Trey Yesavage Goes From First Round Steal To World Series Game 1 Starter
“He could have easily fit in the top 10 overall picks.”
At Baseball America, we were all big fans of Trey Yesavage in the run up to the 2024 draft.
He ranked No. 11 in the class and in our draft report I ended the report by writing: “Yesavage is a high-floor starter and is the consensus No. 3 arm in the class behind (Chase) Burns and Arkansas lefty Hagen Smith”
When the draft actually happened, Yesavage wound up being the fourth pitcher selected. He slid all the way to 20th overall and was taken after switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje went 15th overall to the Mariners.
Ben Badler—also a big Yesavage proponent—wrote this in his instant analysis of the pick on draft night:
Instant Analysis: Getting Yesavage here at No. 20 overall is a steal for the Blue Jays. He could have easily fit in the top 10 overall picks, but instead the Blue Jays are getting one of the three premium college pitchers here toward the back of the first round. There’s an impressive mix of starter traits, high-end stuff, good control and a strong collegiate track record.
In the days before the draft itself, there were rumblings that Yesavage could slip a bit more than expected. I wrote about that possibility in the final mock draft, but still expected him to be picked inside the first 15 picks because his combination of performance, stuff and strikes was just so strong.
The slide sounded entirely related to medical concerns, and not medical concerns that had to do with a partially collapsed lung that hospitalized him near the end of the season. In every draft there are always a few players who start to become more volatile because of medical questions. But getting to the heart of those concerns is always tricky because teams and players and agents are (rightfully) very sensitive with this information. And different teams can have entirely different conclusions when looking at the same imaging of a pitcher’s throwing arm, for example.
Clearly something concerned at least 10 or so teams who decided to pass on Yesavage. As soon as Braden Montgomery came off the board at 12th overall to the Red sox, Yesavage was the best player available according to our board.
These players were all drafted in front of him despite ranking below on the BA board:
Christian Moore, 8th (Angels)
Seaver King, 10th (Nationals)
James Tibbs, 13th (Giants)
Cam Smith, 14th (Cubs)
Jurrangelo Cijntje, 15th (Mariners)
PJ Morlando, 16th (Marlins)
Braylon Payne, 17th (Brewers)
Theo Gillen, 18th (Rays)
Carson Benge, 19th (Mets)
Perhaps you would take a player or two over Yesavage today with the benefit of hindsight. I’m not sure I would take a single one. As Ben mentioned in real time, Yesavage appears to be a real steal from this class.
While his command was shaky and his overall line wasn’t spectacular (4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K), it was still fun to see him get the Game 1 nod and sit down three straight Hall of Famers to start the game in Toronto—less than two years after being drafted.
Kudos to the Blue Jays.
Below is the work I’ve produced for Baseball America since my last newsletter.
Writing
Updated 2026 Draft 100. This is our post-summer showcase update to the 2026 draft board, which means there’s a ton of movement reflected. The class looks strong still, but the depth seems to be more of a standout than the players at the top—not counting Roch Cholowsky of course.
Risers, Fallers & New Additions to The Draft 100. If you want to get granular on all the movement you can see the risers and fallers here, with rationale and explanation for why players are moving up and down.
Scouting Liam Peterson: Can Florida’s Ace Cement His SP1 Draft Status? This is the third edition of my offseason scouting series, and my first deep dive into a pitcher for the 2026 class. Peterson has the stuff and size to go in the first 10 picks, but there’s still some room for him to improve next spring—particularly in the command department.
Podcasting/Video
Future Projection Episode 141: Gold Glove Finalists & Prospects With Gold Glove Potential.
Future Projection Episode 142: Question Marks & Sleepers In The 2026 Draft Class.
Draft Pod: Breaking Down Our Updated 2026 MLB Draft Rankings.