In today’s day and age, even if a player is drafted by a professional baseball team, there is no guarantee they will see their name or likeness on a licensed trading card. For right-hander Landen Maroudis, the Blue Jays fourth-round draft pick last summer, that became a reality with the recent release of 2023 Bowman Draft.
“It’s so cool to have my own baseball card, I used to collect them as a kid and to be able to experience that now and be on one of those cards for others to collect is awesome,” Maroudis said, speaking to Blue Jays Nation.
A product of Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, Florida, the school has turned out numerous pitching prospects in recent memory such as Andrew Painter (Phillies), Christian Cairo (Guardians), and Irv Carter, who signed with the Blue Jays back in 2021. This is also where Braden Halladay, son of Jays legend Roy Halladay, attended high school and was also drafted by the Jays in the 32nd round (did not sign).
Blue Jays prospect Landen Maroudis discusses the MLB Draft and his first visit to Toronto
In his senior season, Maroudis posted a 2.07 ERA through 13 appearances (10 starts) for Calvary Christian, allowing just 38 hits through 54 innings while striking out 86 batters (41% of batters faced) compared to 10 walks. With such a strong senior season that included reps at shortstop and a .400 average in the batter’s box, Maroudis received some heavy interest in the 2023 MLB Draft and was later selected by the Blue Jays at 121st overall.
“I knew I had a few options either way, whether it was the draft or school,” Maroudis said. “I tried to stay level-headed the entire season leading into it and focus on what was in front of me. The draft was a rollercoaster and the process was wild. Hearing that the Blue Jays picked me up was sweet, they’re a good team with a good history and their facility is close to home is a bonus.”
With a commitment to North Carolina State, the right-hander could have decided to pursue a route through post-secondary but the two sides agreed to a deal on his draft bonus and Maroudis chose to forego his commitment.
This included a quick trip to Toronto to visit the Rogers Centre for a weekend alongside first-round pick Arjun Nimmala, “I loved it up there (Toronto), I was blown away. We got to see them play the Diamondbacks and the fanbase was electric. The city itself is amazing and that whole weekend was great, especially getting to talk with some of the players was a great experience.”
Following the draft, the Toronto Blue Jays had Maroudis and the rest of the 2023 draft class down in Dunedin to take part in a training camp and continue getting work down at the player development complex.
After throwing 50+ innings with the Warriors this year, the Jays did not assign Maroudis to affiliate ball and instead had him continue working down at the complex, a move that the team has done with other top pitching draft picks recently including Carter, Ricky Tiedemann, and Brandon Barriera following their respective draft years.
“I was on cloud nine those first couple of weeks and after the hype of the draft wore off, I got into the complex and got straight to work.”
Armed with a fastball that can hit the mid-90s and solid offspeed offerings in a plus changeup and curveball/slurve that keep hitters off balance with his 6 foot 3 frame driving towards home plate. While the aspirations of suiting up as a two-way player are in the past now that he is with the Blue Jays, the Florida product’s athleticism and command on the mound have seen him climb the organization’s top prospect rankings early, ranking at #8 on MLB Pipeline heading into the 2024 season.
With the offseason in full swing, Maroudis is chomping at the bit to get into some game action next season and show the Jays organization what he can do on the mound.
“I was itching to get out there and play last year but had to stay patient and trust the process,” Maroudis said. “I am eager to get out there but to get in that work at the facility was good and I think working alongside others will help ease me into pro ball. I am looking to put on a bit of weight this offseason and add some velocity to my fastball, as well as develop a fourth pitch in a harder slider that is a bit different than my current curveball. I think that will help close the gap between my fastball and current curveball.”
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