage is now looking for “a good curveball,” maybe even a cutter as well, to round out his offerings and give him some added advantage as a projected mid-rotation starter.

Even more important will be how well he can build up the inning totals as he adjusts to the workload of pitching every five days. Yesavage can also point to his transition to the rotation in college as a reason to be optimistic on that front.

“Going from two pitches to four pitches was huge for me, and being able to exert my adrenaline over six, seven innings, rather than two outs [was key],” said Yesavage. “It was a big learning curve, but I made [it work].”

Now, he’ll have all the tools of the Blue Jays’ Player Development Complex at his disposal. Before landing in Toronto, Yesavage spent about a week in Dunedin, Fla., getting to know the state-of-the-art facilities and peeking into what the next few years in the Minors may bring.

So Yesavage, who describes himself as a fearless competitor and a leader by example, will likely have to exercise some patience until next season, though he says he isn’t sure of the club’s plans for him from now until the end of the year.

Regardless of what the next few steps may be, getting a taste of the big leagues now should serve as a nice jolt, a reminder of what he’s working towards.

“I feel great, I feel fresh,” Yesavage said with a smile. “I’m ready to get to work.”