Trey Yesavage has quietly turned into one of the best stories on a Toronto Blue Jays team that hasn't had many this season.
The 22 year old right-hander has made 13 starts this year, and the numbers behind those starts hold up against anyone in the American League rookie class.
A 3.31 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP aren't just solid for a rookie. They're numbers that would play on a contender, not just a team stuck at 42-49.
Yesavage has struck out 68 batters over 73 and one third innings, working out to 8.35 strikeouts per nine innings.
His control has come along too, sitting at 3.93 walks per nine, tight enough that hitters can't just wait him out in deep counts.
He's allowed seven home runs across those 13 starts, a manageable number for a young arm learning opposing lineups in real time.
His record sits at 4-4, and that's where this gets complicated. Wins and losses depend on a lineup that's gone cold more nights than not.
Why his win loss record shouldn't decide this race
A rookie posting a sub-3.35 ERA on a team that's been outscored by 51 runs this season isn't getting much help crossing the finish line in games.
That's not a knock on Yesavage. It's the reality of pitching for a club sitting third in the American League East with a losing record.
How many rookie pitchers in baseball right now would post these numbers and still get overlooked because their team can't score?
It's a little like finding a great performance in a movie nobody watched. The work is there, but the audience never showed up for the rest of the picture.
John Schneider has trusted Yesavage with the ball every fifth day regardless of the losing streak around him, and that consistency matters in a rookie's development.
Toronto sits third in the division and 20th in baseball overall, hardly the platform that usually produces Rookie of the Year buzz.
But strip away the record and look at the arm, and Yesavage belongs in that conversation as much as anyone getting more attention right now.
The Blue Jays play the finale of their series in San Francisco tonight, another chance for Yesavage's teammates to finally give him the support his season deserves.
Does Trey Yesavage deserve real AL Rookie of the Year consideration despite the Blue Jays' record?
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