East Carolina right-hander
Trey Yesavage (1) was the No. 3 pitcher on my draft board, and many others, I think, based on my conversations all spring. He’s 91-96 with a four-seamer and has a wipeout splitter with huge bottom and even some run that can make it look like a power slider. He has a breaking ball as a third pitch but prefers the splitter to hitters on both sides of the plate. He has a super-short arm action that works for him, although I can’t think of a starter with a comparable delivery. He suffered a collapsed lung when receiving a pseudoscience-y treatment back in May, but that shouldn’t present any long-term issues. I see a very quick-to-the-majors starter but maybe a lower ceiling of a No. 3.
GO DEEPER
Get to know Blue Jays' first-round pick Trey Yesavage, the most polished starter in the class
Right-hander
Khal Stephen (2) throws a ton of strikes, walking just 5 percent of batters this spring for Mississippi State, with a bunch of average-at-best pitches, 92-93 on the four-seamer with the slider a solid 50 and the changeup maybe a tick below. He comes from a high three-quarters slot that can make it hard to throw a traditional slider. He’s probably a back-end starter unless any of his pitches improve.
Florida prep left-hander
Johnny King (3) won’t turn 18 until the end of July, and he’s got quite a bit of projection to his lanky 6-3 frame. He’s in the low 90s now with some funk in the delivery, with a big two-plane curveball that could end up an out-pitch for him. He rushes off the rubber and his arm can lag a bit behind his landing leg, although it’s all minor stuff that could be cleaned up in pro ball.
Third baseman
Sean Keys (4) is the highest draft pick in the history of Bucknell, a power-hitter whose bat is ahead of his glove but who should stick at the hot corner. He hit very well on the Cape, which I know from personal experience is important in the Jays’ draft philosophy, even more so for a kid who didn’t face great pitching in the spring. The power is legit, and he’s got a chance to be an everyday guy.
Indiana outfielder
Nick Mitchell (4C) doesn’t miss or chase, especially fastballs, with a lot of medium-quality contact but very little over-the-fence power. I do think he’ll hit the ball hard enough to keep his average up. He also hit well on the Cape. If he could play center, I’d say he was an everyday guy, but he’s a corner outfielder and might be a tweener.
Right-hander
Jackson Wentworth (5) doesn’t have much fastball but he gets some bite on a mid-80s slider and had success with a straight change, with at least solid-average control this year. The Kansas State righty struck out 31.5 percent of batters he faced this year, although he struggled against a very advanced Virginia lineup in the Super Regionals. He’s a redshirt sophomore who’ll turn 22 next month. He missed 2022 after Tommy John surgery and had an 8.72 ERA in 2023 in limited time.
Aaron Parker (6) is a rather
zaftig catcher, cast from the same mold as
Alejandro Kirk, but he looks like he can hit, with quick hands that get the bat to the ball on time even after a very high — well, OK, not that high, he’s only 5-9 — leg kick. He has arm strength and can flash a plus pop time, although he rushes through his throws and ends up high too often. He does move well behind the plate for a bigger guy. Right-hander
Austin Cates (7) transferred from JUCO to UNLV this year and had a solid year for the Runnin’ Rebels thanks to a plus changeup and a 3.9 percent walk rate. His fastball’s light, mostly 89-92, up to 95, and he’s probably a reliever as a result, but hitters did not care for his changeup one bit and that’s something to start with.
I don’t usually say much about senior signs, but outfielder
Eddie Micheletti Jr. (8) is a Delaware product, from a high school a few miles from my house. He hit well on the Cape last summer as a rising senior and transferred from George Washington to Virginia Tech, where he hit .311/.464/.599 as a senior with a 15 percent strikeout rate. He’s got enough stick for the outfield but needs to work on his defense. Also, I know his high school coach and he’d never forgive me if I didn’t get him into the recap.
Right-hander
Colby Holcombe (9) is 92-95, up to 98, with a plus slider, but he’s been awful at Mississippi State and in the New England Collegiate Baseball League because he can’t pitch with men on base. He allowed an OBP over .420 with men on base in the spring, and is doing it again for Newport this summer, much worse than he is from the windup. He posted a 9.05 ERA over two years for the Bulldogs, so I guess it can’t get worse?