The Toronto Blue Jays’ recent postseason run may not have culminated in a World Series championship, but it certainly offered a glimpse of hope and excitement for the franchise’s future. One of the standout stories of this playoff run was the emergence of a promising young right-handed pitcher, Trey Yesavage. Though the Blue Jays ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Yesavage’s performance throughout October gave fans and analysts alike reason to believe that Toronto has a budding star in their rotation.
Yesavage’s defining moment came in Game 5 of the series, where he delivered a masterful pitching performance that set a rookie World Series record by striking out 12 batters over seven innings of tightly controlled one-run ball. Across five starts during the postseason, he maintained a solid 3.46 ERA and an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.9, demonstrating both his ability to miss bats and maintain command under pressure. Beyond his starting assignments, Yesavage also made a relief appearance in the decisive Game 7, though the Blue Jays fell in extra innings. Overall, Toronto posted a 4-2 record in games where Yesavage took the mound, a remarkable feat considering this was his rookie postseason after only making his major league debut earlier in the same year and having just three big-league starts under his belt prior to October.
Yesavage’s rapid rise is emblematic of the unpredictable and thrilling nature of baseball, where unexpected stars can emerge and reshape expectations overnight. His breakout is reminiscent of the surprise and excitement generated by Randy Arozarena’s historic 2020 playoff performance. Naturally, such achievements lead to speculation and anticipation about the “next big thing” — the next young pitcher who might make a similarly outsized impact on a contender’s postseason hopes.
In that spirit, it’s worth turning attention to the 2025 MLB Draft’s first-round pitching prospects. While it’s important to temper expectations — the path from highly touted prospect to postseason hero is exceedingly difficult — these young pitchers have the raw tools and organizational contexts that could allow them to follow in Yesavage’s footsteps. Here, we highlight three such arms who, at least on paper, possess the potential to become key contributors on future World Series contenders.
First is Kade Anderson, a left-handed pitcher selected by the Seattle Mariners. Anderson was considered a strong candidate to be the top overall pick late into the draft cycle, but the Washington Nationals chose prep shortstop Eli Willits with the first pick, and the Los Angeles Angels surprised many by taking right-hander Tyler Bremner in the top five. This left Anderson available for Seattle, an organization known for its savvy pitcher development.
A polished collegiate product from LSU, Anderson boasts four quality pitches and carries the pedigree of pitching in the competitive Southeastern Conference. His 2024 college season statistics underline his promise: a 3.18 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.14, both significantly better than SEC averages. The Mariners have a track record of quickly advancing talented young arms to the majors, as evidenced by recent debuts from pitchers like George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, each of whom had fewer than 30 minor league starts before making their MLB debuts. With the Mariners poised to build on their recent American League Championship Series appearance, Anderson’s development trajectory could put him in a position to contribute to another deep October run sooner rather than later.
Next is Gage Wood, chosen by the Philadelphia Phillies later in the first round. Wood’s draft position was somewhat tempered by durability concerns, as he has logged just over 100 innings across three collegiate seasons at Arkansas. Despite this, the Phillies were willing to take a calculated risk on his talent, and it’s easy to see why.
Wood’s arsenal is formidable, led by a fastball that sits comfortably in the mid-90s and complemented by two effective breaking balls thrown from a low release point, adding to his deception. He struck out nearly half (46%) of the batters he faced during his final collegiate season, a testament to his dominance when healthy. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has a reputation for fast-tracking talented arms to the majors, a trend that could serve to expedite Wood’s ascent. Given Wood’s injury history, the Phillies may feel even more urgency to move him through their system quickly, aiming to harness his potential impact as a frontline starter.
The final pitcher to watch is Payton Witherspoon, selected by the Boston Red Sox.