Blue Jays prospect watch: C.J. Van Eyk launched his pitching career with a little ball of hate

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This article was published 29/05/2021 (1630 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbrenner High School shortstop C.J. Van Eyk missed a squeeze bunt at the plate. Then he struck out looking.

Van Eyk, a sophomore during that 2014-15 season in Lutz, Fla., was mad. And he was getting called to the mound to relieve the day’s starting pitcher.

“I went out and started throwing as hard as I could, and it ended up being low 90s,” the Blue Jays prospect recalled this past week. “I was like 16 (years old), so I was like: All right, well, I guess if I can just get this mad every time and learn to control it, I can kind of pitch a little bit.”

So began a dominant high school career. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Van Eyk allowed just five earned runs over 173 2/3 innings for a 0.26 ERA. The New York Mets drafted him in the 19th round in 2017, but he opted to attend Florida State University instead of turning pro right away.

“I was not ready for professional baseball out of high school,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade college for anything, really. Just helped me be more mature and made me a better teammate, and kind of understand the game a little bit better. Before it would have sped up on me in pro ball.”

That maturity and polish earned Van Eyk a second-round selection in last year’s draft, 42nd overall by the Jays.

In the middle of a global pandemic and with just four college starts before the 2020 season was cut short, the draft was a guessing game for Van Eyk — although proven college talent, particularly starting pitching, was still at a premium. And he never expected to land with the Jays. The first he’d heard of Toronto’s interest, he said, was about five minutes before the pick. He later signed for above slot value.

He knew something about the Jays from his friend and former Steinbrenner teammate P.K. Morris, a first baseman drafted by Toronto out of high school in 2017. Morris told Van Eyk the club was great with development and willing to move dominant players through the system quickly.

“They care a lot about their players and pushing them along,” Van Eyk said.

In addition to a low-90s fastball, the 22-year-old right-hander has an impressive 12-6 curveball and changeup in his arsenal. Last year, he also used the time he would have spent in the minors tinkering with a slider he says is “coming along … The grip and the confidence is there.”

Control is a question mark. The No. 10 prospect in the Jays’ pipeline struggled with walks at big-league spring training. He was assigned to the High-A West Vancouver Canadians, after a meeting where he was told to work on cutting down the free passes. Four starts into his professional career, Van Eyk has conceded seven walks in 15 1/3 innings, while striking out 18.

His 5.87 ERA is bloated from his first outing of the season: four earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning. He says he gave hitters too much credit and briefly lost trust in his stuff.

It’s been better since. On May 20, he pitched six innings of one-run ball with just a single walk. He credits the ability to throw all four of his pitches in any count.

“(The hitters are) not too good,” Van Eyk said. “They’re good. I mean, they’re obviously great hitters … but that’s just the mindset you’ve got to take.”

These days, Van Eyk doesn’t need to get mad to get results — but he doesn’t plan to be laid back, either.

“You definitely can’t pitch with a passive attitude, but as you get older and more mature (and) you get to be a better pitcher at a higher level, you kind of tame it, and you kind of find a happy medium.”

DOWN THE PIPE

The Blue Jays’ prospect pipeline is among the best in baseball. Here’s a look at one player at each level who excelled over the past week:

Triple-A

RH Bryan Baker

Buffalo Bisons

The right-hander spent time at Toronto’s alternate training site last summer and earned a non-roster invite to spring training. He’s definitely on the Jays’ radar after a hot start out of the Bisons bullpen: 0.00 ERA over 8 2/3 innings with two saves.

Double-A

RH Troy Miller

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

The 24-year-old, who signed with the Jays as a free agent in July 2018, started the year with the Vancouver Canadians, where he allowed just seven hits over 14 2/3 frames. A 1.84 ERA and 1.02 WHIP earned a promotion to New Hampshire, where he tossed five scoreless innings in his debut this past week.

High-A

RH Nick Fraze

Vancouver Canadians

The 22-year-old righty from Dallas, drafted in the 22nd round in 2019, notched his third straight quality start Friday: six innings of two-hit ball with one walk and a season-high seven strikeouts. Vancouver’s most consistent starter to date.

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Low-A

CF Zac Cook

Dunedin Blue Jays

The 23-year-old outfielder made his season debut on May 25 and has been raking ever since: 6-for-14 with three RBIs, two stolen bases and a 1.198 OPS.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy