Yardbarker
x
Blue Jays Affiliate Review: High-A Vancouver Canadians
? Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Blue Jays Affiliate Review: High-A Vancouver Canadians

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation  |  By Chris Georges  |  Last updated Sep 24, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Blue Jays are still vying for the AL East pennant, but each of their minor league affiliates has now officially concluded its season. Triple-A Buffalo was the last to do so, finishing their season with a 2-1 loss on Sunday afternoon. Two weeks earlier, the most productive full-season affiliate in the organization wrapped up its season at Nat Bailey Stadium in Vancouver.

The High-A Canadians enjoyed a successful season, finishing 75-57 overall, the only full-year affiliate in the farm system to finish with a winning record in 2025. In the six-team Northwest League, the first-half winner faces off against the second-half winner in a best-of-five series at the end of the year. Unfortunately for Vancouver, they would end the first half in a tie for first (losing the tiebreaker), while again finishing in second place in the second half. Despite no playoffs in Vancouver for the first time since 2021, the team certainly had its moments, with many top prospects making their way through town.

Franchise best marks

The Northwest League moved from a short-season rookie ball league to a full-season high-A circuit in 2021, when Vancouver played all their home games in Hillsboro, Oregon, due to COVID-19 restrictions. In the five-year High-A history of the league, the 2025 Canadians posted the best overall run differential across the campaign, with a +169 mark. A 13-24 record in one-run games was a leading reason for the club not having as many wins as may have been expected.

As a team, the C’s posted their best High-A era road record, going 40-25. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to generate the home-field advantage they’re used to at home, finishing with a 35-32 record. The team’s hottest stretch was a 19-2 run in June that included a franchise-best 11-game win streak. Individually, Jackson Wentworth set the franchise mark for strikeouts in a season (116), and Sean Keys set the franchise home run mark with 19, passing Cade Doughty, who hit 18 back in 2023.

Prospect carousel

There may have been more talent that came through Vancouver in 2025 than in any other season in Canadians’ history. Third-ranked prospect Arjun Nimmala went through his ups and downs but remained on the roster all season long. He played in 120 out of a possible 132 games, giving fans a strong chance at catching the 19-year-old play. Top-ranked pitching prospects Khal Stephen and Juaron Watts-Brown were also dominant in their time in Vancouver, with both ending up getting traded at the deadline in one-for-one swaps for big leaguers (Shane Bieber and Seranthony Dominguez).

The biggest name to spend time in a Canadians uniform was undoubtedly top-ranked prospect Trey Yesavage. The 2025 Blue Jays MiLB Player of the Year‘s quick rise through the system included a four-start stint in Vancouver from late May to early June. He carried a 1.56 ERA in his time with the C’s, including 4.1 hitless innings in his only home start.

The biggest story of the year may have been the meteoric rise of starting pitcher Gage Stanifer. After struggling as a starter in 2024, the Blue Jays had the right-hander piggyback with Yesavage through their first 11 turns to start the year, starting in Dunedin and moving up to Vancouver together. Once Yesavage was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire, Stanifer entered the rotation full-time. For the season, he managed a 3.20 ERA in 18 appearances with the Canadians, striking out a whopping 115 in just 76.0 innings. He went from an unheralded prospect to the number four spot on Blue Jays Nation’s latest prospect ranking.

What’s next in 2026

The organization is hard at work constructing a brand new home clubhouse, workout area and commissary, which will include a rooftop patio accessible by fans. The project is set to be completed for Opening Day 2026.

The big offseason question for the C’s will be if Nimmala returns for another season, as his finish to the year might make it difficult for him to earn a promotion to start next season. The top prospect that fans will be looking forward to seeing at some point will be 5th-ranked pitching prospect Johnny King, who dominated in Single-A Dunedin in 2025. Although it may be unlikely that he starts the year with Vancouver, he should make his debut at some point next summer.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.