Ex-Vancouver Canadians pitcher goes from Nat Bailey to Toronto Blue Jays in record time
The Vancouver Canadians have produced a number of big-league ball players since becoming an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011.
Marcus Stroman, Kevin Pillar, Aaron Sanchez, Alek Manoah, Cavan Biggio — they all spent time at Nat Bailey Stadium before becoming Major Leaguers.
So did current Blue Jays players Davis Schneider and Addison Barger.
Given that the Canadians are a High-A team, three steps away from Major League Baseball, the journey from Vancouver to Toronto usually takes 2-3 years for successful players.
Schneider made his Blue Jays debut in 2023 after playing for the Canadians from 2019 to 2022.
Going from Vancouver to Toronto in one year was an impressive feat, but another current Blue Jays player has done it even faster.
Starting pitcher Trey Yesavage was pitching for the Canadians as recently as June 6. A little over three months later, the 6-foot-4 right-hander is making his first big-league start for the Blue Jays in Tampa.
That makes Yesavage by far the fastest player to reach the big leagues from Vancouver, a Canadians spokesperson confirmed to Daily Hive. He is also the first player in Canadians franchise history (since 2000) to play at Nat Bailey Stadium and MLB in the same season.
Yesavage was drafted by Toronto in the first round, 20th overall, in 2024. Needless to say, the 22-year-old has skyrocketed up the ranks this season.
Yesavage began the year in Single-A with Dunedin, before being called up to Vancouver in May. He played just four games with the Canadians before being called up to Double-A New Hampshire in June and Triple-A Buffalo in August.
After just six appearances with Buffalo, the Blue Jays have deemed the 6-foot-4 right-hander ready for action at the Major League level.
“Everyone knew he was going to be a great pitcher and he throws like nobody else. He’s funky, he’s nasty — everything you want in a pitcher,” former C’s teammate and fellow Blue Jays first-rounder Arjun Nimmala said in an interview with Sekeres and Price.
“But when he came to Vancouver, I didn’t know what the game plan was. He was here for like three weeks and then he was gone… Good for him, he deserves that.”
The Canadians’ season wrapped up on Sept. 7, with the team missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
The Blue Jays, on the other hand, appear poised to win the American League East Division, with their magic number to clinch now in single digits.