VIDEO: Mississauga native poised to make Major League Baseball debut
Published April 13, 2022 at 3:07 pm
Mississauga native Jordan Balazovic could be mowing down Major League Baseball hitters as soon as this summer.
The highly-regarded Minnesota Twins’ pitching prospect is currently on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul (Twins’ minor league affiliate) with what’s considered to be a relatively minor left knee strain.
A fifth-round pick by the Twins in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft out of St. Martin Secondary School in the Erindale Woodlands area of Mississauga, the 23-year-old right-handed hurler is poised to make his big-league debut at some point this season, many baseball experts say.
Armed with what baseball “bible” Baseball America describes as “a solid blend of three pitches and a north-south approach that could play up thanks to a funky delivery…”, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Balazovic carries “middle of the rotation” potential once he reaches and adapts to the major leagues.
Balazovic, who was born and raised in Mississauga, enters this season as the No. 85 prospect on Baseball America’s annual Top 100 Prospects list, widely recognized as the most credible such list in the industry.
Ranked the No. 3 prospect in the Twins’ system, Balazovic also appears on several other top 100 prospects lists in the baseball world, including MLB.com (No. 97 last year) and Baseball Prospectus, where he’s currently ranked No. 78.
Videos
The video below shows highlights from Balazovic’s Sept. 10, 2021 start for the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge in which he tossed six no-hit innings while striking out five batters.
Leading online fantasy baseball outlet Rotowire notes the Mississaugan was optioned by the Twins to Triple-A on March 23, and offers the following assessment:
“It’s not clear how long Balazovic will be out. He suffered a back injury in spring training last year that delayed the start to his 2021 season to June. He then had a solid season at Double-A with a 3.62 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 20 starts. If he can stay healthy, Balazovic has a chance to join the Minnesota rotation early in the season.”
According to Baseball America, the Twins signed the top-ranked Canadian prospect in the 2016 class to a $515,000 bonus after selecting him in the draft.
“The Twins liked Balazovic’s physical upside and developing fastball out of high school,” reads a portion of Baseball America’s assessment of the big righthander.
As for his future, the magazine writes that “Balazovic looks like a solid No. 3 starter who will find success more by spotting his fastball up in the zone and successfully pairing his secondaries down. There’s no one wipeout offering here yet, but his pitch mix works well in tandem. He could make his big league debut in 2022 if he stays healthy.”
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