The Unexpected Rise of Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher Trey Yesavage

Trey Yesavage, the pitcher for the reigning American League Champion Toronto Blue Jays, has certainly had an unexpected start to his career. Prior to making last year’s playoff roster, he had only pitched in three major league games, all of which took place during the final two weeks of the regular season. He then proceeded to start 5 playoff games and took the mound on the biggest stage possible—extra innings of Game 7 in the World Series. Let’s discuss what the Blue Jays’ rookie has accomplished in his brief career and then explain why he’s so good in spite of his quirky pitching mechanics. 

Rapid Ascent

Yesavage, who was the 20th overall draft pick out of East Carolina, made his minor league start with Class A Dunelin. After 7 starts and a 3-0 record, he got promoted to A+ Vancouver, where he continued to be stellar. After brief stints with AA New Hampshire and AAA Buffalo, the Blue Jays decided it was time to call him up to the Big Leagues, which they did in mid-September. Nowadays, organizations prioritize player development and tend to exercise caution when promoting players, particularly pitchers, too quickly. It is, therefore, quite unusual for a player to go from Class A to the major leagues all in the course of a single season. However, the Blue Jays seemingly determined that the young right-hander’s moment to excel had arrived.