Beyond the headline heroics of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Max Scherzer, the Blue Jays’ championship run this year also unearthed a new gem, rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage. After just six months of climbing through the minors, Toronto called him up to the big leagues, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Yesavage made waves in the 2025 World Series by becoming only the second pitcher ever, alongside the legendary Sandy Koufax, to record 10 or more SOs within the first five innings of a World Series game. And in that World Series Game 5 against the Dodgers, he went seven strong innings, gave up just one run, struck out 12, and didn’t walk a single batter!

But if you thought that kind of performance would instantly catapult the 22-year-old to the top of MLB’s prospect rankings, you might be in for a bit of disappointment.

“On the 8th (9th Japan time), MLB announced the top 10 rookie rankings for this season on its official website. Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (24) was listed in 8th place. The top 10 rookies are: 1. R. Anthony (Red Sox), 2. N. Kurtz (Athletics), 3. J. Wilson (Athletics), 4. C. Barnes (Reds), 5. C. Horton (Cubs), 6. M. Meyer (Red Sox), 7. C. Montgomery (White Sox), 8. Roki Sasaki (Dodgers), 9. J. Miziorowski (Brewers), and 10. D. Baldwin (Braves).” Yahoo Japan quoted the MLB Pipeline ranking of 2025.

Surprised? So are we…

There’s actually a clear reason why Yesavage wasn’t included in the rankings. As per MLB, only players who’ve surpassed 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched, or 45 days of active MLB service time were eligible. Yesavage, despite his postseason heroics, threw just 14 regular-season innings. Hence, he didn’t qualify.

But Roki Sasaki?

If you remember, the Japanese phenom entered MLB with much fanfare, but his debut season didn’t exactly go as planned. Before a shoulder injury sidelined him in May, Sasaki posted a 4.72 ERA over eight starts with the Dodgers, and his fastball velocity had dipped by 3–4 mph compared to his days in Japan!!!

Even during his rehab, things looked rough. For example, in his fourth outing with Triple-A Oklahoma City, he gave up four runs in five innings and averaged just 94.4 mph on his heater, his second-lowest mark across both the Majors and Minors. Manager Dave Roberts didn’t hide his disappointment, saying, “Against Triple-A hitters, you would expect more.”

But then came the twist…

When Sasaki shifted to the bullpen for the postseason, he completely reinvented himself, posting a 0.84 ERA with three saves in nine appearances, playing a key role in the Dodgers’ World Series championship run. That late-season redemption earned him a solid No. 8 spot in the MLB pipeline rankings.

2026 would be the year for a proper Sasaki-Yesavage feud

Even with his dominant postseason showing, it’s hard to make a fair comparison between Trey Yesavage and Roki Sasaki because the sample size is still so small. For the unversed, Yesavage has logged just 14 major league innings in 2025, while Sasaki has thrown about 36.1 innings. So, not exactly a big enough pool to draw firm conclusions from.

Moreover, their paths to the majors couldn’t be more different. Sasaki came over from the NPB and needed time to adjust to MLB hitters, whereas Yesavage rocketed straight from college ball through the minors to the big leagues in just a few months. Hence, that gives them very different developmental timelines and risk levels.

That said, if we’re basing it purely on early performance, Yesavage gets the edge. His quick rise, poise on the mound, and polished pitch all point to a slightly smoother start.

But still, 2026 will be the real test… With both expected to be part of their teams’ Opening Day rotations, we’ll finally get a clearer picture of who truly has the upper hand.