Jake Bloss has had a rough go through his three spring training appearances this year. He’s allowed eight hits and eight runs in only five innings pitched and has accumulated eight home runs and five walks compared to one strikeout &#8211; a far cry from the usual expectations of a team’s <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-nations-2025-pre-season-prospect-countdown-no-6-jake-bloss">number six ranked prospect</a>.
Truth be told, it’s far from Bloss’s own fault. As a third-round pick by the Houston Astros in the 2023 draft, they highly coveted him. So much so that they rushed him to the major leagues in short order last summer when the Astros needed a stopgap for multiple injuries to their rotation. The Astros had a swath of injuries and Bloss had pitched very well in double-A (1.61 ERA through eight starts), which gave the front office some confidence he could handle it. What Bloss also had was extensive NCAA experience as he was a four-year player between Lafayette and Georgetown.
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The jump from college to professional ball is huge though. Going straight from double-A to the majors might be an even bigger one – something that Bloss<a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/blue-jays-aim-to-build-up-jake-bloss-after-rapid-rise-with-astros/"> admitted</a> to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi in February.
“In Houston, they have a model they believe in and if you&#8217;re throwing well or hitting well, they&#8217;re going to move you quick,&#8221; said Bloss. &#8220;So I had an idea it might be pretty quick, maybe not quite that quick. But I&#8217;m not going to complain about it, you know?”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
First look at Jake Bloss this spring in Dunedin. ⬇️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> <a href="https://t.co/CFcZmtVsCW">pic.twitter.com/CFcZmtVsCW</a>
&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1890790252446405011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Even though Bloss refused to complain about it, having the proper time to develop at each level was a big disservice for a prospect of his caliber. 
In his three games with the Astros and eight with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons after being acquired by Toronto, he had a near seven ERA. Not every game with Buffalo was a struggle, but two outings where he posted 7+ earned runs didn&#8217;t help out his overall numbers. 
What 2025 represents for the highly touted Jays prospect is a second chance for a first impression. While he may make MLB appearances should there be injuries on the main roster, this year could be his first spent at just one minor league level since being drafted in 2023. 
Up to this point, Bloss’ longest stint with a pro team is tied between the Astros&#8217; double-A affiliate Corpus Christi and the Jays&#8217; triple-A Bisons squad at eight games a piece. If he can make closer to 20 starts for the Bisons, he should be able to adjust at a more comfortable pace against strong competition.
A spot on the main roster as a starter in 2026 is a very real possibility for Bloss. His fastball is solid, averaging in the mid-90s range, but what he’ll need to sort out is his breaking balls.
Keeping in mind that the data is limited about him on Baseball Savant due to him making only a few MLB appearances, his pitches <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/jake-bloss-814005?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb">weren’t fooling batters enough</a>. His whiff% and K% sat around the 30th percentile, while his opponents&#8217; barrel% was near 90th percentile against him. It shows that while his great fastball was enough to deal with hitters at lower levels, he’ll need more help from his secondary pitches to face big leaguers. He will also need to work on his command, as a 3.9 BB/9 in the minors isn&#8217;t the worst statline to have but he can run into troubles at times, putting together consecutive outings where he his racking up three or more free passes. 
If he’s able to make improvements to those secondary offerings, expect Bloss to be a solid choice for the Jays in 2026. Having him will be important as well, with Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer hitting free agency at the end of this season and Kevin Gausman joining him at the end of 2026.
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Jake Bloss has had a rough go through his three spring training appearances this year. He’s allowed eight hits and eight runs in only five innings pitched and has accumulated eight home runs and five walks compared to one strikeout - a far cry from the usual expectations of a team’s <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-nations-2025-pre-season-prospect-countdown-no-6-jake-bloss">number six ranked prospect</a>.

Truth be told, it’s far from Bloss’s own fault. As a third-round pick by the Houston Astros in the 2023 draft, they highly coveted him. So much so that they rushed him to the major leagues in short order last summer when the Astros needed a stopgap for multiple injuries to their rotation. The Astros had a swath of injuries and Bloss had pitched very well in double-A (1.61 ERA through eight starts), which gave the front office some confidence he could handle it. What Bloss also had was extensive NCAA experience as he was a four-year player between Lafayette and Georgetown.
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The jump from college to professional ball is huge though. Going straight from double-A to the majors might be an even bigger one – something that Bloss<a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/blue-jays-aim-to-build-up-jake-bloss-after-rapid-rise-with-astros/"> admitted</a> to Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi in February.

“In Houston, they have a model they believe in and if you're throwing well or hitting well, they're going to move you quick," said Bloss. "So I had an idea it might be pretty quick, maybe not quite that quick. But I'm not going to complain about it, you know?”

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1890790252446405011

Even though Bloss refused to complain about it, having the proper time to develop at each level was a big disservice for a prospect of his caliber. 

In his three games with the Astros and eight with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons after being acquired by Toronto, he had a near seven ERA. Not every game with Buffalo was a struggle, but two outings where he posted 7+ earned runs didn't help out his overall numbers. 

What 2025 represents for the highly touted Jays prospect is a second chance for a first impression. While he may make MLB appearances should there be injuries on the main roster, this year could be his first spent at just one minor league level since being drafted in 2023. 

Up to this point, Bloss’ longest stint with a pro team is tied between the Astros' double-A affiliate Corpus Christi and the Jays' triple-A Bisons squad at eight games a piece. If he can make closer to 20 starts for the Bisons, he should be able to adjust at a more comfortable pace against strong competition.

A spot on the main roster as a starter in 2026 is a very real possibility for Bloss. His fastball is solid, averaging in the mid-90s range, but what he’ll need to sort out is his breaking balls.

Keeping in mind that the data is limited about him on Baseball Savant due to him making only a few MLB appearances, his pitches <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/jake-bloss-814005?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb">weren’t fooling batters enough</a>. His whiff% and K% sat around the 30th percentile, while his opponents' barrel% was near 90th percentile against him. It shows that while his great fastball was enough to deal with hitters at lower levels, he’ll need more help from his secondary pitches to face big leaguers. He will also need to work on his command, as a 3.9 BB/9 in the minors isn't the worst statline to have but he can run into troubles at times, putting together consecutive outings where he his racking up three or more free passes. 

If he’s able to make improvements to those secondary offerings, expect Bloss to be a solid choice for the Jays in 2026. Having him will be important as well, with Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer hitting free agency at the end of this season and Kevin Gausman joining him at the end of 2026.

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