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Blue Jays: Gage Stanifer has figured out Double-A hitting
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jun 26, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 26, 2026, 18:22 EDT
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Gage Stanifer has started to show what made him one of the most notable breakout prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays system last season.
The 22-year-old righty made his 14th start of the season on Thursday for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Over six innings, he allowed on earned run, walking one batter and striking out nine in what was his best start of the season.
In the first inning, lead-off hitter Jackson Castillo flew out, then Stanifer struck out Jace Avina and DJ Gladney to end the inning. The 22-year-old had some traffic in the top of the second, giving up a single and a walk, but he got a fly out and a double play to keep the Somerset Patriots scoreless.
Thanks to a Jackson Hornung double that drove in two, Stanifer entered the third inning with a lead. He struck out Kevin Verde, and got Connor McGinnis to ground out, but Castillo cut the deficit in half thanks to a home run. Avina grounded out to get Stanifer out of the third.
Stanifer struck out Gladney to begin the top of the fourth, then got Nicholas Torres to line out. Coby Morales hit a double, the final hit Stanifer allowed in this outing, but Manuel Palencia grounded out to end the inning.
From there, Stanifer buckled down. The 22-year-old struck out the side in order in the top of the fifth, generating six whiffs on 10 total swings. Then in the top of the sixth, Stanifer got the first hitter to ground out, before striking out Avina and Gladney for his eighth and ninth strikeouts of the game.
Stanifer departed the game with the 2-1 lead, and the Fisher Cats held on to give Stanifer his third victory of the season. After this start, Stanifer’s ERA now sits at 4.
Overall, the righty threw 90 pitches, 59 of which were strikes. He generated 18 swings and misses on 48 total swings, good for a 37.5 whiff%. Since the start of May, Stanifer has a 2.44 ERA and 4.04 FIP in 44.1 innings pitched (nine starts). Even more encouraging is his walk rate during those nine starts, as it sits at 9.7%, while also striking out 28.1% of the batters he’s faced.
For the season, Stanifer now has a 4.00 ERA and 4.42 FIP in 63 innings pitched, with a 12.5 BB% and 28.9 K%. Excluding his first two starts, the 22-year-old has a sub-3.00 ERA, a good sign for one of the team’s top pitching prospects.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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