Gage Stanifer is not a name that will jump off the page at you, but he's trending in the right direction. Possibly the most improved Blue Jays minor leaguer in 2025, Stanifer is now Toronto's No. 6-ranked prospect.
He was drafted in the 19th round of the 2022 MLB draft and struggled in his first two seasons in professional baseball. In just over 100 innings across two teams and 30 games, Stanifer posted a 6.34 ERA with 73 walks, a .257 average against, and 1.66 WHIP. His strikeout stuff was there (9.8 K/9), but he was inconsistent.
This disappointing two-season stint gifted him a seven-game opportunity in the Dunedin bullpen, where he allowed just one run over 26 innings and recorded two saves. The Blue Jays primarily piggy-backed Stanifer with Toronto's No. 1 prospect, Trey Yesavage , in Dunedin.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Yesavage would start, throw a couple of innings, and Stanifer would come in relief. His performance earned him a promotion to High-A Vancouver, where this theme continued. After four more iterations of piggy-backing, Yesavage was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire, and Stanifer became a starter again.
What was originally viewed as a way to limit Yesavage's inning quickly turned into a dual-purpose play: get Stanifer right, and it worked. He posted a 3.20 ERA over 18 games (14 starts) and 76 innings before being promoted to Double-A at the end of the season.
"I don't think we lost a game for the first [seven] games we pitched together," Yesavage told MLB.com beat writer Keegan Matheson.
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Stanifer's 2025 season propelled him from a no-show on the Blue Jays top 30 prospects list to No. 6, and it took just 110 innings. He improved his walk rate, ERA, and posted an insane 13.2 K/9 rate last season.
He pitched twice in spring training before being reassigned to minor league camp, and they were polar-opposite performances. On February 21, Stanifer threw a scoreless inning in 14 pitches.
On February 26, he walked two, struck out two, and hit a batter before he was pulled two outs into the inning. All three baserunners came around to score.
Unfortunately for Stanifer, he's still a ways away from the big league roster. One strong season is a great sign, especially from a former 19th-round pick who struggled mightily for two straight seasons, but there's hope.
A good 2026 season would require consistency and prove his elite strikeout stuff can compete in the upper echelon of the league. Stanifer has demonstrated he has elite talent, but needs to put it all together for a second consecutive season. If all goes well for Stanifer, a 2027 promotion to Toronto will be in the making.
He's a volatile prospect who's trending in the right direction and hopefully will explode into stardom this season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/onsi as Why This Blue Jays Top Prospect Isn't Close-And Why That's Okay .
