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Blue Jays Nation’s 2026 Pre-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 21: Adam Macko
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Feb 19, 2026, 19:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 19, 2026, 03:49 EST
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It seems like the 2026 season will be the year Adam Macko finally makes his big league debut for the Toronto Blue Jays.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s bi-annual prospect ranking, where we’ll look at the top 35 prospects in the system in the month of February. As always, I’ll look at the player’s stats, what other publications have to say, as well as my own observations of the players. If you missed the 22nd-ranked prospect, you can read about Sam Shaw here.

Getting to know Adam Macko…

Position: Starting pitcher
Throws: Left
Born: December 30th, 2000
Acquired: Trade with Seattle Mariners
Previous ranking: 27th
If you know anything about Macko, you likely know that he was born in Slovakia, spent parts of his adolescence in Ireland, and played high school baseball for Vauxhall Academy in Alberta. It wasn’t the Blue Jays that drafted him, instead the Seattle Mariners came calling in the seventh round of the 2019 draft.
Shortly after the draft, Macko appeared in nine games in their system, where he had a 3.09 ERA and 3.83 FIP in 23.1 innings pitched, making two starts in those nine outings. Like all minor leagues, Macko missed the 2020 season due to the pandemic, returning for the 2021 season where he pitched in Single-A.
That year, he made nine starts in nine appearances, posting a 4.59 ERA and 3.33 FIP in 33.1 innings pitched, with a 36.1 K% and 13.5 BB%. Macko missed significant time in 2021 due to injuries, and it was much of the same in 2022. In Single-A in 2022, he made eight starts, pitching to a tune of a 3.99 ERA and 3.77 FIP in 38.1 innings pitched, with a 35.9 K% and 12 BB%. Unfortunately, he was injured early in the season, and didn’t appear in another game until the 2022 Arizona Fall League.
Shortly after the AFL concluded, he was traded alongside big league reliever Erik Swanson to the Blue Jays for Teoscar Hernández. Joining the Jays’ organization, the best way Macko could take the next step was to remain healthy and lower his walk rate. He did just that as he spent his entire 2023 season in High-A, posting a 4.81 ERA and 3.97 FIP, throwing 86 innings while  his BB% dropped to 10.8%.
Because of his performance, Macko was added to the team’s 40-man roster (meaning he has just two option years remaining). The left-handed pitcher made 20 starts in 2024, three in Single-A on a rehab assignment, 16 in Double-A, and one in Triple-A. Overall, he had a 4.63 ERA and 3.96 FIP in 93.1 innings pitched, with a 26.9 K% and 9 BB%.
Unfortunately, Macko’s 2025 season got off to a rocky start due to knee surgery. When healthy, he pitched with the Buffalo Bisons, posting a 5.06 ERA and 4.56 FIP in 64 innings of work, making 10 starts in 18 appearances. Moreover, his K% plummeted to 22.6%, while his BB% jumped back up to 12.5%.
There were some positives to take away from Macko’s 2025 season. Over his final 11 outings, he authored a 3 ERA in 39 innings pitched, although he gave up five home runs (two in a five-run game) and had an 11.9 BB% and 27 K%. Still, it’s an encouraging end to a season that started poorly.
Macko seemed to find success in a multi-inning relief role, which is the type situation he could find himself in on the Blue Jays. At his best, Macko features a mid-90s fastball, exactly what you love in a left-handed pitcher, as well as solid breaking balls, including a plus curveball. That said, he’s been inconsistent throughout his career, and control plagued him during the 2025 season. There’s a lot to like about the 25-year-old, especially if he can figure out how to be consistent.
It stands to reason that Macko will start the 2026 season with the Bisons, potentially as a starter. At his worst, Macko will be an option to the Blue Jays if they need a starter to eat some innings in a random summer game. At his best, potentially he features in the Jays bullpen down the stretch.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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