Blue Jays prospect Adam Macko reflects on his first season with the organization

This time last year, southpaw Adam Macko was a member of the Seattle Mariners, having spent the year in High-A before a trip to the Arizona Fall League to cap off the campaign.

Born in Slovakia but growing up in Ireland and Canada, injuries had limited him that season to just 38 1/2 innings in Everett, hence the additional reps in Arizona. A seventh-round pick back in 2019 out of Vauxhall Academy, a top Canadian baseball program, Macko had finished his fourth season with the organization (including the cancelled 2020 season).

That all changed on November 16th, as Macko was informed that he had been included in the Erik Swanson/Teoscar Hernández deal and was now joining the Toronto Blue Jays.

Blue Jays prospect Adam Macko discusses his first season with the organization since being traded

“I was definitely caught by surprise, nobody usually sees themselves getting traded,” said Macko, speaking to Blue Jays Nation. “I loved every minute with the Mariners and I am grateful for the opportunity with the organization and getting drafted back in 2019. I really learned a lot over the years and I can’t thank them enough.”

While the deal caught Macko off guard, the Blue Jays were an organization the left-hander knew well growing up North of the border, “Once I learned that it was the Blue Jays I was going to be joining, I was immediately stoked. It was nerve-wracking initially with all the change going on but after going down to Florida, meeting the staff and undergoing the physicals and meeting some players, I really zoned in and was ready to work.”

Following Spring Training, Macko was sent to Vancouver to join the Canadians in High-A, which is where the starting pitcher would spend the entire campaign. On the year, Macko would make a team-leading 20 starts and throw a career-high 86 innings with a 4.81 ERA. The 22-year-old pitched to a 1.349 WHIP with an 11.1 K/9, leading the Canadians’ qualified starters. The Blue Jays prospect boasts a fastball in the mid-90s and a plus curveball, which he pairs with a slider that keeps opposing hitters off balance.

Looking at the stat column, Macko routinely limited the damage to three earned runs or fewer, doing so 17 out of 20 starts but had three starts where he allowed five or more, which unfortunately raised his ERA. By the end of July, the left-hander was dealing through most of his outings, posting a 2.51 ERA through his last seven games while striking out 50 batters and allowing just one home run through that span, limiting batters to a .485 OPS. This stretch also included his best start of the year, a five-inning outing against Spokane where he allowed just two hits to the tune of zero earned runs while striking out 11, which included 19 swings and misses, seven of which were accredited to his strikeouts.