Blue Jays prospect Gage Stanifer deserves your attention

Stanifer wields a four-pitch mix which includes a sinker, slider, changeup, and 4-seam fastball. All four of his offerings grade as above average by stuff+. His 4-seamer is comfortably a plus pitch, potentially double-plus. It sits in the mid-90s, producing 17.3″ of IVB, 2308 RPM, and is unbelievably flat as evidenced by its -4.3 VAA.

This gives off the illusion that the pitch is “rising” which allows it to play incredibly well at the top of the strikezone as evidenced by the hellacious 40% whiff rate. It’s also the pitch Stanifer uses the least, which is intriguing. His sinker has also produced phenomenal results, and it’s more of an east-west pitch while the 4-seamer is more north-south. There’s room to incorporate both in his usage.

The slider may be the best pitch in his arsenal. Hitters in the Florida State League have not been able to touch it. It’s produced a gaudy 44.8% (!!) whiff rate and .269 xwOBA against. It tunnels extremely well with his sinker and plays against both righties and lefties. It averages 84.8 MPH, but Stanifer can manipulate the speeds depending on the situation. He has a slower slurvy slider he’ll use to steal a strike early in counts, and a harder gyro type slider he’ll use to finish batters off with two strikes.

Stanifer not only has standout stuff that allows him to miss bats and an elite clip, but he’s also incredibly deceptive with his delivery. It’s an incredibly short arm circle, which has me drawing some comparisons to Dylan Cease’s delivery. Stanifer stands at 6-foot-3 and doesn’t generate elite extension on the mound, but he makes up for it with his deception. The ball explodes out of his hand and gets on top of the batter, which results in some extremely uncomfortable at-bats and some very ugly swings against him.

With the likes of Trey Yesavage and Khal Stephen headlining an elite Dunedin pitching staff, it’s easy for Stanifer to get lost in the mix. Right now, he’s pitching out of the bullpen in 3-4 inning spurts, but I fully expect him to slot back into the rotation once the former two guys get promoted to Vancouver.

If you follow Stanifer on Instagram, you’ll quickly realize just how elite of a work ethic he possesses. A true gym rat, Stanifer is constantly in the lab. Whether that be in the weight room or on the mound. He’s a tireless worker and has made substantial physical gains since being drafted.

His success this season should not come as a surprise to anyone who’s followed him throughout his time with the Blue Jays. He’s a byproduct of his own making, and his stock has only begun its ascension. The sky’s the limit for this young man.