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Blue Jays: Trey Yesavage ranks in early Rookie of the Year poll
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 7, 2026, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 7, 2026, 07:46 EST
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Trey Yesavage is going to be an important pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays for many years to come.
Drafted 20th overall in the 2024 draft, Yesavage began his professional career in Single-A, quickly rose through the minor leagues, and then made a handful of big league starts toward the end of the regular season. Not just that, but Yesavage went on to pitch two historic games in the Blue Jays postseason run. The good news? Yesavage is still considered a rookie.
On Tuesday afternoon, MLB Pipeline polled Major League Baseball executives as to who’d win the Rookie of the Year award in 2026. Yesavage earned 11 of the 28 votes, tied with Detroit Tigers’ infielder Kevin McGonigle and five more than Baltimore Orioles’ catcher Samuel Basallo.
In the minor leagues, Yesavage had a 3.12 ERA and 2.52 FIP in 98 innings pitched, with a 41.1 K% and 10.5 BB%. His 160 strikeouts were the seventh-most of any pitcher in minor league baseball, one behind fellow Blue Jays’ prospect Gage Stanifer and two more than former Blue Jays’ prospect, Juaron Watts-Brown.
Yesavage didn’t slow down once hitting the big leagues, authoring a 3.21 ERA and 2.35 FIP in 14 innings pitched over three starts. The postseason didn’t phase the 22-year-old, striking out 11 New York Yankees’ hitters in five and one-third hitless innings. His next start, this time against the Seattle Mariners, was a rough one, before back-to-back solid starts.
In Game 5 of the World Series, with the series tied at two, Yesavage had another historic debut, striking out 12 in seven innings of one-run ball, pushing the Los Angeles Dodgers to the brink. It was his final start of the postseason, although he picked up a hold in Game 7.
Thankfully, the playoffs don’t count towards service time, meaning that Yesavage has just 14 days of service time, making him a rookie. He’ll no doubt rank as a top 100 prospect in most publications, including MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and ESPN.
That’s important, because if Yesavage does win the Rookie of the Year award (or finish top three in Cy Young or MVP voting before arbitration), the Jays will be awarded a Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick, a pick that comes after the first round. All eyes will be on the 22-year-old to begin the 2026 season.
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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