Blue Jays made the right choice with 2024 first-round draft pick

As questions continue to circle around what is happening now, everyone agrees that the 2024 MLB Draft is important to help shape the Toronto Blue Jays’ future. The Blue Jays had the 20th overall pick in this year's draft and did not disappoint with their pick. They selected Trey Yesavage, a starting pitcher out of East Carolina.

Yesavage was unanimously ranked as one of the top collegiate pitching prospects in the country. Over the past few seasons, Yesavage has shown remarkable potential throughout his journey at ECU.

He has consistently demonstrated a combination of power and precision on the mound. His fastball, which consistently clocks in the mid-90s, paired with an effective slider and a developing changeup, makes him a versatile pitcher capable of handling major league hitters one day.

During the 2024 NCAA season, Yesavage was 11-1 with a 2.03 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP and 145 strikeouts in 93.1 innings.

Yesavage's potential is high, but his injury history allowed him to fall into the Blue Jays’ hands. During the 2023 season, he dealt on and off with arm fatigue, and in May, he dealt with some lung discomfort.

This seems like a good risk for the Blue Jays to take on, as neither injury has dangerously reoccurred or impacted his long-term ability to pitch well. In fact, Yesavage returned from his lung Injury just in time for the NCAA Regionals, where he pitched one of his best games of the year against Wake Forest.

It was also smart that the Blue Jays took a starting pitcher, as their farm system has very few promising ones. The two most notable pitching prospects the Jays have are Ricky Tiedemann and Brandon Barriera (the 23rd overall pick in last year's draft), both of which have struggled dearly with injuries this year.

It is also worth noting that the Jays decided to take a three-year college player rather than a high schooler, which suggests that they wanted their first-round pick to be ready to go sooner rather than later.

If all goes well with Yesavage in low-level baseball next season, it is possible that he could find himself on the major league roster pretty quickly into the 2026 MLB season.

Well done, Blue Jays.