Blue Jays prospect Dayne Pengelly discusses signing his first professional contract and the 2025 season

“It was great,” Pengelly said. “It’s pretty cool to play for my favorite team growing up. That’s a kid’s dream.”

Off to the pros

Pengelly’s path to the Blue Jays organization was far from linear.

“My parents helped me get through it,” Pengelly said. “They helped me stay motivated and not feel down.”

Support also came from coaches who helped rebuild his relationship with the game. One of them was Shaun Reed.

“He (Reed) helped me fall in love with the game again and taught me that baseball wasn’t everything in life,” Pengelly said.

Another influential figure was Tim Composwho helped him stay motivated and enthusiastic on the mound during his comeback.

“He (Compos) helped me improve my game and learn to push myself,” Pengelly said. “He helped me really strive to be the best pitcher I could be.”

Once healthy again, Pengelly’s velocity increased from the mid-80s to the 80s, and once he got out of high school, he took an unconventional route through college baseball. He began his collegiate career at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2022, balancing baseball with a demanding academic workload and pursuing mechanical engineering with a focus on propulsion aviation. That season, he appeared in 18 games and struckout 37 batters in 23 innings.

In 2023, Pengelly transferred to Pima Community College, where he further developed as a pitcher. He posted a 3.38 earned run average, striking out 31 batters in 29 1/3 innings while refining his arsenal and mechanics.

That summer he made the jump to Division I at the University of New Mexico. With the Lobos, Pengelly pitched in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, gradually establishing himself as a strikeout-oriented starter.

While the strikeout totals remained impressive, command remained an area of ​​focus for the young pitcher. Pengelly finished the 2025 season with a 6.4 walk rate per nine innings, increasing his ERA. Despite the results, his raw stuff, his 6-foot-4 frame and his ability to generate swings and misses were hard to ignore.

After the college season, Pengelly pitched in the MLB Draft League for the State College Spikes in the summer of 2025. The competition is intended to highlight draft-eligible and recently drafted players, and was a place where Pengelley could continue to build as a starter.

Pengelly posted a 3.16 ERA over 25 2/3 innings against some top talent, striking out 30 batters and now hitting 98.5 miles per hour with his fastball. More importantly, he showed a marked improvement in his control, reducing his walk rate to 3.2 per nine innings.

The appearance came at a crucial time and helped secure his free agent deal with Toronto.

Finding his footing

Pengelly’s professional career began in Dunedin shortly after the ink dried on his contract. In his first four appearances with the Dunedin Blue Jays, he posted a 3.18 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP and 15 strikeouts over 11 1/3 innings.

While his walk rate increased slightly to four per nine innings, his performances showed the ability to miss bats and compete against professional hitters. Early results suggested the adjustments he made in the Draft League translated to affiliated baseball.

When asked about the most important adjustment to pro ball, Pengelly pointed out a few specifics. For Pengelly, simplifying his approach became an important part of his development and ability to adapt at a professional level.

“It was a fastball command,” he said. “The biggest change was focusing on controlling one field and owning as much of it as possible, and letting that translate to your other fields.”

Pengelly’s favorite memory of his first professional season came during his first week in Dunedin, in a doubleheader against the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees.

He arrived at the ballpark expecting to pitch out of the bullpen. As the first game approached, he started to heat up accordingly. Then, right before the first pitch, plans changed.

“We’re warming up, the first game is about to start, and our pitching coordinator comes out and asks what I’m doing in the bullpen,” Pengelly said. “I told him I was getting ready for the game, and he said, ‘Come into the locker room. You’re starting the second game today.'”

Pengelly adjusted quickly, returning to the clubhouse and preparing for game two. He then pitched two scoreless innings and struckout two batters in an outing. But more importantly: strengthen themselves in professional ball.

Talking store

One of the first things you notice about Pengelly is his execution, often described as ‘funky’ due to the low arm angle, although the movement was never something he consciously tried to develop. Earlier in his career, torso tilt made his arm slot appear higher, closer to a three-quarter release. But as he has developed as a pitcher, his mechanics have adjusted along with him.

“It came naturally,” Pengelly said. “I just did what felt comfortable and what put me in the best position to throw hard and have control. Now that I’ve straightened my torso when I release, it’s more of a side arm slot.

Considering his strikeout totals in college and pro ball, it’s not surprising that Pengelly’s fastball remains the pitch he relies on most.

“At the end of the day, the fastball is the pitch I’ve always had,” he said. “But I’m also pretty confident in my slider.”

Pengelly has also embraced modernity in his pitching during his development in Dunedin, but with some restraint, describing a relatively mature approach to emerging technology.

“You use the data to see what you’re actually achieving,” he said. “There’s a lot you can dive into, but if you try to think about everything at once, you won’t achieve anything.”

For him, the wide world of modern analytics is something to build on his instincts and how he feels, rather than letting the numbers take control.

Looking ahead

Heading into the 2026 season, Pengelly’s focus remains specific and deliberate.

“I got a really good feel for a four-seam fastball, made some adjustments to my slider and improved my overall control,” he said. “And I’m working to keep my delivery as consistent as possible.”

With an upper-90s fastball, a good slider and a developing splitter, combined with his early success in Dunedin, Pengelly has positioned himself as an enthusiastic player to watch in the Blue Jays’ lower minor league system as the 2026 season approaches.

Presented by Betway