Blue Jays: Nick Allgeyer is a prospect to keep an eye on this season

The Toronto Blue Jays have expereienced their fair share of injuries to begin the season, with multiple members of the pitching corps missing time like Hyun Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray, Tom Hatch, David Phelps; the list goes on and on. While some have returned back to the rotation/bullpen, a few others are still making their way back to the roster, leaving open spots on the Blue Jays pitching staff with numerous prospects having to fill in the gaps.

While the Blue Jays host numerous top pitching prospects like Nate Pearson, Alek Manoah, and Simeon Woods-Richardson, there is one prospect that fans should start to get to know: left-hander Nick Allgeyer.

Drafted by the Blue Jays in the 12th round back in 2018, Allgeyer has pitched well at every level he has been put at, beginning his professional career in short A ball before being promoted to Advanced-A ball in 2019 and then jumping all the way to AAA when the 2021 season began. For his career, the southpaw boasts a 3.56 ERA with 145 strikeouts in 156.2 innings pitched across all three leagues.

At 25 years old, Allgeyer currently finds himself as the organization’s 30th ranked prospect, with a mid-90’s fastball and a changeup that keeps hitters off-balance, roughly 10 mph less than his primary pitch. He also features a slider in his arsenal and has good control of his pitches, issuing only 42 walks over those 156.2 innings pitched.

More from Toronto Blue Jays Prospects

• One prospect the Blue Jays should not have traded at the deadline
• Blue Jays: Can expanded rosters provide positivity?
• Blue Jays: 2022 Tournament 12 returns as Canadian Futures Showcase
• Blue Jays: Top Pitching Prospect Tiedemann Impresses in AA Debut
• Blue Jays 2022 Draft: Who did Toronto Land in Round Two?

While other pitchers in the organization may be stealing his thunder, the Missouri native has been stellar to begin the season, starting two games and only giving up two earned runs in 12.0 innings while racking up 10 strikeouts and five walks with a 1.00 WHIP. He so far has able to jump past AA ball and pitch well against some of the top minor league hitters, utilizing last year to add some velocity to his fastball and continuing to work as a starter versus transitioning to a relief role even with the canceled minor league season.

As of right now, a few more quality starts could see Allgeyer throw himself into contention for a potential major league call-up sometime this year. Considering the Blue Jays pitching staff has been marred by injuries early this season and some potential arms are struggling in Ross Stripling and Anthony Kay, there is a legitimate chance the left-hander could be called upon some time in the near future. One hurdle in his way will be the internal competition from the likes of Pearson and Manoah, both of whom could find themselves on the major league roster sooner than Allgeyer, pushing him down the depth charts. He will need to continue pitching well if he wants to keep his name in contention with the likes of other internal options.

It will be interesting to see if the Jays keep him stretched out as a starter or if they try to transition him to the bullpen when he reaches the big league stage (whether it be this season or next). He would most likely be able to join the team much quicker if he were a bullpen arm but having a depth starter like Allgeyer would be beneficial if more members of the rotation head to the injured list this season.

Nevertheless, Nick Allgeyer has had a great start to the 2021 season and is starting to make a name for himself amongst the other top prospects. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Blue Jays bring him to the major league roster sometime this season and hopefully he will be able to continue his hot start in AAA and carry it over to the active roster when/if his name gets called this year.