Toronto Blue Jays select East Carolina RHP Trey Yesavage in 2024 MLB Draft

One of the best pitchers in college baseball is officially off the board. East Carolina pitcher Trey Yesavage has been selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the No. 20 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft.

With his selection, Yesavage becomes the third ECU pitcher in four years to be drafted in the first two rounds. Gavin Williams was a first rounder by the Cleveland Guardians in 2021 and Carson Whisenhunt was a second rounder by the San Francisco Giants in 2022.

Yesavage’s improvement during his three years at ECU is remarkable. As an 18-year old freshman in 2022, he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen and rarely gave much length. He earned two saves and struck out 45 batters in 26 innings and 34 appearances, but saw some inconsistencies with 19 walks and 13 wild pitches. In total, Yesavage finished his freshman year with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.731 WHIP.

As a sophomore, Yesavage earned a spot in ECU’s weekend rotation and immediately established himself as a highly coveted prospect in the MLB Draft. During the 2023 season, he made 16 appearances with 14 starts, pitching to a 7-1 record with a 2.61 ERA and 1.000 WHIP, striking out 105 compared to just 23 walks in 76 innings.

This season, Yesavage turned into one of the best pitchers in the country. He started 15 games and tossed 93.1 innings, going 11-1 and pitching to a 2.03 ERA with a 0.868 WHIP. He struck out 145 with 32 walks.

Yesavage missed his start during the AAC Tournament due to a partially collapsed lung, but he returned in triumphant fashion during NCAA Regionals. He got the start in an elimination game against Wake Forest, and allowed one run with six strikeouts, four walks and one hit across 7.1 innings. Yesavage threw 112 pitches in the dominant outing, which helped ECU outduel Wake Forest and fellow top draft prospect Chase Burns.

This season, Yesavage allowed three or fewer hits in nine of his 15 starts. Three of those were one-hit outings, while one of them was part of a combined no-hitter. He tossed six innings with 12 strikeouts against Charlotte, which ended in a run-rule, no-hit seven-inning victory for ECU.

Yesavage also looked great against a North Carolina team that later went on to Omaha during the second weekend of the season, tossing six innings of one-run ball with 11 strikeouts in a tight loss in Chapel Hill.

Trey Yesavage’s MLB Draft scouting report

Yesavage’s fastball is a good one, as it sits mid-90s and has reached up to 98. He also features a slider/cutter, in addition to a curveball and a splitter, which might be his best pitch.

Clearly, Yesavage is one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s MLB Draft class. He, Hagen Smith and Chase Burns make up the highly-touted trio of college arms at the top of the class.

Due to his progression over the last two years, Yesavage looks like a likely strong starter in a MLB rotation down the road.

“More physical than athletic at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Yesavage has some effort in his delivery but it doesn’t prevent him from throwing strikes,” Yesavage’s scouting report says on MLB.com. “Improved fastball command has keyed his success in 2024 after his heater got pounded at times in the past when he didn’t locate it up in the zone. He now looks like a mid-rotation starter after refining the consistency and control of his stuff.”