Toronto Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage already a rookie of the year favorite for 2026
Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Trey Yesavage ranks high among 2026 rookie of the year candidates.
Toronto Blue Jays rookie sensation Trey Yesavage and New York Mets rookie right-hander Nolan McLean should likely head into 2026 as the award favorites after the way they dominated down the stretch (and in Yesavage's case, the postseason) in the American and National Leagues.
It's not out of the realm that Yesavage can win rookie of the year.
NO ROOKIE IN WORLD SERIES HISTORY HAS MORE STRIKEOUTS IN A SINGLE GAME THAN TREY YESAVAGE!
In 2024, Luis Gil won the American League Rookie of the Year award with the New York Yankees thanks to a 3.50 ERA and 4.14 FIP in 151.2 innings pitched.
Paul Skenes, unsurprisingly, won the NL Rookie of the Year award, but he was called up late to earn the Pirates a pick that season.
That said, a pitcher winning Rookie of the Year doesn't happen all that often. Devin Williams won it with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020.
Shohei Ohtani won it with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, but that's a whole other circumstance.
The last time an American League pitcher won it before Gil was back in 2024, was Michael Fulmer in 2016.
Rookie of The Year candidates will come from far and wide in 2026
But this is far from a two-horse race. Konnor Griffin (Pirates) and Kevin McGonigle (Tigers) certainly have ROY-level ceilings despite their age, and that could factor into their Opening Day assignments given the Prospect Promotion Incentives.
Bubba Chandler (Pirates), JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals) and Sal Stewart (Reds) could all be factors from the NL Central, while Samuel Basallo (Orioles), Carter Jensen (Royals) and Colt Emerson (Mariners) look like possibilities in the AL.
Bubba Chandler had a great past season with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was named INT Pitcher of the Month in April where he had a 1.33 ERA and a .106 batting average against him in his 5 starts. The pitcher ended the year getting called up to the majors at the end of August making his MLB Debut and collected many firsts at the major league level.
2025 Season Stats:
MLB: 7 G, 4-1, 31.1 IP, 4.02 ERA, 1/1 SV, 31 SO, .214 AVG
MiLB: 24 G, 5-6, 100.0 IP, 4.05 ERA, 121 SO
2025 Season Stats:
MLB: 7 G, 4-1, 31.1 IP, 4.02 ERA, 1/1 SV, 31 SO, .214 AVG
MiLB: 24 G, 5-6, 100.0 IP, 4.05 ERA, 121 SO
Don't forget that Japanese players Munetaka Murakami (who recently signed with the White Sox) and the as-yet-unsigned Tatsuya Imai and Kazuma Okamoto are ROY-eligible, too (though not prospect-eligible as professional free agents).
The good news is that even if Yesavage doesn't win the 2026 Rookie of the Year award, he'll still be eligible to earn the Blue Jays a PPI pick in the following two seasons, as long as he finishes third or higher in Cy Young or MVP voting.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 1 | 165 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage already a rookie of the year favorite for 2026 Do you think Trey Yesavage will win Rookie of the Year in 2026? | ||
| Yes | 113 | 68.5 % |
| No | 19 | 11.5 % |
| Too early to tell | 33 | 20 % |
| List of polls | ||