Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 21: Adam Macko

Photo credit: Phrake Photography

Aug 26, 2023, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 26, 2023, 09:43 EDT

Who doesn’t love high-ceiling left-handed starters?

Just a quick recap of the mid-season list: We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and finally other publications (Prospects Live, MLB Pipeline, Baseball America)’ scouting reports.

In this article, we’ll take a look at Adam Macko, the prospect who came back along with Erik Swanson in the Teoscar Hernandez trade with the Seattle Mariners.

Getting to know Adam Macko…

Position: Starting Pitcher

Throws: Left

Born: December 30, 2000

Acquired: Trade with the Seattle Mariners

Current Team: High-A Vancouver

Previous Ranking: 14

The results haven’t been great for Macko in 2023, but damn the ceiling is high. The 22-year-old lefty was acquired in the Teoscar Hernández trade back in November 2022 and spent his entire season with the High-A Vancouver Canadians.

This season, he has a 5.33 ERA and a 4.23 FIP in 76 innings pitched, along with a 27 K% and a 10.4 BB%. In the last three seasons, Macko had only thrown a combined 71.2 innings, so the fact he’s remained healthy is a great sign.

His strikeout rate in 2021 and 2022 were 36.1% and 35.9% respectively, but while that has dropped to a still solid 27%, his walk rate of 10.4% is the lowest of his career.

Results aside, it’s Macko’s stuff that makes him so intriguing. He sits around 91-95 mph, but has touched as high as 97 mph with the heater, which is what you want in a left-handed pitcher. Moreover, he has a fantastic looping curveball that generates a ton of swing and miss. To round out his pitch mix, he has a solid slider and a changeup that’s still under development, but the shape on it is nice.

The biggest thing for Macko is to remain healthy, but also drop the walk rate even further. So far in 2023, he’s done just that and he remains a very intriguing starter to watch over the next several seasons.