2025 MLB Farm Review: Toronto Blue Jays

The top three pitchers from the Blue Jays’ 2024 MLB Draft haul all pitched in Dunedin at some point. And, all three performed very well.

Trey Yesavage, the headliner of that haul, was dominant in the Florida State League. Yesavage struck out 55 over 33.1 IP in Dunedin, as he only needed seven outings before moving up to High-A Vancouver. His 43.3% Whiff% (not including foul tip bunts) was tops among FSL pitchers with at least 200 induced swings.

Former second-round pick Khal Stephen, like Yesavage, only hung around for a few weeks. The former Mississippi State standout struck out 48 over 39.1 innings, walked just seven, and pitched in eight games before he moved to Vancouver.

The other one of the top three was tall lefty Johnny King, who spent his 2025 split between the FCL and Low-A Dunedin. King walked 30 but struck out 64 over 67 innings. His 38.5% Whiff% in the circuit ranked just outside the top five.

Dunedin’s group also included relievers Johan Simon and Javen Coleman, both of whom pitched very well with the D-Blue Jays. The two averaged over a strikeout per inning and also earned a promotion out of Florida.

Gage Stanifer, taken in the 2022 draft out of high school, performed much better in Low-A, as he posted a .69 ERA after a 6.34 ERA in 2024. Stanifer only worked in seven games before he moved up.

Offensively, former second-round pick Tucker Toman slashed .260/.345/.375 (.720 OPS) and earned a promotion out of Dunedin after spending parts of three seasons in Florida.

Vancouver Canadians

The headliner of the Canadians’ roster was Arjun Nimmala, the 20-year-old shortstop and former first-round pick by Toronto in 2023. Nimmala showed impressive power with Dunedin a year earlier, as he cracked 16 home runs in 2024. However, he also struck out 113 times over 82 games.

Nimmala cut down the strikeouts a tad in 2025, with 116 over 120 games. The Whiff% (29.6%) was higher than the Northwest League median. However, that number isn’t the end of the world. On the other hand, Nimmala hit fewer home runs (13) across more games with Vancouver.

As for the rest of the offensive group, 2024 fourth-round pick Sean Keys hit a team-high 19 home runs. The former Bucknell star also led the Northwest League with 86 walks, eight more than Canadians teammate Eddie Micheletti. His .365 OBP and low Whiff% (23.6%) made up for the .217 batting average.

Cutter Coffey, acquired in the Danny Jansen trade over a year ago, had 37 extra-base hits. Carter Cunningham, a 10th-rounder out of ECU in 2024, hit 16 home runs but also struck out a team-most 136 times over 102 contests. Cunningham’s 33.8% Whiff% was in the bottom-15 of the Northwest League.

Trey Yesavage, Khal Stephen, and Juaron Watts-Brown all used the High-A circuit as a launching pad to Double-A. Yesavage struck out 33 over 17.1 IP and made only starts in Vancouver. Watts-Brown (eight) and Stephen (nine) didn’t stick at the level for long, either.

However, perhaps the best story to come out of Vancouver this season was Gage Stanifer.

Stanifer, a sinker/slider/changeup pitcher, struck out 115 over 76 innings for the Canadians. Among all pitchers who had at least 500 induced swings at the level, Stanifer’s 38% Whiff% was the best among Northwest League arms.

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

The 2025 campaign was a nice one for Yohendrick Pinango, one of two players whom Toronto picked up from the Cubs when Nate Pearson was flipped to Chicago.

Pinango slashed .298/406/.522 with eight home runs and 19 extra-base hits, along with 27 walks, over 47 games with the Cats. Toronto promoted him to Triple-A Buffalo in June.

The 23-year-old was one of several notable hitters on the Fisher Cats this season, a team that included 2022 second-rounder Cade Doughty, plus Jace Bohrofen and Charles McAdoo.

Doughty slashed .237/.279/.322 (.601 OPS) over 101 games. The 24-year-old didn’t walk much (5.4% BB%) in the Eastern League, what’s become par for the course. Additionally, Doughty hasn’t hit for much power since his 18-home run campaign two years ago in Vancouver.

Bohrofen can hit for power. He hit 10 home runs and 28 extra-base hits with the Cats. However, his Whiff% was above 40% and among the ten worst in the Eastern League.

McAdoo was arguably the Jays’ most impactful offensive hitter. The ex-Pirates prospect had 16 home runs and 41 extra-base hits. However, he did show a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, with a Whiff% above 31%.

The Fisher Cats’ pitching staff, meanwhile, was loaded throughout the year. Sure, Toronto dipped into that pool when Khal Stephen and Juaron Watts-Brown were traded to get reinforcements for the stretch run. However, there were still plenty of interesting pitchers to talk about aside from those two.

Devereaux Harrison struck out 93 over 88 innings and had a Whiff% close to 30% despite the high walks. Trey Yesavage struck out 46 over 30 innings and had the second-best Whiff% in the circuit. The only pitcher with a better one in the Eastern League was Nate Garkow, who pitched spectacularly for the Cats.

Buffalo Bisons

Many of the pitchers who helped play a role in the Blue Jays’ run to the playoffs pitched in Buffalo.

Aside from Yesavage, Tommy Nance, Braydon Fisher, and Mason Fluharty all worked with the Bisons at some point, as did Eric Lauer. All four pitched well enough to earn time at the MLB level.

Nance struck out 42 over 31 and walked seven, while Fisher struck out 22 over 16.2 IP and posted a 1.62 ERA in Buffalo.

Buffalo’s rotation was largely comprised of longtime Minor Leaguers like Lazaro Estrada, Adam Kloffenstein, Easton Lucas, and CJ Van Eyk. Lucas saw time with the Jays early in 2025 before returning to Buffalo. The left-hander headed to Asia after 2025.

As for the offense, the 2025 year was the last one for Orelvis Martinez in the Toronto organization. Martinez struck out 112 times over 99 games, had a Chase% above 30%, and hit just 13 home runs, far from the numbers believed he could produce just two years earlier.

He wasn’t the only Jay to have big swing-and-miss problems. Riley Tirotta had a 35% Whiff% in a season where he had 137 strikeouts. On the other hand, Tirott hit 12 home runs and 13 stolen bases.

Early Top 5 Prospect List

1. Trey Yesavage
2. JoJo Parker
3. Arjun Nimmala
4. Gage Stanifer
5. Ricky Tiedemann

I don’t think there’s much debate as to who belongs in the top spot. Yesavage not only established himself as a future building blocker in 2025 but also as someone who can impact the game at the Major League level. His postseason run was proof of that.

Aside from him, there is room for debate.

Nimmala’s swing-and-miss concerns are still there. And, Tiedemann — who only has 140 pro innings under his belt — must prove he can come back strong after missing all of 2025 due to injury.