Blue Jays – Ryan Jennings is one prospect pitcher to keep an eye on in Vancouver

Through four starts, Jennings owns a 0.56 ERA through 16 innings while holding opponents to a .132 average. He owns a 1.00 WHIP and has allowed just seven hits and one earned run on the season (out of four) while striking out 17 batters. Opposing hitters own a .171 BABip against Jennings and a .481 OPS while boasting a 9.6 K/9 compared to a 5.1 BB/9, which is a bit elevated at the time and may need to be reigned in before a potential move to double-A New Hampshire.

While he sits just below the qualified pitcher line with his 16 innings, he leads the Canadians starters in terms of ERA, hits allowed, WHIP, opponents’ batting average, and earned runs while ranking second in strikeouts.

The Texas product has allowed just one hit in three of his starts with Vancouver and has accumulated four or more strikeouts in three out of four outings as well. Jennings owns a 60.0 strike percent rate and has increased his ground ball rate to 45.7% to start the year. Working with a sinker, curveball, four-seam fastball and a slider, Jennings can keep hitters off balance while hitting the mid-90s with his sinker/fastball while mixing in the offspeed well, using his curveball as a plus strikeout pitch.

An elbow injury limited Jennings to just 43 innings last season and the right-hander is looking to make a statement this year. Should he find a way to reel in the walks and increase his pitch counts, which will likely be kept in check after the elbow injury last season, Jennings will likely be in double-A within the next few months for his next challenge as he continues to work his way up the minor league ladder.