A high school teammate of Jordan Groshans back in Texas, Kloffenstein joined the Blue Jays in the same Draft as the infielder, going in the third round in 2018. He posted ERAs above 5.50 in his first two seasons coming out of the pandemic but rebounded nicely back with Double-A New Hampshire in 2023 with a 3.24 mark and 105 strikeouts in 89 innings. His rise caught eyes around the league, and the Cardinals acquired the righty at the Trade Deadline in a deal for Jordan Hicks. Kloffenstein was similarly solid at Triple-A Memphis after the move and was added to the 40-man roster in November.
The 6-foot-5 hurler isn’t a huge velocity guy with a sinker and four-seamer both in the 90-94 mph range, but he is adept at generating groundballs with a 49.4 percent GB rate in 2023 (12th-best among 89 Double-A and Triple-A qualifiers). His sweeping low-80s slider was technically his most-used pitch, given the two pair of heaters, and it was also his best at generating whiffs with a 39 percent whiff rate across the two levels. Hid mid-80s changeup had similar horizontal movement to the sinker, but the five-to-seven mph difference was enough to get some swing-and-miss, too. He also added an upper-80s cutter and occasionally folded in a curveball with the latter being mostly for show.
Kloffenstein’s walk rate slowly improved as he grew more comfortable with his stuff, except for his stint at Triple-A, where most pitchers encounter a base on balls jump. In the long run, control shouldn’t be what keeps him from a potential back-end rotation spot. Because he lacks a true vertical option, he’ll need to improve against lefties -- who demolished his fastball -- but for the most part, Kloffenstein will be knocking on St. Louis’ door in 2024.
The Blue Jays made headlines when they selected good friends and Texas high school teammates Jordan Groshans and Kloffenstein in the first and third rounds of the 2018 Draft, respectively. For Kloffenstein, it’s been an up-and-down time in pro ball over the five years since that day. He's been on the upswing now, however, with a repeat of Double-A New Hampshire, where he dropped his ERA nearly three runs from his 6.07 mark last season. The Cardinals acquired him in a deal for Jordan Hicks at the 2023 Trade Deadline.
Standing tall on the mound at 6-foot-5, Kloffenstein runs a low-90s sinker in on righties that helps him limit damage against same-side bats and generate groundball rates around 50 percent, and he can run a four-seamer up to 96. He can work with both a mid-80s sweeper and an upper-80s cutter -- the latter of which came as a result of constant tinkering that led him to utilize a pitch with shorter action. It plays well off the two-seam and has helped fuel Kloffenstein’s rise in K’s. He’ll show the makings of a curveball and changeup too, but the righty is often at his best when he’s working east-west.
Kloffenstein’s walk rate has similarly improved as he’s grown more confident in his stuff. Even during the dips in his rollercoaster career, the former TCU commit previously impressed Toronto brass by staying healthy and regularly taking his spots in the rotation. Now with sharper stuff and still young in his age-22 season, his chances at being a backend Major League starter are his best in years.
After the Blue Jays selected Jordan Groshans No. 12 out of Magnolia High School (Texas) in 2018, they selected his teammate, Kloffenstein, in the second round. The big right-hander was committed to play NCAA ball at TCU, but the Blue Jays signed him with a significantly above-slot bonus of $2.45 million. After a brief GCL debut in ’18, Kloffenstein looked great with Class A Short Season Vancouver in ’19, pitching to a 2.24 ERA over 64 1/3 innings. Coming off the lost ’20 season, though, Kloffenstein struggled in ’21 at High-A, posting a 6.22 ERA over 101 1/3 innings with 107 strikeouts and 61 walks.
The silver lining to ’21 is that Kloffenstein treated it as a pivot point for his career, committing to better self-evaluation and a return to the attacking mentality that helped him in the lower levels. Kloffenstein actually spent part of the lost ’20 season pitching in the independent Constellation Energy League in Texas, where he experienced an uptick in velocity and faced older hitters. That fastball came back to earth in ’21, but was already up 1-2 mph in camp early in ’22. His slider is his bread and butter, especially in late counts, and his curveball remains a usable pitch in most counts, too.
When Kloffenstein has struggled, it’s all about the big inning. Both he and the Blue Jays believe an improved mental approach will help him to limit these moments, because when he’s on, you still see one of the top young arms in the system. It’s all about consistency now, but Kloffenstein is still young and the Blue Jays like how he’s reflected on ’21 and grown from it. Double-A hitters will be a good challenge in ’22, especially as he faces them multiple times through the season, but this is a critical season for Kloffenstein to reestablish himself.
