The Toronto Blue Jays are aiming for a repeat next season, hoping for a better outcome as they seek to return to the World Series. However, this time they will be looking to outlast the National League competition. The team’s loss in extra innings during Game 7 at home was a heartbreaking result for fans, but there are plenty of positive takeaways from the past season that could help the Blue Jays win it all in the near future.
Chief among those positives is the emergence of standout rookie Trey Yesavage. Yesavage’s stunning season took him from the minor leagues all the way to some critical starts in the Fall Classic. The pitcher remained remarkably calm and collected in some high-profile moments, posting a strong 2.84 ERA with 17 strikeouts across three World Series games against the fearsome Los Angeles Dodgers batting order.
“On the biggest stage, the kid etched himself into baseball lore, dominating MVPs and future Hall of Famers,” Mitch Bannon wrote for The Athletic. “Standing in a hostile environment, he unleashed his controlled fire.”
That performance might suggest Yesavage is a lock for a starting rotation spot with the Blue Jays next year, especially with Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt heading to free agency. However, the team doesn’t necessarily see it that way.
During his end-of-year press conference, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins wouldn’t commit to slotting Yesavage into the big-league rotation and issued a warning about what might derail his chances. “I think he’s in a pretty good position, load-wise,” Atkins said, according to Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star. “We’ll talk through that with him and see if there’s something to manage on the workload standpoint but it’s more about not resting [on his postseason achievements] and making sure that we’re getting better.”
Atkins’ warning for Yesavage to guard against any complacency after emerging as a World Series hero was notable, given how well the rookie handled some high-pressure moments. It’s also fair for the team to hope he can be even better in his sophomore campaign. Approaching the offseason with the right mindset could be key to that improvement.
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