Toronto Blue Jays prospect <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-nations-2025-pre-season-prospect-countdown-no-6-jake-bloss">Jake Bloss</a> did something on Sunday that really turned some heads early in Spring Training. 
The 23-year-old hit 98 mph on the radar shortly after entering the game in the fourth inning to take over pitching duties from reliever Andrew Bash. The right-hander was also on the hook for a pair of hits, two earned runs, and a walk over 1.2 innings, but his performance should be considered encouraging given the uptick in velocity that is lacking on the current Blue Jays roster. Last year in the Major Leagues, Bloss&#8217;s fastball averaged out at 93.4 MPH and that stayed true when the right-hander was in Toronto&#8217;s system, where he used a mix of offspeed pitches to keep hitters off balance. 
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It is Spring Training after all &#8211; a time for fine-tuning or experimentation with pitches &#8211; and the sheer velocity of some of Bloss’ pitches is something Jays fans should be excited about. Acquired in the Yusei Kikuchi trade last summer, the former Georgetown star has yet to pitch for Toronto at the major-league level. He has a chance to be the most impactful asset in a swap that also yielded <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/joey-loperfidos-power-could-be-a-difference-maker-for-the-blue-jays-in-2025">Joey Loperfido</a>, and <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-nations-2025-pre-season-prospect-countdown-no-7-will-wagner#:~:text=Following%20the%20draft%2C%20Wagner%20slashed,%25%20and%20a%2024.6%20K%25.&amp;text=His%20first%20full%20professional%20season,appearances%20for%20a%20108%20wRC%2B.">Will Wagner</a>, two players poised to be key contributors this season.  
Bloss may not have reached the bigs with the Blue Jays, but he did make three appearances for the Houston Astros last season after starting the year at high-A Asheville. The ascending prospect quickly graduated to double-A and pitched four innings at triple-A before being promoted to the Astros in June when the injury bug swept through their rotation. It was clear that the third-round pick needed more seasoning to succeed at the big-league level, as he was shelled for nine earned runs over 11.2 innings and a 6.94 ERA, but he was there as a stopgap when the club needed him. Under the surface, Bloss had two solid outings against Baltimore and Miami &#8211; allowing just four earned through 7 2/3 innings collectively &#8211; but was tagged for five earned and four home runs against Oakland just before the trade deadline. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
The Red Sox&#39;s spring training park doesn&#39;t have Statcast, but according to the scoreboard, Jake Bloss touched 98 mph against the first hitter he faced today. 
That&#39;s a big number for him, if it&#39;s accurate. Velo will be worth watching when he next pitches in Dunedin.
&mdash; Nick Ashbourne (@NickAshbourne) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickAshbourne/status/1893746157446127998?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 He was placed on the IL with shoulder discomfort after his MLB debut against the Red Sox in June and after making two starts for the Astros in mid/late July upon his return, he was traded to Toronto. However, he didn’t make his Buffalo Bisons debut until late in the year after being sent to the Dunedin pitching lab, and while he started alright (allowing just six hits through three starts and 9 2/3 innings collectively), he also had two starts where he allowed 7+ earned runs, which tanked his ERA.  With the Bisons, he would post an 0-4 record and a 6.91 ERA across 27 1/3 innings. In his first full professional season, Bloss went 4-6 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 88 strikeouts in 93 1/3 frames across the four levels. 
Now he finds himself next in line on the pitching depth chart, and he could work his way toward being part of the rotation if <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-2024-player-review-bowden-francis-broke-out-after-the-trade-deadline">Bowden Francis</a> struggles to replicate last season’s second-half performance. Considering he went 4-2 with a 1.53 ERA over his last nine starts, Francis would need to fall off the deep end or get injured for the door to open for Bloss. Francis pitched two innings and surrendered a solo home run in his spring debut on Tuesday. If nothing else, the Jays have some exciting pitchers (the injured <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/adam-macko-joins-a-long-list-of-blue-jays-pitchers-on-the-shelf-to-start-the-2025-season">Adam Macko</a> being another) who are close to being MLB-ready as their depth will surely be tested at some point.  
Having Bloss start the season at triple-A and continue to work on his command is likely the plan for now. Seeing him close in on triple digits on the radar gun isn’t the most important part of his development, but it doesn’t hurt to have it in your back pocket both as a player and an organization. 
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Toronto Blue Jays prospect <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-nations-2025-pre-season-prospect-countdown-no-6-jake-bloss">Jake Bloss</a> did something on Sunday that really turned some heads early in Spring Training. 

