Right-hander<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lavall000jon"> Johnathan Lavallee</a> is no stranger to the pressures that come with professional baseball. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2021, Lavallee spent parts of three seasons in the Twins organization before signing a minor league deal with the Blue Jays last winter.

&#8220;The people I work with during the winter have a good relationship with the Blue Jays and I had heard some really good things about their system,&#8221; said Lavallee, speaking to Blue Jays Nation. &#8220;After talking with them and seeing how they run things over there, I thought it was the perfect opportunity.&#8221;
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The Jays had Lavallee report to high-A Vancouver to start the 2024 season, joining a Canadians squad fresh off of winning a Northwest League Championship title the year before. Ironically, he was also joining a Vancouver squad managed by Brent Lavallee, who bears the same last name but no noted relation.
With the Canadians, Lavallee pitched to a 3.55 ERA across 28 relief appearances and 38 innings. While he had a bit of a rough start out of the gate, the right-hander dialled things in when May rolled around &#8211; posting a 3.52 ERA with just three earned runs allowed &#8211; and continued this success into June, allowing just two runs through 14 innings with 15 strikeouts.
&#8220;Pitching at Nat Bailey Stadium is such a great experience,&#8221; said Lavallee. &#8220;I haven&#8217;t pitched in front of that many people before and that&#8217;s the feeling every night there. Even if I wasn&#8217;t pitching that day, just to be part of the atmosphere was just amazing. Those fans love that team.&#8221;
Lavallee continued to post strong numbers through July, posting a 1.86 ERA through seven outings with 17 strikeouts. This got the attention of the Blue Jays, and Lavallee got the call to double-A at the end of the month, heading to the opposite side of the country to join the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
More Jays promotions:
-RHPs Connor Larkin and Jonathan Lavallee from Vancouver to New Hampshire.
-RHPs Bo Bonds and Irv Carter from Dunedin to Vancouver.
&mdash; D.M. Fox (@DMFox705) <a href="https://twitter.com/DMFox705/status/1818795125004288077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
With the Fisher Cats, Lavallee continued his strong stretch, authoring a 3.09 ERA down the stretch through 12 outings and 11 2/3 outings. He amassed an 11.6 K/9 and a 1.457 WHIP with New Hampshire and allowed just three hits and four earned runs.
&#8220;I think the biggest difference between the two levels is just the hitters being that much more advanced,&#8221; said Lavallee. &#8220;You know going in that these hitters are more developed but they really don&#8217;t swing at pitches just outside the zone and they absolutely punish mistake pitches. I kept my routine going and was pitching on some back-to-back days which was a newer concept for me but it didn&#8217;t impact me too much mentality or how I prepare for games. Just go out there and trust your stuff and attack the zone.&#8221;
With the regular season winding down, Lavallee and the Fisher Cats did not make the postseason but the reliever&#8217;s season wasn&#8217;t over just yet. He learned that he would be heading back out west for another opportunity to continue pitching in the Arizona Fall League.
&#8220;I thought it was an amazing opportunity,&#8221; said Lavalle, speaking on his experience pitching in the Arizona Fall League. &#8220;My wife and I were extremely excited. The AFL has such a prestigious reputation and for me to go down there and get more innings, knowing that the Jays wanted me to face some more challenges, it was a big deal for me.&#8221;
Lavalle was <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/the-blue-jays-are-sending-eight-prospects-to-the-arizona-fall-league">one of the eight players</a> from the Jays farm system heading to Arizona to join the Scottsdale Scorpions, who boasted prospects from the Tigers, Mets, Pirates, and Giants.
With the Scorpions, Lavallee picked up right where he left off &#8211; allowing just two earned runs through 10 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts. Lavallee was also the only pitcher in the AFL to not allow a single walk from start to finish, an impressive accomplishment for the Jays prospect who was already past his single-season innings pitched mark before heading to the desert.
&#8220;With so many impressive players, you have to be dialled in. You are watching every batter and how they foul off balls, the takes they make, certain swing decisions &#8211; everything to try and get an advantage against some of the top prospects across the country.&#8221;
For Lavallee, while pitching in such a tough league was a highlight in its own right, one of his favourite memories from Arizona is getting to experience everything with his wife, Sierra.
&#8220;This is one of the first experiences I have had where I can play baseball but also get a chance to live with Sierra while playing,&#8221; said Lavallee. &#8220;With how the regular season is laid out and with her career and work schedule, it can be tough for both of us to align. But with the short season in Arizona, we were able to live together while I was playing, and it was the best experience. She was always there for me after each game and getting to see her every day &#8211; that&#8217;s just the best.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Congrats to our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> prospects on their semi-final finish at the <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBazFallLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLBazFallLeague</a>! 
Standout Performers: 🌵 T.J. Brock (0.00 ERA) 🌵 Ryan Jennings (0.00 ERA) 🌵 Johnathan Lavallee (1.74 ERA) 🌵 Adrian Pinto (Clinch HR, ASG HR) 🌵 Peyton Williams (12 RBI, .808 OPS) <a href="https://t.co/A6ML8cRlNI">pic.twitter.com/A6ML8cRlNI</a>
&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1857965592004686008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
With an impressive season in the Blue Jays system in his back pocket, Lavallee is putting in the work this winter as he prepares for Spring Training, which is just a couple of months away.
This is the reliever&#8217;s second go-around under the Toronto banner.
&#8220;I think my biggest goal this offseason is to really hone in on my secondary pitches &#8211; my curveball and the slider,&#8221; said Lavallee. &#8220;I want to keep landing those pitches in the zone with more consistency and just be more accurate with my control when I go to them. Keep the walks down and increase the swing and miss when I pair them with my fastball.&#8221;
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Right-hander<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=lavall000jon"> Johnathan Lavallee</a> is no stranger to the pressures that come with professional baseball. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 2021, Lavallee spent parts of three seasons in the Twins organization before signing a minor league deal with the Blue Jays last winter.



