2025 MLB Draft – Canadian Watchlist: Blake Gillespie

In this series, Blue Jays Nation will be featuring Canadians who are eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft.

For this article, pitcher Blake Gillespie will be featured.

Player: Blake Gillespie
Hometown: Clermont, Georgia
Position: Right-handed pitcher
Description: Bats: Switch / Throws: Right / 6-foot-2
Program: University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Background

Right-hander Blake Gillespie was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but he holds eligibility for Canada at the World Baseball Classic because of his father, Shawn, who was born in Exeter, Ont. Growing up and splitting time between Avra, Ontario and Georgia, Gillespie originally committed to play for the Georgia Bulldogs and spent the first two years of his college career with the SEC program. He struggled to find a rhythm while splitting time between the rotation and bullpen, allowing 29 earned runs through 19 innings.

A change of scenery was needed, and Gillespie transferred to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, suiting up for the 49ers and becoming the top arm for the squad. Through 15 starts and a team-high 100 1/3 innings, the 21-year-old authored a 2.42 ERA with three complete games, including a no-hitter against James Madison University on March 7th, striking out 11 and allowing just one walk through the nine innings, the second no-hitter in 49ers history. He went eight or more innings on seven different occasions and finished the year with a 0.877 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9, and an 11.8 K/9. Gillespie finished the year with Third Team All-American (Perfect Game), Second Team Atlantic All-Region (ABCA/Rawlings), and Second Team All-American (Baseball America) honours heading into the summer. He was also named the American Conference Pitcher of the Year.