Toronto Blue Jays’ promising prospect and starting pitcher Jake Bloss has been showing signs of development in spring training. The 23-year-old was picked up by the Blue Jays from the Houston Astros through a trade that shipped former Blue Jays ace Yusei Kikuchi to Houston. Bloss sported a 6.94 ERA and 11 strikeouts across three games last season for the Astros while also making his MLB debut. While those numbers aren’t all that appealing, his camp numbers this season dictate a different narrative. In addition, the North Carolina native sported better numbers in the minors with a 3.18 ERA across 21 starts.
Bloss has been thriving in spring training, which suggests a bright future for manager John Schneider’s starting rotation. While spring numbers usually don’t indicate a lot of hype to many, it is a great means for development and can foreshadow what’s to come. In addition, the concept of the Spring Breakout games provides a great opportunity for top prospects to show off their talent and make themselves known.
Jake Bloss (@BlueJays No. 6 prospect) wraps up a scoreless first inning with a K in Spring Breakout.
Watch LIVE: https://t.co/RisKZeaiuD pic.twitter.com/CMnaZnMG2Y
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 15, 2025
Jake Bloss Standing Tall in Spring Training for Blue Jays
The Blue Jays’ focal point with Bloss has been to develop his command on the mound. In addition, they have been focusing on mixing up his pitches by adding a sweeper. The addition of the sweeper to his arsenal has been effective in taking down opponents. Bloss has also worked on increasing his fastball velocity, contributing to his dominance in his last few appearances in camp. In his last outing in the Spring Breakout game against the Minnesota Twins, Bloss had a dominant outing, recording a scoreless first inning with a strikeout. Bloss strided with success against the youthful prospect corps of the Twins. He was a standout player and one of the major takeaways from the Blue Jays’ 10-0 shutout victory.
Here’s Jake Bloss’ strikeout thread!
85.5 mph slider for his first strikeout of the game. pic.twitter.com/cTNScnyCIw
— Ryley Delaney🏳️⚧️ (@Ryley__Delaney) March 15, 2025
Don’t Overlook the Sleeper
Between his previous outing and the Spring Breakout game, Bloss has racked up nine strikeouts. He can be easy to overlook, considering the amount of pro ball experience he has. But he is an underrated pitching option who is starting to get into his groove. Bloss featured some heaters that reached the high 90s in the second inning against the Twins. His quality outings included the use of a versatile four-seam fastball and a filthy slider. Toronto’s No. 6 prospect was impressive in his recent spring outing against his former team, where he pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts, including 12 swings and misses.
Jake Bloss racked up 12 swings and missed today.
5 strikeouts over three scoreless innings.@BlueJays No. 5 prospect.
(🎥 @MiLB)
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) March 10, 2025
Essentially, Bloss would provide a fresh arm and depth for the Blue Jays’ starting rotation in the future. While he has been eyeing the rotation this season, it is currently stacked with veterans. But he has a good opportunity to be next in line for the rotation. Bloss has demonstrated the ability to make good pitches while finding his rhythm and flow. Compared to his first outing in camp, he was able to generate more swings and misses against the Astros, something he was initially lacking. His development in camp shows how the prospect has the tools to make an impact on the future of the Blue Jays organization.
Photo Credit: © Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
