{"id":104029,"date":"2025-07-12T23:39:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T03:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=104029"},"modified":"2025-07-12T23:41:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T03:41:39","slug":"blue-jays-prospect-khal-stephen-tearing-it-up-high-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/07\/12\/blue-jays-prospect-khal-stephen-tearing-it-up-high-a\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays Pitching Prospect Tearing it Up at High-A"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Toronto Blue Jays prospect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=stephe000kha&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-07-12_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Khal Stephen<\/a> continues to impress at the High-A level. The 2024 second-rounder threw six innings of one-run ball in his most recent start. This season at High-A Vancouver, he sports a 1.49 ERA through nine starts. The Blue Jays&#8217; farm system currently has several glorified prospects who will be compelling to see once they reach the majors. With Single-A Dunedin, Stephen had a 3-0 record and a 2.06 ERA with only one home run and seven walks surrendered across 39 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_104048\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-104048\" style=\"width: 440px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-104048\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/07\/USATSI_23011211_168400885_lowres-300x204.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"440\" height=\"299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/07\/USATSI_23011211_168400885_lowres-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/07\/USATSI_23011211_168400885_lowres-1024x696.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/07\/USATSI_23011211_168400885_lowres-768x522.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/07\/USATSI_23011211_168400885_lowres-1536x1044.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2025\/07\/USATSI_23011211_168400885_lowres.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 440px) 100vw, 440px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-104048\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mississippi State pitcher Khal Stephen (14) pitches against Ole Miss at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss., on Friday, Apr. 12, 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Blue Jays Prospect Khal Stephen Dominating In High-A<\/h2>\n<h3>Stephen&#8217;s Upside for Blue Jays<\/h3>\n<p>The 23-year-old should be expected to move up to Double-A soon. His performance yesterday was impressive, <span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">yet another magnificent showing from the No. 9 Blue Jays prospect. Stephen logged his team-best fifth quality start for the Vancouver Canadians. Stephen is having a phenomenal start to his rookie year in the minors. After tossing a six-inning start and giving up only two hits and no runs, the highly-touted prospect is now 9-1 with a 1.75 ERA in 16 starts. He has also recorded 97 strikeouts and 17 walks across 87 2\/3 innings.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Khal Stephen keeps spinning gems at High-A ?<\/p>\n<p>The <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BlueJays?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@BlueJays<\/a>&#8216; 2024 second-rounder spins 6 innings of one-run ball, sporting a 1.49 ERA through 9 <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/vancanadians?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@vancanadians<\/a> starts. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IBYk4YXmSO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/IBYk4YXmSO<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLBPipeline\/status\/1943897935730671861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Blue Jays Future Rotation In Flux<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">The Blue Jays lack depth when it comes to starting pitching. But their future rotation looks solid with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/04\/25\/blue-jays-prospect-trey-yesavage-deserves-early-promotion\/\" target=\"_self\">Trey Yesavage<\/a>, who will likely pitch in the majors next season if all goes well. Stephen&#8217;s dominant performance this season has made him an exciting prospect in the Jays&#8217; farm system. Yes, his arsenal is deep, and the Blue Jays have faith in his four MLB-caliber pitches. But how his fastball and changeup work together is what makes him stand out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gausmke01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-07-12_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Gausman<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bassich01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-07-12_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Bassitt<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/berrijo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-07-12_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jos\u00e9 Berr\u00edos<\/a> could all be on different teams next season. With the rotation potentially looking massively different in 2026, Stephen and Yesavage could set an example on the staff if they play their cards right.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"css-1jxf684 r-bcqeeo r-1ttztb7 r-qvutc0 r-poiln3\">Combined with his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame, Stephen is a pitcher who deserves more praise. About a week ago, he was named the Northwest League (High-A) Pitcher of the Month for June. That month, he sported a 0.95 ERA with 33 strikeouts across 28 1\/3 innings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>While veteran arms are nice to have, having young talent in a rotation can be essential to staying competitive as well. Having a balanced rotation with both experienced and young, fresh talent is a nice luxury to have. The Blue Jays&#8217; rotation is filled with veterans and could use fresh arms. They have a knack for nurturing young talent, the latest examples being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/schneda03.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-07-12_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Davis Schneider<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bargead01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-07-12_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Addison Barger<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rodenal01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-07-12_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alan Roden<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wagnewi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-07-12_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Will Wagner<\/a>. It will be exciting to see how these youngsters continue to perform, especially when they hit their prime. In Barger&#8217;s case, he is already playing like an All-Star, taking a big leap forward this season.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo Credit: \u00a9 Joseph Cress\/Iowa City Press-Citizen \/ USA TODAY NETWORK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Toronto Blue Jays prospect Khal Stephen continues to impress at the High-A level. The 2024 second-rounder threw six innings of one-run ball in his most recent start. This season at High-A Vancouver, he sports a 1.49 ERA through nine starts. The Blue Jays&#8217; farm system currently has several glorified prospects who will be compelling to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4831,"featured_media":104047,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,926,1071,35],"tags":[28344,28891,4223,28347,1043,1331,29052,28636,28674],"class_list":["post-104029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bluejays","category-milb","category-mlb","category-news","tag-addison-barger","tag-alan-roden","tag-chris-bassitt","tag-davis-schneider","tag-jose-berrios","tag-kevin-gausman","tag-khal-stephen","tag-trey-yesavage","tag-will-wagner"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4831"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104029"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104050,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104029\/revisions\/104050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}