C’s Chat – 2025 Vancouver Canadians RHP #41 Jackson Wentworth – C's Plus Baseball

The first in-season chat of 2025 is with Vancouver Canadians pitcher Jackson Wentworth.

The Urbandale, Iowa native took up pitching at an early age. His father Jason Wentworth coached Jackson and enrolled him in a baseball camp ran by former major league pitcher and pitching coach Tom House. After learning the finer points of pitching, Jackson starred on the mound for Waukee High School and won 17 games, including an 8-2 mark in his senior season with the Warriors in 2021. He posted a 1.08 earned run average and 101 strikeouts in 58-1/3 innings and set the Warriors record for most career strikeouts with 216.

Perfect Game ranked Wentworth as the second-best righthander in Iowa and Baseball America rated him as the 476th best prospect for the 2021 draft. One professional team showed interest in him, but he decided to go to Kansas State instead. Wentworth was sidelined with Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and did not appear on the mound with the Wildcats until 2023. He logged 32 innings and registered 27 strikeouts in his redshirt freshman year before getting more innings in summer college ball where he fanned 20 more batters in 15 frames with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.

Last season, Wentworth found himself in the bullpen to replace Tyson Neighbors (San Diego’s fourth-round pick in 2024) as the closer for Kansas State. Wentworth saved six games as the Wildcats stopper and made the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List. His biggest moment coming out of the arm barn was striking out five straight batters to help preserve a no-hitter against Cincinnati on March 8. He won Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week honours on April 22, in which he allowed just one run over nine innings in relief, winning two decisions and striking out 13 batters. Moved back to the starting rotation, Wentworth split 10 decisions with a 4.24 ERA and punched out 110 batters over 81 innings. He helped K-State reach the Fayetteville Regional and was named to the Fayetteville Regional All-Tournament Team.

On the advice of scout Wes Penick, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Wentworth in the fifth round last year and gave him a signing bonus of $412,100. He is now reunited with his fellow K-State teammate, 2023-2025 C’s infielder Nick Goodwin.

The Blue Jays did not assign Wentworth to any of its affiliated teams in 2024 but Baseball America highlighted Wentworth as a pitcher to watch among American League East prospects.

“Jackson Wentworth is the only other pitcher the Jays selected with Statcast data. He has an extreme overhand delivery, which makes his 19 inches of IVB play down somewhat. He’ll need to find a little more velo than the 92 mph he showed, but it’s close to average if he can maintain that ride. He throws both a gyro slider and cutter, with distinct shapes, which is unusual. They’re both low-spin pitches, so will be interesting to see how the Jays work with him on those offerings. He also showed a change at 85 and a slurve at 83. This is an interesting arm with a potential five-pitch mix that could be quite good if he can bump the fastball up into the 94-95 range.”

Baseball America also ranked Wentworth as the 38th best prospect in the the Toronto system.

The Jays decided to send Wentworth to Vancouver to begin his professional career in 2025. He authored the C’s first win of the year by tossing five shutout innings and punching out six batters at Tri-City on April 5. Wentworth made his Nat Bailey Stadium debut and struck out eight batters while allowing just two runs in 4-1/3 innings in an eventual win over the Eugene Emeralds on April 17. He struck out eight more batters and allowed just one run over five innings in an eventual victory at Everett on April 23.

C’s Plus Baseball chatted with the 22-year-old Wentworth after his first start at Nat Bailey Stadium. This interview has been edited for clarity.

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C’s Plus Baseball – I know you were considered for the draft in 2021 but you opted to go to college. When draft day rolled around in 2024, what was that experience like when you heard the Blue Jays call your name?

Jackson Wentworth – It was really surreal at that moment. I was getting texts from my agent saying that the Twins were interested in me but it wasn’t full slot value and it wasn’t really what I was looking for to leave college. Then he texted me that the Blue Jays wanted me full slot and I thought it was the best pick for me to advance my pitching career and become a better player and a person.

CPB – Did you have any idea the Blue Jays were interested in you?

JW – No, I didn’t think they had any interest in me. I was at the draft combine and I didn’t have any meetings with them. Then like a week before the draft day comes around, I have a meeting with Wes Penick at a Starbucks just talking about baseball and I didn’t think that there was any interest in me. Then draft day comes around, he texts me, ‘Hey, the Blue Jays want you.’ I’m like ‘Alright, let’s go.’

CPB – The draft combine is something that’s fairly new. What was that experience like?

JW – As pitchers they have us throw like bullpens and other workouts but I opted not to do that just because I had so many innings pitched at K-State. I just did the meetings and medical exams but it was a really fun experience, just getting to be with all those different players in college and high school and getting to experience all that.

CPB – How did you wind up at K-State?

