The Blue Jays top pitching prospect has gotten the call. Kyle Drabek will start against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
Acquired in the Roy Halladay trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, Drabek was one of three players the Blue Jays received in return.
A word of caution has to be sent out to the Blue Jays fans, though. Remember that Drabek has only pitched in Double-A and that he is still at the very young age of 22. This will be his first opportunity pitching in the Major Leagues, so expectations should be reasonable.
There is no doubting his talent, as he recently won the Eastern League pitcher of the year award. Leading the New Hampshire Fisher Cats with a 14-9 record and an impressive 2.94 ERA, he became available after the team was just eliminated from the playoffs.
Since Brandon Morrow was recently put on the shelf for the year due to his innings count, the Blue Jays have been calling up various pitchers to fill in the occasional start.
Whatever the result, it will give Drabek a chance to test his stuff in the Major Leagues. Granted it will be against the Orioles, who the Blue Jays have beat up all season, but they have been a slightly different team of late under their new manager, Buck Showalter.
Whether this suggests to the Blue Jays brass that Drabek could be a starter with the club next year or that he will need more seasoning in the minors remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure: It will be a bit of a reward for the fans who have followed all year to see another piece of the future in action.
The Blue Jays are out of the playoffs again this year, but they have the promising pieces in place to make a run at it in the near future.
One of those pieces, Kyle Drabek, will show his stuff Wednesday night.
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