The Toronto Blue Jays experienced a ton of success on the pitching development front last year, and right-hander Gage Stanifer was one of the top names in the group.
While Trey Yesavage dominated the headlines with his historic rise, Stanifer made significant leaps in his development and finished the year in the Eastern League with the Fisher Cats. He started the year in Single-A Dunedin and finished the campaign making two starts with New Hampshire, which is where he started the 2026 season.
Making his sixth start of the year and his first outing in May, Stanifer tossed five innings against the Portland Sea Dogs, earning his first win at the Double-A level.
It was Stanifer’s best outing of the season, with the 22-year-old allowing just four hits and two walks with zero runs allowed. He pitched to a 57.3% strike percentage over 82 total pitches and produced four groundouts and flyouts apiece throughout his outing. Stanifer produced eight swing and misses on the day and finished the outing with three punchouts.
Stanifer hasn’t found the same success to begin the 2026 campaign that he captured last season. Across six starts (including yesterday), he owns a 6.08 ERA and a 5.11 FIP through 23 2/3 innings of work. He is still striking out batters at a high clip (11.4 K/9), but has seen a drop in his command, walking 18 batters to the tune of a 6.9 BB/9.
For comparison, Stanifer posted a 2.78 K/BB rate last season and currently sits at a 1.67 K/BB. Opposing bats have also found the barrel to the ball with the increase in competition level, boasting a .264 average, .362 BABIP, and a 1.14 HR/9. The increase in contact and walks has Stanifer’s WHIP at 1.77.
As Stanifer progresses through the farm system, the competition is going to get better, and it will be on the Jays’ right-hander to adjust and adapt. There is still a lot of time left in the campaign for the Indiana product to turn things around and find that same excitement that had him stand out last year. A strong summer showing could see Stanifer finish the campaign in Buffalo with a couple of starts under his belt before 2027(?) rolls around.
Stanifer is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter, but with the CBA expiring this offseason and a potential lockout on the horizon, there is no guarantee that next season and any potential drafts will take place.
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