JW – I’m from Iowa, everyone expected me to go to Iowa, but it just wasn’t the right fit. I went to all these different camps. I went to Creighton, didn’t do too well. Then I went to K-State for a camp, and they really liked how I pitched. They gave me a tour of their complex and all the renovations they’re about to do with it, all the new updates they were gonna make to the facilities. I just really liked their coaching staff and how their campus was small and compact and how they treat their baseball team like a family. All the sports are just one big family.

CPB – You had a really good final year at K-State. You were in the bullpen and at one point you’re on the watch list for the top closer in college. Then you went to the starting rotation. What was that like going from the bullpen and then starting?

JW – It was a bit interesting. I was a starter before I had Tommy John (surgery) my freshman year. My sophomore year or redshirt freshman year, I didn’t do too well as a starter so they put me in the bullpen to get experience. Our closer got hurt so I had to go to the closing role for a little bit. Then I became a short relief pitcher when he came back, then long relief and then I got to the starting role. Getting experience in all those different situations and all that different type of stuff I had to deal with was really fun because it just adds more tools in my tool belt. If I do become a relief pitcher, I know how to prepare myself and get ready if I had to go out from the bullpen. But as a starter, it’s really fun knowing when I get to throw and I get to do all my other stuff. But relief pitching is fun just because you get to react and you get a big adrenaline dump, so you can just go out there and just throw hard.

CPB – How big a challenge was it to get down your routines going in both roles?

JW – I kind of found a mix of stuff that worked well for me that would get me hot quick. And so I just took that warm-up routine as a relief pitcher and just added it as a starting pitcher. Just so I can get warmed up quick and I can just get going so I don’t have to do this really long routine. I don’t really like doing the long routines because I feel like I kind of like wander off in my headspace so I’d rather just get that quick routine and get going hot.

CPB – When you look back at your time at K-State, what stands out for you?

JW – There’s two memories I have that I really enjoyed. One was a relief pitcher. We were playing Cincinnati for our first Big 12 game. Jacob Frost, the starter for that game, he has a no-hitter going. I come in for the last three innings, and I close out the no-hitter, and that was our first no-hitter for a Big 12 game. Then the other memory I have is when I got to become a starter. We’re in the Northeast area. We played UConn. I threw two innings there as a relief pitcher. Then we played Northwestern. Threw like three innings for that. Then we get back to K-State. I had to start on like two days rest. And I pitched really well. It was Bark at the Park, which was really fun. All the dogs were there. But it was just a really fun experience. Getting to be a reliever, then I got to start and help my team just win a game for a series win where we hadn’t beat Oklahoma State in 13 years.

CPB – I want to touch upon that no-hitter. Did you have any idea what was going on? Was there any talk in the bullpen?

JW – I didn’t know it was a no-hitter until the end of the game. It was a cold night and they all come out with water. I look at the board, and I’m like, ‘Oh, it was a no-hitter.’ I was running away from the water because it was really cold out. But there was one inning I almost had like an immaculate inning, all strikes, and someone told me in the dugout, someone said you had an immaculate inning going, and you threw it, and it was a ball. I was like, ‘Oh, someone jinxed me.’ So luckily no one jinxed the no-hitter.

CPB – Nick Goodwin, your teammate there, did he get a hold of you or did you get a hold of him once you were drafted by the Jays?

JW – He reached out saying congratulations when I got picked up by the Blue Jays. And I totally forgot that he got picked up by the Blue Jays. I was like, ‘Oh, let’s go. I get to be teammates with him once again.’

CPB – Did you look to him as far as advice or what to expect, you know, reporting to camp and all that?

JW – I reached out to him asking about situations kind of stuff, of what to expect. But obviously he’s a position guy and I’m a pitcher so it was kind of a bit different where pitchers had to report earlier than the hitters. But he did give me a lot of insight on like how to prepare and what to expect.

CPB – As it turned out, you were red-shirted for your first professional season but what did you take away from having to go to draft camp and then getting to experience all the bells and whistles of the Player Development Complex?

JW – It was really fun getting to see all the new toys because there’s a lot more toys for pitchers at the complex rather than at K-State. So it was really fun getting to experience all that kind of stuff and learning how to use them and how that could better myself as a pitcher.

CPB – Was there something that really helped you or something you learned about yourself through the PDC?

JW – I would definitely say the Edgertronics, seeing how the ball comes out of my hand in slow motion, see if I need to make any fine-tuned adjustments with my pitch grips or if I could somehow advance my pitch to the next level.

CPB – Speaking of pitches, what is it that you’re throwing right now?

JW – I have a four-seam fastball, four-seam changeup, curveball, and a pitch between a cutter-slider that I like to throw.

CPB – How would you rank them in order in terms of best to “still working on it?”

JW – It’s kind of a hard question because I like to throw them all. If I had to rank them though, I’d definitely go changeup, cutter, curveball and fastball, but knowing how I pitch, I like to pitch backwards. I like to throw the off-speed stuff, then I use the fastball as a weapon. They all kind of blend in the same usage though where any count I’ll use any pitch just because I feel so comfortable with those pitches.

