Was the Toronto Blue Jays top prospect heading into 2026 going to be anyone other than Trey Yesavage?
This is Blue Jays Nation’s bi-annual prospect ranking, where we’ll look at the top 35 prospects in the system in the month of February. As always, I’ll look at the player’s stats, what other publications have to say, as well as my own observations of the players. If you missed the second-ranked prospect, you can read about Arjun Nimmala here.
Getting to know Trey Yesavage…
Position: Starting pitcher
Throws: Right
Born: July 28th, 2003
Acquired: First round, 2024 draft
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the story of Yesavage. Drafted 20th overall in 2024, he didn’t make his professional debut until 2025, beginning the season in Single-A Dunedin, and rising all the way to be the Blue Jays’ Game 1 starter in the World Series. In the playoffs, he had two record-breaking performances, cementing himself as the future ace of the Blue Jays.
He has a plus fastball that sits in the mid-90s, but plays because of his extremely high release point. His splitter? Well that’s given the rare 70 grade, while his slider is considered above average according to MLB Pipeline. On top of ranking as the top Blue Jays’ prospect on Pipeline and Fangraphs’ lists, he’s also considered MLB Pipeline’s 14th-best prospect in baseball.
So how is Yesavage still considered a prospect? Well, he was called up late into the off-season and accumulated 13 days of big league experience because players don’t accumulate service time in the playoffs. This is a good thing for the Jays, as Yesavage can earn them a pick after the first round in the 2027 draft if he wins the American League Rookie of the Year, or finishing top three in either Cy Young or MVP voting in the next three seasons.
There are concerns about his innings limit, as his career-high with East Carolina was 93.1 in his junior season. In the minor leagues alone, Yesavage pitched 98 innings, and that doesn’t include the 14 innings to end the regular season and the 27.2 innings in the postseason. That said, the Blue Jays have more than enough rotation depth for it to not be an issue.
After the performance he had in the playoffs, there’s almost no chance Yesavage pitches anywhere else but with the Blue Jays. By the mid-season update, Yesavage will be off this list, but it’s hard not to be excited to see what he can do in 2026.