The 23-year-old hit 98 mph on the radar shortly after entering the game in the fourth inning to take over pitching duties from reliever Andrew Bash. The right-hander was also on the hook for a pair of hits, two earned runs, and a walk over 1.2 innings, but his performance should be considered encouraging given the uptick in velocity that is lacking on the current Blue Jays roster. Last year in the Major Leagues, Bloss's fastball averaged out at 93.4 MPH and that stayed true when the right-hander was in Toronto's system, where he used a mix of offspeed pitches to keep hitters off balance. 
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It is Spring Training after all - a time for fine-tuning or experimentation with pitches - and the sheer velocity of some of Bloss’ pitches is something Jays fans should be excited about. Acquired in the Yusei Kikuchi trade last summer, the former Georgetown star has yet to pitch for Toronto at the major-league level. He has a chance to be the most impactful asset in a swap that also yielded <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/joey-loperfidos-power-could-be-a-difference-maker-for-the-blue-jays-in-2025">Joey Loperfido</a>, and <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-nations-2025-pre-season-prospect-countdown-no-7-will-wagner#:~:text=Following%20the%20draft%2C%20Wagner%20slashed,%25%20and%20a%2024.6%20K%25.&amp;text=His%20first%20full%20professional%20season,appearances%20for%20a%20108%20wRC%2B.">Will Wagner</a>, two players poised to be key contributors this season.  

Bloss may not have reached the bigs with the Blue Jays, but he did make three appearances for the Houston Astros last season after starting the year at high-A Asheville. The ascending prospect quickly graduated to double-A and pitched four innings at triple-A before being promoted to the Astros in June when the injury bug swept through their rotation. It was clear that the third-round pick needed more seasoning to succeed at the big-league level, as he was shelled for nine earned runs over 11.2 innings and a 6.94 ERA, but he was there as a stopgap when the club needed him. Under the surface, Bloss had two solid outings against Baltimore and Miami - allowing just four earned through 7 2/3 innings collectively - but was tagged for five earned and four home runs against Oakland just before the trade deadline. 

https://twitter.com/NickAshbourne/status/1893746157446127998

 He was placed on the IL with shoulder discomfort after his MLB debut against the Red Sox in June and after making two starts for the Astros in mid/late July upon his return, he was traded to Toronto. However, he didn’t make his Buffalo Bisons debut until late in the year after being sent to the Dunedin pitching lab, and while he started alright (allowing just six hits through three starts and 9 2/3 innings collectively), he also had two starts where he allowed 7+ earned runs, which tanked his ERA.  With the Bisons, he would post an 0-4 record and a 6.91 ERA across 27 1/3 innings. In his first full professional season, Bloss went 4-6 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 88 strikeouts in 93 1/3 frames across the four levels. 

Now he finds himself next in line on the pitching depth chart, and he could work his way toward being part of the rotation if <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-2024-player-review-bowden-francis-broke-out-after-the-trade-deadline">Bowden Francis</a> struggles to replicate last season’s second-half performance. Considering he went 4-2 with a 1.53 ERA over his last nine starts, Francis would need to fall off the deep end or get injured for the door to open for Bloss. Francis pitched two innings and surrendered a solo home run in his spring debut on Tuesday. If nothing else, the Jays have some exciting pitchers (the injured <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/adam-macko-joins-a-long-list-of-blue-jays-pitchers-on-the-shelf-to-start-the-2025-season">Adam Macko</a> being another) who are close to being MLB-ready as their depth will surely be tested at some point.  

Having Bloss start the season at triple-A and continue to work on his command is likely the plan for now. Seeing him close in on triple digits on the radar gun isn’t the most important part of his development, but it doesn’t hurt to have it in your back pocket both as a player and an organization. 

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