CPB – Was there anything you were working on in the off-season?

JW – Definitely working on my command, making sure that I just attack the strike zone with all my pitches, making sure that I can go through innings a lot quicker. I’ve been struggling a little bit with getting two outs really quickly and then I’ll have some accidents where I’ll walk a few guys, they’ll get some base hits. So just working on command, making sure I keep hitting that strike zone, moving the barrel and forcing the other team to have weak contact.

CPB – I wanted to ask about how you got started in baseball. From what I read, your Dad was very instrumental and signed you up for a Tom House camp but how did your baseball career get started?

JW – I started off like as a young kid where I played all these different sports but baseball was the most consistent sport that I just continued playing and the sport that I just enjoyed playing a lot. But obviously, there’s games where you’re just like, this game’s very hard. But getting to experience the Tom House kind of camp I went to was really fun. Learning how to take care of my arm and how to pitch. But baseball is just that sport that was consistent in my life. And it was a sport that I could go to college and get an education and help my parents financially, where I can get a scholarship and save them some money.

CPB – Take us through your routine now that you’re a starter. How do you go about your preparation for your next start?

JW – Definitely the day after a live day, I’ll do some light catch to make sure my arm is moving just so that I get the muscles working again so they’re not just sitting there with the soreness. Doing arm care stuff a lot, then making sure my bullpen I’m feeling really good for that. Making sure my arm and arm action is good then just playing catch. Making sure my stuff’s moving the correct way, then mentally prepare myself for the start where reading the other team’s hitters, making sure that I know how to pitch to them and just prepare my mind.

CPB – How have you found pitching so far in the Northwest League? Has it been a big change from Kansas State?

JW – It’s a bit different. Hitters are a bit more disciplined with the strike zone, but knowing how to pitch to them really helps with that aspect because Big 12 hitters, they’re kind of similar, where you’d face guys in the Big 12 where it’s like, this guy’s really disciplined. And those are kind of the similarities that I see in this sport. But just knowing how to pitch is the bigger step you need to take from college to pro ball.

CPB – How did you find it pitching at Nat Bailey Stadium for the first time?

JW – It was really fun having the crowd there cheering me on. It was really nice pitching at the home stadium. It was really fun but I wish the opening weekend was here rather than in Tri-City but we got 120 games left so it’ll be fun.

CPB – Your first pro start there went very well. What was working for you that day?

JW – All the pitches were working really well. Just attacking the strike zone, making sure I did my best for the next guy that comes out of the bullpen to have their load a little bit easier so that I can help my team in the best situation, help them win the game.

CPB – Pitching in the cooler weather in April, how do you adjust to that?

JW – Well, luckily, growing up in Iowa, playing in cold weather all the time, then going to Kansas, also cold in the beginning of the season. So I kind of like pitching in the cold just because I know the hitters are uncomfortable in it, but pitching in the cold is where I’m comfortable at. I know the hitters don’t want to end cap it or get it off their hands, so knowing that kind of helps me.

CPB – You’re from Iowa, have you visited Field of Dreams?

JW – No, I have not. It’s on my bucket list to do so, but it’s quite a bit ways out of where I’m from.

CPB – Did you have a favourite major league team or pitcher growing up?

JW – Growing up in Iowa, people expect me to like a team from the Midwest but my Dad, he liked the Yankees so I grew up liking the Yankees. I liked watching either like Zack Greinke or Mariano Rivera throwing. Just watching them pitch and how they can command the zone is just really fun to watch. But there’s all these other great pitches that I just like watching as well.

CPB – Any other favourite professional sports teams?

JW – Not really. I do like watching Formula One. I like watching Max Verstappen for Red Bull. I like watching that.

CPB – I think you’ve seen all the uniforms the C’s have—white, red, black, blue, gray and a couple of other jerseys. Do you have a favourite?

JW – I definitely say the blue one because blue is my favourite colour and just waiting on that (retro) hat to come in so it kind of adds it all together but the blue is my favourite by far.

Jackson Wentworth File

Born – August 8, 2002 in Urbandale, Iowa
Height/Weight – 6-foot-1, 210 pounds
Bats/Throws – Right/Right
Professional Debut – Vancouver at Tri-City on April 5, 2025
First Professional Strikeout – Anthony Scull, Tri-City on April 5, 2025
First Professional Win – Vancouver at Tri-City on April 5, 2025 – 5IP 0R 6K
Uniform Numbers – Wore 30 with the Kansas State Wildcats in 2023 and 2024.
Instagram – @jackson_3230
The More You Know – Wentworth is the first Kansas State pitcher to be drafted by the Blue Jays and joins Wildcats catcher Dan Klein (2012-2014) and infielder Nick Goodwin (2023-2025) to wear a Vancouver Canadians uniform.