Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect dazzles in Spring Training outing vs Tampa Bay

The 27-year old, who is a product of Florida State, may be on the cusp of the major leagues after a strong performance against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Van Eyk in the 2nd round of the 2020 draft.

While his rise has been slow but steady, he has been a well-like pitcher in the organization.

While he missed all of 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, he has come back stronger since then.

Van Eyk has always been considered a step below players like Ricky Tiedemann and Gage Stanifer, and while his career minor league numbers don't blow anybody away (13-26 with a 5.17 ERA) his versatility and finesse as a pitcher has been on the rise.

It showed on Friday too.

After starting pitcher Eric Lauer got hit hard, giving up three hits and three earned runs in 1.2 innings, Van Eyk came in with Toronto down 5-1 and promptly threw three scoreless innings.

He was efficient too. He walked two, struck out two, and threw 27 of his 44 pitches for strikes. Not bad for a guy on the cusp.

While Van Eyk is unlikely to begin the year on the major league roster, his latest performance is sure to open some eyes.

The fact he both start and pitch out of the pen (he had 17 starts and one save with Buffalo last rides) bodes well for a potential future call-up.

He will be an interesting one to watch.

Also read on Blue Jays Central :
Team Canada makes last minute roster change ahead of World Baseball Classic.