DUNEDIN, Fla. There bad luck, and then there the bad luck endured by several of the Blue Jays top pitching prospects in 2024.Landen Maroudis and Brandon Barriera two of the club current top 15 prospects underwent elbow surgeries early last year, knocking them out for the remainder of the summer, and former Top 100 prospect Ricky Tiedemann joined them on the shelf after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July a procedure that will keep him on the IL for much of 2025. Kendry Rojas and Adam Macko also were on the shelf. MLB Pipeline: Top 100 prospects Stats Video Podcast Complete coveragePitching prospects always seem risky in nature, but no club has felt that so acutely in recent years as Toronto. Yet when the Jays turn in the 2024 Draft came up with the 20th overall pick, the Canadian organization went right back to the well, taking right-hander Trey Yesavage out of East Carolina, and now in Spring Training, Toronto is doing all it can to keep their new No. 2 prospect healthy and productive through his first full season.That starts with workload. Yesavage threw 93 1/3 innings in his final spring on campus but was limited by a collapsed lung suffered before the AAC Tournament. The Jays chose not to send the righty out to an affiliate after the Draft, and after he spent much of the offseason working out back at ECU, Yesavage has been allowed to be himself in his first Spring Training.No tweaking of the arsenal. No adjusting of his high arm slot. Let Trey be Trey.We picked him for a reason, Blue Jays director of player development Joe Sclafani said. He has now stuff, as they say. So it more about getting him out there, getting him in a good routine and focusing on those things so that he pitch hopefully into September. Were still working out the details on how Adam Macko Jersey, but we like to let these guys go show what they can do and prove the reason theyre here for a little bit.Yesavage unofficial Jays debut finally came on March 15 in the Spring Breakout game against Twins prospects in Dunedin. Entering in the third inning in relief of Jake Bloss, the club No. 2 prospect showed why he so beloved by his new farm system. He touched 97 mph with his four seamer and averaged 95.5 with the pitch while flashing impressive ride over his two scoreless innings. His upper-80s cutter got four whiffs on four swings, and his mid-80s splitter showed plus potential with negative induced vertical break.He finished with three strikeouts, no walks and two hits allowed in those two frames, shrugging off some early nerves in the process. Subscribe to the MLB Pipeline NewsletterThe next stop, of course, remains the big question. Yesavage stuff and college pedigree could have him prepped for High-A or even Double-A, but weather in Vancouver and New Hampshire would make for a rough first step. It may be better to open Yesavage in the Florida State League with Single-A Dunedin, especially with that September finish line in mind.Yesavage early-season assignment has been one of the many discussion points at Toronto Minor League complex this spring as the organization looks at what it can do to put 2024 long list of injuries in the rearview mirror.Every year, we go back through our processes to see what we can improve on, Scalfani said. But last year, obviously, it was a lot of bad luck. We went through and tried to find any commonalities in how we were doing things, and we couldnt find a ton on that front. But we pushed the intensity level back a little bit. We started pretty early last year, so were trying to make some adjustments.One of the changes has been to bring in a director of pitching in Justin Lehr, who arrived from the Giants system this offseason. Lehr mission wont just be focused on improving the arsenals of the good arms in the Jays system, like Yesavage; itll be about keeping those arsenals on the mound for as much of 2025 as possible and honing everything else on the periphery https://www.shopteambluejays.com/37-Bo_Bichette_Jersey.Everybody always pushing for stuff and velo, and it been that same way for 50+ years in this game, he said. But were going back to some of the nuanced pieces of pitching getting ahead, being in the zone, controlling the running game. Those are the smaller things that we might have gotten away from a little bit in the past. If guys are going to beat us now, theyre going to have to earn it. At least that the hope.Camp standout: Alan RodenFor all the drama involved in Jays camp this spring between players who didnt sign for Toronto Bradley Zimmer Jersey, players who did and players who might still, there one outfielder who done plenty to steal headlines himself No Michael Stefanic Jersey. 5 prospect Roden.The 2022 third-rounder has steadily climbed through the Toronto ranks as a high-OBP type, but his power jumped in 2024 as he produced career highs in homers and slugging percentage in 125 games between Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo.Roden stance has undergone multiple alterations over the years from a low, wide stance in college to its current more upright look that features a leg kick. As he continued to pick up extra-base hits and walks this spring, more folks in the organization took notice of a prospect who been a personal favorite of many on the player-development side for a long time.It more just refinement around the edges in terms of still getting to know who he is, Sclafani said. Obviously, he made some significant mechanical changes with his swing, or at least the way he starts it, but he continued to just ask good questions. He has a good feel for how his body moves, what he looking for in terms of ball flight, which pitches he can hammer, when to sit on things and hunt them. For him, the ability is there. He just shown year over year, even month to month, that he knows what he doing. He figuring himself out.Breakout potential: Sean KeysIf the Jays have a strength in development in recent years, it been in the high-OBP types like Roden. Spencer Horwitz, now with the Pirates, was another similar success story in the same mold, leading him to be a useful trade asset for Andrs Gimnez this offseason.If youre seeking who could be the next name in that line, look no further than Toronto 2024 fourth-rounder Keys.The Bucknell product had a careerline over 22 games. Keys underlying data was equally good as Toronto No. 20 prospect graded out especially well for his chase rate and proved to be above average at making contact in the zone.Entering his first full season, the left-handed-hitting third baseman has some areas for growth beyond the hit tool, but that skill alone should be a sturdy foundation on which to build.You see him physically, the athletic prowess doesnt jump out at you, but he sneaky athletic in the box, Sclafani said. He similar to Roden in that he got a really good feel for the zone. He pretty cerebral by nature, but if gets a barrel on it, hell flip balls to left-center at the wall, and it like, Oh man, he hit it that hard? Defensively, we definitely still have some work to do, but he did good work this offseason. His body in better shape. It looks like he moving a little bit better. He one that a good pick to click.On the mend: Brandon BarrieraBarriera hybrid Tommy John/internal brace procedure came last April after only one start with Dunedin, one year after multiple arm injuries limited him to 20 1/3 innings between the Florida Complex League and the FSL. It been far from a dream beginning to the 2022 first-rounder career.But there hope around the corner. the club No. 15 prospect used the most recent downtime to focus on strengthening other areas of his body besides the elbow, and as of this month, he on schedule to return to Minor League games by late May/early June. He was touching 97 mph when healthy this time last spring and may be set to pick up from or even add to where he left off in a couple weeks.This is about as good physically as he looked since weve had him, Sclafani said. Obviously, he got bigger and then tapered it back. Physically, he in a really good spot. Mentally, he in a really good spot. He trending in a really good direction. Were excited.
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