Even after logging 42 starts over the past two seasons and 61 professional outings total as a pitcher since entering Toronto’s organization, 24-year-old Blue Jays pitching prospect Devereaux Harrison has no qualms about admitting he wouldn’t refer to himself fully as a pitcher just yet. A two-way player in high school and college, Harrison has not only had to transition into being a pitcher exclusively but also moved from reliever to starter a couple of years ago.

“I always went out there and out-competed people,” said Harrison, speaking to Blue Jays Nation. “My mindset was, ‘Here’s this pitch, hit it. I bet you you can’t.’ I keep that mindset with me. I wouldn’t say I’m a complete pitcher yet. I’m learning new stuff every day…but I like to go out there and compete. I don’t try to worry about my mechanics or technique, none of that. It’s my best versus your best.”

Last year, Harrison spent the entire season in double-A New Hampshire, posting a 4.65 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 7.6 K/9 over a career-high 26 starts and 131.2 innings. He finished 10th in the Eastern League among qualified pitchers with 111 strikeouts, and he had multiple outings in which he threw six scoreless frames while allowing two hits or fewer, including a July 19th start in which he struck out a career-high 10 hitters against the Harrisburg Senators.

His 2024 season numbers were a step back from what he accomplished in high-A Vancouver in 2023. That year, among pitchers with at least 50 innings logged, Harrison finished second in the Northwest League with a 2.95 ERA. Harrison didn’t shy away from acknowledging the challenges he faced last season, embracing it fully and working to simply figure things out, whether it was between starts or during this past offseason.

“I had a really good 2023 up in Vancouver and went into double-A and kind of got punched in the face at the beginning,” Harrison recalled from last season. “It was a good thing that I got punched in the face and had to overcome some adversity and really figure some things out within my arsenal…I know I can get guys out at any level; that’s not the problem.

“[In between starts] I went back to work, went to the drawing board, and figured some things out. That was the same thing with this offseason.”

Harrison’s first two starts of 2024 were rough, to say the least. He allowed a combined 12 earned runs, 11 hits, and seven walks with just three strikeouts against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and the Somerset Patriots, lasting only 1 1/3 and four innings in those starts, respectively. It was easy to notice his rebound from those games, however, as he proceeded to allow only a 2.10 ERA and .187 opponents batting average over his next six starts.

He had a similar sequence of starts in late July, allowing 20 earned runs over 22 innings, with opponents holding a 1.044 OPS against him. However, he finished the year strong from there, posting a 3.00 ERA and a 5:2 K:BB ratio over his final five starts.

Harrison, a ninth round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, is entering his fourth season with the Blue Jays organization. He arrived at camp a few weeks before spring training game action started, getting a chance to sit down with the club and go through throwing and weight room programs, habits before and after starts, and more.

He has high praise for the Blue Jays organization, also calling out the development at the Florida Complex League level.

“They all have one mission: to get everyone better and get everyone to the big leagues,” Harrison said. “Their goal is to have every single player play for 10 years. That’s not reality, but that’s their goal, and you can definitely see it.”

Harrison primarily pitched out of the bullpen during his college days at Long Beach State University, recording 15 saves over his three years there. He stayed in the ‘pen to start his professional career, but he transitioned to the starting rotation during the 2023 season.

“When I was [a closer], you could just give me the ball, and I could go throw right now. I could blow out for one inning and be fine. However, becoming a starter, I had to figure out a routine. I can’t just blow out for one inning now,” Harrison said regarding the adjustments in moving to the rotation. “Being on a schedule helped. As a reliever, you don’t know when you’re going to throw… being a starter, you know exactly what day you’re throwing, when you’re throwing, and what you need to do leading up to that day.”

Harrison was at camp this spring, which gave him the opportunity to be around major league players. While he lauded them for having a professional work ethic, he made sure to point out that you can learn from anybody, whether it’s a high-A guy or someone with the major league club.

“To me, I feel we’re all the same. Obviously, their bank accounts are a little bit different than ours, but you can learn something from everybody,” Harrison pointed out. “The cliché thing is they put their pants on the same way we do.”

That mentality is somewhat reminiscent of Davis Schneider’s comments regarding major league pitching, saying that “if [big league pitching] were that good, they would have 0.00 ERAs all the way around.”

Following that sentiment, when Harrison was asked if there was one other prospect that fans should know about, he quickly replied, “Everybody. It’s professional baseball. We’re within the 1%. It’s not easy to get to where we’re at. It’s not easy to get drafted. It’s not easy to get to double-A. Everybody in our org has done something right and is really good.”

As Harrison continues his trek towards the major leagues, there’s no doubt he checks the box of being a competitor above all else.

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