After the Blue Jays selected Jordan Groshans No. 12 overall in the 2018 Draft out of Magnolia High School in Texas, they grabbed his teammate and friend, Kolffenstein, in Round 2. Kloffenstein was committed to play NCAA ball at TCU, but the Blue Jays signed him away with a bonus of $2.45 million, significantly above the suggested slot value of $652,900. After a very brief debut in the GCL in ’18, Kloffenstein spent all of ’19 with the Vancouver Canadians, where he pitched to an impressive 2.24 ERA over 64 1/3 innings, striking out 64.
Kloffenstein’s 2020 was one of the most unique years of any prospect on this list. Not part of the club’s alternate training site, the Blue Jays gave Kloffenstein permission to play in the Independent Constellation Energy League in Texas, where he posted a 4.64 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. This league was stacked up with hitters and pitchers who were older and more experienced in pro ball than Kloffenstein, making it a valuable challenge for the young starter. There, Kloffenstein’s sinking fastball moved from the low-90s to sit closer to the 93-94 mph range. The changeup is still a work in progress, but with two good breaking balls and a fastball that’s improving, Kloffenstein is building in the right direction and, according to several members of the organization, made fantastic use of his time in 2020.
Another of Toronto’s big right-handers at 6-foot-5, Kloffenstein is a confident young man and a competitor on the mound. He controls the zone well enough to avoid self-inflicted damage, and there’s little to no doubt that he’ll remain a starter long-term.
Many believed that Magnolia (Texas) High featured the best hitting prospect/pitching prospect duo in high school baseball in Jordan Groshans and Kloffenstein. That was confirmed during the first two days of the 2018 Draft, as the Blue Jays selected Groshans with their first-round pick and then signed him below slot to save money for the TCU-committed Kloffenstein, who signed for $2.45 million – well above his slot’s recommended value of $652,900 – after being taken in the third round. He made his pro debut alongside Groshans in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and advanced to Short-Season Vancouver in 2019, where he impressed in 13 starts, posting a 2.24 mark across 64 1/3 innings with 64 strikeouts.
Kloffenstein can work in the low 90s with heavy sink on his two-seam fastball and reach back for 96 mph with his four-seamer. He has advanced feel for a breaking ball, showing the ability to morph his sharp slider, which flashes above-average potential, into a bigger-breaking curveball or a harder cutter. He also has a deceptive changeup with tumble which could be another above-average offering for him once further developed.
An imposing presence on the mound at 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, Kloffenstein has a frame built for durability and also the room to add some more strength. He’s athletic and repeats his delivery well, allowing him to throw strikes, and scouts have long praised his competitive demeanor on the mound.
Many believe that Magnolia (Texas) High featured the best hitting prospect/pitching prospect duo in high school baseball in Jordan Groshans and Kloffenstein. That was confirmed during the first two days of the 2018 Draft, as the Blue Jays selected Groshans with their first-round pick and then signed him for below slot to save money for the TCU-committed Kloffenstein, who signed for $2.45 million -- well above his slot's recommended value of $652,900 -- after being taken in the third round. He made his pro debut alongside Groshans in the Rookie Gulf Coast League.
Kloffenstein can work in the low 90s with heavy sink on his two-seam fastball and reach back for 96 mph with his four-seamer. He has advanced feel for a breaking ball, showing the ability to morph his sharp slider, which flashes above-average potential, into a bigger-breaking curveball or a harder cutter. He also has a deceptive changeup with tumble that lacks consistency but could be another above-average offering for him once developed.
An imposing presence on the mound at 6-foot-5 and 240-plus pounds, Kloffenstein has a frame built for durability and also the room to add some more strength. He's athletic and repeats his delivery well, allowing him to throw strikes, and scouts have long praised his competitive demeanor on the mound.
Magnolia (Texas) featured the best hitting prospect/pitching prospect duo in high school baseball. That was confirmed during the first two days of the 2018 Draft, as the Blue Jays selected shortstop Jordan Groshans with their first-round pick and then signed him for below slot so as to save money for Kloffenstein, who signed for $2.45 million -- well above his slot's recommended value of $652,900 -- after being taken in the third round.
Kloffenstein can work in the low 90s with heavy sink on his two-seam fastball and hit 96 mph with his four-seamer. He has advanced feel for a breaking ball, showing the ability to morph his sharp slider into a bigger-breaking curveball or a harder cutter. He also has a deceptive changeup with tumble that lacks consistency but also can be his best pitch at times.
At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Kloffenstein has a frame built for durability and also the room to add some more strength. He's athletic and repeats his delivery well, allowing him to throw strikes, and scouts have long praised his competitive demeanor on the mound.
How this works:
This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement.
On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown.
Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release.
On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here
STL
