Blue Jays’ T.J. Zeuch continues to dominate in Arizona Fall League
Toronto Blue Jays former first-round pick T.J. Zeuch is proving his worth as he continues to dominate on the bump for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League.
The Blue Jays selected the 6’7″ right-handed pitcher with the 21st overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft signing the hurler shortly after to a deal just north of $2 million dollars. T.J. Zeuch is an interesting prospect with an above average fastball and an extreme groundball rate which rivals that of Marcus Stroman.
Zeuch made 14 starts between the Gulf Coast League and Dunedin last season accumulating a respectable 3.56 earned run average while fanning 51 in 65.2 innings of work. The 22-year old did also surrender 72 hits in his overall body of work in 2017.
The Jays assigned Zeuch to pitch for Peoria of the Arizona Fall League to garner some further work on the mound. So far through his first 3 AFL starts the results have been impressive as Zeuch has surrendered only one run in 13 innings of work while striking out 11. Zeuch and Max Fried have been the most effective starters for the first place 9-6 Javelinas.
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Blue Jays pitcher Andrew Case has also impressed working out of the bullpen for Peoria. Thus far Case has been perfect through 6 innings of work surrendering only 4 hits while fanning 4 and also earning a save along the way.
On the contrary, Jays pitcher Danny Young has not enjoyed his Arizona Fall League experience to date. Young has been lit up for 10 earned runs in 4 innings of work as the 23-year sports an inflated 22.50 earned run average in 4 fall appearances.
On a smaller scale, Jackson McClelland has also struggled in his 5 innings of work surrendering 4 earned runs on 8 hits for the Javelinas.
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It will be interesting to see how Zeuch’s Fall League success will transcend next season but expect Zeuch to potentially begin the season in Double-A New Hampshire with a shot of moving quickly through the ranks if he succeeds. He has the potential and pedigree to be a big part of the Blue Jays future moving forward. Keep an eye on this rising star.