"The people I work with during the winter have a good relationship with the Blue Jays and I had heard some really good things about their system," said Lavallee, speaking to Blue Jays Nation. "After talking with them and seeing how they run things over there, I thought it was the perfect opportunity."
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330"></div>
The Jays had Lavallee report to high-A Vancouver to start the 2024 season, joining a Canadians squad fresh off of winning a Northwest League Championship title the year before. Ironically, he was also joining a Vancouver squad managed by Brent Lavallee, who bears the same last name but no noted relation.

With the Canadians, Lavallee pitched to a 3.55 ERA across 28 relief appearances and 38 innings. While he had a bit of a rough start out of the gate, the right-hander dialled things in when May rolled around - posting a 3.52 ERA with just three earned runs allowed - and continued this success into June, allowing just two runs through 14 innings with 15 strikeouts.

"Pitching at Nat Bailey Stadium is such a great experience," said Lavallee. "I haven't pitched in front of that many people before and that's the feeling every night there. Even if I wasn't pitching that day, just to be part of the atmosphere was just amazing. Those fans love that team."

Lavallee continued to post strong numbers through July, posting a 1.86 ERA through seven outings with 17 strikeouts. This got the attention of the Blue Jays, and Lavallee got the call to double-A at the end of the month, heading to the opposite side of the country to join the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

https://twitter.com/DMFox705/status/1818795125004288077

With the Fisher Cats, Lavallee continued his strong stretch, authoring a 3.09 ERA down the stretch through 12 outings and 11 2/3 outings. He amassed an 11.6 K/9 and a 1.457 WHIP with New Hampshire and allowed just three hits and four earned runs.

"I think the biggest difference between the two levels is just the hitters being that much more advanced," said Lavallee. "You know going in that these hitters are more developed but they really don't swing at pitches just outside the zone and they absolutely punish mistake pitches. I kept my routine going and was pitching on some back-to-back days which was a newer concept for me but it didn't impact me too much mentality or how I prepare for games. Just go out there and trust your stuff and attack the zone."

With the regular season winding down, Lavallee and the Fisher Cats did not make the postseason but the reliever's season wasn't over just yet. He learned that he would be heading back out west for another opportunity to continue pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

"I thought it was an amazing opportunity," said Lavalle, speaking on his experience pitching in the Arizona Fall League. "My wife and I were extremely excited. The AFL has such a prestigious reputation and for me to go down there and get more innings, knowing that the Jays wanted me to face some more challenges, it was a big deal for me."

Lavalle was <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/the-blue-jays-are-sending-eight-prospects-to-the-arizona-fall-league">one of the eight players</a> from the Jays farm system heading to Arizona to join the Scottsdale Scorpions, who boasted prospects from the Tigers, Mets, Pirates, and Giants.

With the Scorpions, Lavallee picked up right where he left off - allowing just two earned runs through 10 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts. Lavallee was also the only pitcher in the AFL to not allow a single walk from start to finish, an impressive accomplishment for the Jays prospect who was already past his single-season innings pitched mark before heading to the desert.

"With so many impressive players, you have to be dialled in. You are watching every batter and how they foul off balls, the takes they make, certain swing decisions - everything to try and get an advantage against some of the top prospects across the country."

For Lavallee, while pitching in such a tough league was a highlight in its own right, one of his favourite memories from Arizona is getting to experience everything with his wife, Sierra.

"This is one of the first experiences I have had where I can play baseball but also get a chance to live with Sierra while playing," said Lavallee. "With how the regular season is laid out and with her career and work schedule, it can be tough for both of us to align. But with the short season in Arizona, we were able to live together while I was playing, and it was the best experience. She was always there for me after each game and getting to see her every day - that's just the best."

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1857965592004686008

With an impressive season in the Blue Jays system in his back pocket, Lavallee is putting in the work this winter as he prepares for Spring Training, which is just a couple of months away.

This is the reliever's second go-around under the Toronto banner.

"I think my biggest goal this offseason is to really hone in on my secondary pitches - my curveball and the slider," said Lavallee. "I want to keep landing those pitches in the zone with more consistency and just be more accurate with my control when I go to them. Keep the walks down and increase the swing and miss when I pair them with my fastball."

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Blue Jays Prospect Spotlight: Johnathan Lavallee discusses pitching in Vancouver and heading to the Arizona Fall League

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