After being connected to a number of hitters leading up to the draft, the Toronto Blue Jays went with the best player available, using the 20th overall pick on right-handed pitcher Trey Yesavage.
A 20-year-old from East Carolina University, Yesavage was touted as one of the top pitchers in the 2024 draft class. The six-foot-four righty was named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year this spring for the Pirates and was voted a second-team All-American.
Yesavage pitched to an 11-1 record while posting a 2.02 ERA — the fourth-best mark among qualified starters in Division I — over 93.1 innings while racking up 145 strikeouts.
Ranked as the No. 11 prospect — and third-ranked pitcher — available in the draft by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline, it came as a bit of a surprise that the Pottstown, Pa. native fell all the way to the Blue Jays at 20.
With Toronto dealing with pitching injuries at nearly every level of the minors, Yesavage will be a welcome addition to the farm system.
Here’s what you need to know about the Blue Jays’ latest first-round pick.
Age: 20
School: East Carolina
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Height: Six-foot-four | Weight: 225 lbs
Scouting grades (Per MLB Pipeline): Fastball 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Splitter: 60 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55
2024 Stats: 11 Wins | 15 GS | 93.1 IP | ERA: 2.02 | 2.82 FIP | 145 SO | 34 BB | .154 BAA | 0.87 WHIP
Competitor on the Mound
As he was working his way through one of the best college campaigns in school history, Yesavage was forced to miss the AAC tournament due to a collapsed lung.
While the injury prevented him from taking the mound in some of the biggest moments of the Pirates’ season, he was eventually discharged from the hospital and returned to pitch in the NCAA Greenville Regional. In that game, which ended up being Yesavage’s final outing at East Carolina, he out-duelled 2024 second overall pick Chase Burns, allowing just one hit and one run while striking out six over 7.1 innings against a loaded Wake Forest offence.
In an interview with MLB.com’s Jesús Cano at the Draft Combine, Yesavage spoke about returning from the hospital and putting up a memorable start in his last start in the purple and yellow.
“I have a competitive nature,” he said. “Put me up against two grizzly bears and I’m not afraid.
“I’m the guy at East Carolina. 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.”
Scouting Reports
Yesavage enters the professional ranks with a solid four-pitch mix that developed over his three seasons at East Carolina.
He throws a fastball that sits in the 93-96-m.p.h. range and peaks at 98, according to MLB Pipeline. He also throws a mid-80s slider, and a spike curveball and splitter that both sit in the low 80s.
It’s with this mix that he generated a 40.4 per cent strikeout rate — the third-highest total in Division I, trailing only fellow first-rounders Burns and Hagen Smith.
Baseball America has grouped Yesavage with Burns and Smith, who both went in the top-10 Sunday night, saying that all three have “a combination of good raw stuff, a track record of success at college baseball’s highest level and a chance to move quickly in their respective organizations.”
“I’ve heard that my splitter and slider are my best pitch, and then I’ve heard that my fastball is pretty good too,” he told MLB Network after being selected by the Blue Jays. “I like all of them equally, and I’ve got my curveball in there, too. I like all four of these pitches that I have.”
Yesavage throws from an over-the-top slot and gets “outlier induced vertical break numbers” on his fastball, according to Baseball America. This means that the 20-year-old’s heater will look like it’s rising more than the average fastball to opposing hitters.
Perhaps the most impressive part of his various pitches is his ability to command them. Yesavage walked just 8.9 per cent of the hitters he faced, which, combined with holding opponents to a .154 batting average, helped him post a 0.87 WHIP.
Potential Steal
After the Blue Jays made Yesavage their selection, the pick got rave reviews from draft experts.
Baseball America identified Yesavage as a potential steal, saying Yesavage could have easily been a top-10 selection due to his “starter traits, high-end stuff, good control and a strong collegiate track record.”
On July 10, Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo and Geoff Pontes wrote a piece trying to find professional-pitching comparisons for some of the top draft-eligible arms, including Yesavage.
Their search turned up that Justin Verlander — the 2024 version — and Canadian Nick Pivetta have similar fastballs to the newest Blue Jay. However, they did add that Yesavage’s unique fastball and high release point make him difficult to find comparisons for.
The Athletic’s Keith Law called Yesavage “one of the most major-league ready starting pitchers in the class,” adding that the righty should start next year at double-A. Law had Yesavage ranked as the No. 13 prospect ahead of the draft.
While it often takes years — unless you’re talking about Paul Skenes — to evaluate draft picks in baseball, the Blue Jays appear to have made a solid pick by stopping Yesavage’s slide in Toronto.