Blue Jays 'thrilled' with first-round selection Yesavage
Keegan Matheson
@KeeganMathesonTORONTO -- The Blue Jays selected Trey Yesavage with the No. 20 pick and Khal Stephen with the No. 59 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, adding a pair of high-end right-handed pitching prospects to a system that needs exactly that.
Yesavage, who turns 21 on July 28, grew from a reliever to one of the best starters in the country at East Carolina, where he did enough to land at No. 11 on MLB Pipeline¡¯s pre-Draft rankings.
Call the Yesavage pick a pleasant surprise for the Blue Jays, who have kept close tabs on him for a couple of years now and get what appears to be excellent value in the back half of the first round.
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¡°We¡¯re really excited to add Trey to the organization,¡± said director of amateur scouting Shane Farrell. ¡°He¡¯s a big, physical right-handed starter with three above-average pitches. He¡¯s proven to be durable and held good workloads through his time at East Carolina. His secondary pitches and fastball quality are really strong. We¡¯re thrilled to be able to add him.¡±
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Yesavage is coming off a 2.03 ERA in his final season at East Carolina, where he struck out 145 batters over 93 1/3 innings. He throws a fastball that sits 93-95 mph, peaking at 98 mph, along with a curveball, slider and splitter, all of which project as above-average pitches. They come from a very high arm angle, too, giving hitters a unique look that can be awfully deceptive.
He¡¯s not lacking confidence, either. As Yesavage developed into East Carolina¡¯s top starter in his final two years there, he embraced the role fully.
¡°I¡¯m the guy at East Carolina," Yesavage said at the MLB Draft Combine. ¡°That puts a lot of pressure on me. Going into that game with our backs against the wall, I had to show out for our team, fans and for the city of Greenville.¡±
It¡¯s that edge, along with his advanced arsenal coming out of college, that has the Blue Jays so excited.
¡°I have a competitive nature,¡± Yesavage said. ¡°Put me up against two grizzly bears and I¡¯m not afraid.¡±
Yesavage should immediately land among the top-five prospects in the Blue Jays¡¯ system, and this is a group that needs all the help it can get. Since entering the season as MLB Pipeline¡¯s 24th-ranked farm system, the Blue Jays haven¡¯t had enough success stories. No. 1 prospect Ricky Tiedemann continues to battle injuries, this time forearm tightness after leaving his last start, and No. 4 prospect Brandon Barriera underwent Tommy John surgery in late April. Those headline a long list of pitching injuries this season, and with No. 2 prospect Orelvis Martinez suspended 80 games after a positive test for a performance enhancing substance, there¡¯s been more bad news than good.
The slot value for Yesavage¡¯s pick is $4,073,400. The Blue Jays are once again working with a smaller bonus pool relative to the rest of baseball with their $8,134,500 ranking 24th.
The Blue Jays have made a habit of dealing their former first-round picks recently, including Jordan Groshans (2018), Austin Martin (2020) and Gunnar Hoglund (2021), as they¡¯ve pushed to maximize this competitive window. Now, this organization needs to build talent that will develop and play in Toronto as part of its next core, which is what they now envision for Yesavage.
Pitching depth grows with RHP Khal Stephen in Round 2
Stephen, who ranked as MLB Pipeline¡¯s No. 88 prospect, gives the Blue Jays another true starter with a four-pitch mix.
¡°In terms of having a feel for four different pitches, I think he was one of the better pitchers in college baseball,¡± said MLB Pipeline¡¯s Jim Callis following the pick. ¡°His fastball, curveball, slider and changeup are all effective and he throws strikes.¡±
Coming off two years pitching at Purdue, Stephen pitched for Mississippi State in 2024, where he posted a 3.28 ERA over 96 innings with 107 strikeouts and just 22 walks (2.0 BB/9). While none of the pitches stand out as a true ¡°plus¡± offering right now, all four have high floors. His fastball sits 94-95 mph and can reach 96 and his mid 80s changeup with great fading action is his best secondary pitch.
Like Yesavage, Stephen immediately injects more depth and talent into a Blue Jays¡¯ farm system that needs pitching. The slot value of Stephen¡¯s pick is $1,489,000.
Projecting Stephen forward, he already has a high floor as a prospect, so the Blue Jays can use their new player development complex and the coming years to open up more potential upside to raise his ceiling.