Gage Stainfer Latest to Emerge from Blue Jays Pitching Development Powerhouse

The Toronto Blue Jays needed some starting pitching help at the Major League level, which they hope former American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, who was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians ahead of the MLB trade deadline, will help fill eventually.

A reason that Bieber made for such a smart target is that he is capable of anchoring a rotation when healthy, but most importantly, could be under team control through 2026.

With Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer set to hit free agency this winter, the team has some potential voids in the rotation that have to be filled.

More News: Blue Jays Pitching Performances at Coors Field Overlooked After Historic Series Bieber, should he exercise his player option, could certainly fill one of those holes along with Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman.

More arms will be needed than those three, and the Blue Jays could find exactly what they are looking for in their minor leagues.

Torontos farm system is loaded with high-end pitching talent, some of which was used to acquire Bieber.

The Blue Jays sent starting pitching prospect Khal Stephen, one of their top 10 prospects, to the Guardians.

More News: Could Shane Bieber Be the Blue Jays Hidden Wild Card for the Stretch Run? While it could be seen as a steep price to pay, the Blue Jays have another top prospect, Trey Yesavage, working his way through the minor leagues rapidly.

Johnny King is another name to keep an eye on from the 2024 MLB Draft.

Gage Stanifer emerging for Blue Jays in minor leagues However, there are even more young pitchers garnering some attention even lower in the minor leagues, such as Gage Stanifer.

A 19th round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Westfield High School, he is starting to make a name for himself.

More News: Can Blue Jays Carry Over Historic Hitting Performance Into Series Against Dodgers? The unheralded right-handed pitcher started the 2025 season at Single-A Dunedin and has already been promoted to High-A Vancouver with great success.

His improvements after struggles at Rookie Ball and Single-A in 2023 and 2024 when he had an ERA of 6.33 and 6.34 in 42.2 innings and 59.2 innings.

The organization has taken a unique approach with Stanifer this year, which has yielded excellent results.

More News: Blue Jays Star Shortstop Bo Bichette Leads MLB in this Key Stat ...he has taken off this season after starting the year piggybacking starts with 2024 first-round pick Trey Yesavage.

His fastball and slider are both plus pitches, but his 13.6 percent walk still needs work for him to take the next step, wrote Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report .

Thus far this season, Stanifer has a 2.96 ERA across 79 innings with an eye-popping 125 strikeouts.

His 14.2 K/9 is impressive, but he has work to do still, especially with his control, issuing 5.0 BB/9.

Only 21 years old, he isnt even scratching the surface of his potential, but is already showcasing steady improvements in his third year of pro ball.

For more Blue Jays news, head over to Blue Jays On SI ..

This article has been shared from the original article on si, here is the link to the original article.