TORONTO -- The Blue Jays¡¯ pitching pipeline has had its moments.

From Alek Manoah to Nate Pearson, you see just how unpredictable the outcomes can be for top-end pitching prospects. Reaching back further to the years of Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez in Toronto, you¡¯ll see that coming in hot and sustaining that success long-term can be two different things.

Now, the Blue Jays want consistency. With a high payroll that the club wants to keep competitive, developing a legitimate starter internally has never been more important.

Sem Robberse is part of that wave, standing near the front and gaining momentum already. The Dutch right-hander ranks No. 7 in the system, and while he¡¯s long earned praise for his feel for pitching and an uncanny ability to make adjustments, he¡¯d struggled to gain weight and add velocity.

Robberse finally figured it out this past offseason. He looks like a completely different young man now, and the secret wasn¡¯t complicated. He ate 5,000 calories a day.

What an assignment.

¡°The hard part was that 5,000 calories is a lot,¡± Robberse explained as his smile grew. ¡°I don¡¯t really like to physically eat a lot, so I had to do it with shakes, Taco Bell, pizzas. They¡¯re really good for calories.¡±

The results have already followed in Double-A New Hampshire. He owns a 1.86 ERA over 9 2/3 innings this year. Most importantly, the 21-year-old has struck out 16 batters. Projecting Robberse with a strikeout rate near 8.0 K/9 was one thing, but if he starts missing bats? It¡¯s a different conversation.

¡°It feels stable. Everything feels more stable,¡± Robberse said. ¡°There¡¯s more weight on there. Last year, I felt kind of fragile. It was kind of sketchy going deep into games because I¡¯d start to get tired a little bit. Now, I feel like I have the stability and it comes easier. As soon as my front foot lands, I feel that stability.¡±

Robberse was a sponge in Spring Training, too, soaking up everything he could from Toronto¡¯s veteran staff. One day, he watched Kevin Gausman go through his bullpen routine. It wasn¡¯t even about the pitches, but more about Gausman¡¯s intent and focus, why he did what he did.

Even within the organization, Robberse has been a popular breakout candidate in 2023. As the pitching depth continues to grow, here¡¯s a look at who could move quickly from each level:

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons: Waiting on Zulueta
No. 3 prospect Yosver Zulueta¡¯s two outings have been polar opposites, one dominant and one rather poor. It¡¯s left the flamethrowing right-hander with a 7.50 ERA with eight strikeouts over six innings.

At this point, Zulueta is pitching in three-inning stints, a common theme you¡¯ll see through the system in 2023. The organization believes in him as a starter, but there may be a shorter path to a role in the bullpen, where he could provide some length with far greater upside than other internal options.

First, Zulueta needs to find a groove ¡­ and find that top-end velocity he¡¯s flashed at times.

Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats: A tease of Tiedemann
No. 1 prospect Ricky Tiedemann pitched three scoreless innings in his 2023 debut, recording all nine outs via strikeout and touching 99 mph.

¡°He did all right,¡± Blue Jays manager John Schneider deadpanned after Tiedemann¡¯s start. ¡°He felt good afterwards. I don¡¯t know what else he needs to do in Double-A. The biggest thing was that he felt good afterwards. That was the key. We know Rick can pitch.¡±

Tiedemann¡¯s outings will continue to be on the shorter side as the Blue Jays manage his innings, but with a couple more outings like this, the Blue Jays will have to explore a move to Triple-A quickly.

High-A Vancouver Canadians: Dallas fans 11
Lefty Adam Macko is the main attraction in the Vancouver rotation, but right-hander Chad Dallas had an exceptional debut, striking out 11 over five innings of one-run ball. Dallas sits just outside the Blue Jays¡¯ Top 30 list, but the fourth-rounder from 2021 has an opportunity to bounce back from a tough '22. Dallas -- or ¡°Cheese,¡± as his teammates know him -- is a perfect candidate to make that jump to Double-A when a spot opens.

Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays: Upside in Rojas
Dunedin is thin on pitching while they await Brandon Barriera¡¯s debut, but keep Kendry Rojas¡¯ name in mind. He¡¯s just 20 and missed time in 2022 with an injury, but there¡¯s some upside to dream on with Rojas¡¯ broad shoulders, long arms and athletic delivery. The left-hander hasn¡¯t been pitching for long, so he¡¯s the perfect project for Dunedin¡¯s talented staff, which worked some magic last summer.