C’s Chat – 2026 Vancouver Canadians RHP #22 Landen Maroudis

It’s another visit to the mound for C’s Chat with 2026 Vancouver Canadians pitcher Landen Maroudis.

The Clearwater, Florida native attended Calvary Christian High School in his hometown and was a force to be reckoned with on the mound and in the batter’s box, just like his father Pete Maroudis during his days at Osceola High in the mid-1990s. This was evident when Landen pitched four shutout innings with five strikeouts and hit a go-ahead home run to lead the Warriors to a win in the Florida Class 3A State Championship Final against North Broward in 2023. The only thing that stopped Maroudis from a longer outing on the mound was a two-hour delay due to lightning. That was the cherry on the top of a season that saw him hit .400 with 22 stolen bases as a shortstop and win eight of nine decisions with a 2.04 earned run average, two saves and 86 strikeouts against 10 walks in 54 innings. Maroudis’ four-year totals at Calvary Christian were a 19-2 record with a 1.26 ERA, 154 strikeouts over 122⅓ innings. At the plate, he had a .382 batting average and was a perfect 34-for-34 in stolen base opportunities.

It appeared Maroudis was going to college to pitch for North Carolina State but plans to join the Wolfpack in Raleigh were changed when the Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. Brandon Bishoff was the scout for vouched for Maroudis, who received a $1,500,000 signing bonus.

Baseball America judged Maroudis to have the best fastball in the Blue Jays 2023 draft class, pointing out he “jumped up draft boards this spring by taking a step forward with his fastball velocity. This is more of a projection on the fastball than some others might be, but Maroudis already gets into the mid 90s and should continue to add strength and throw harder in the future as well.”

The Dunedin Blue Jays was where Maroudis began his professional career in 2024 and he enjoyed a promising beginning when he posted a 0.84 ERA and had a 12-4 K/BB total in 10⅔ innings over three starts. Unfortunately, his season came to an end when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and had to undergo an internal brace surgery.

Still, Baseball America ranked Maroudis as the Blue Jays seventh-best prospect heading into the 2025 season.

“Maroudis is a projectable righthander who moves well on the mound. He delivers the ball from a low, three-quarters arm slot, which, coupled with average extension, creates a low release height that improves his deception. Maroudis mixes four pitches in his four-seam fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. His four-seam fastball sits 93-94 mph and touches 96. He generates below-average ride, but his fastball shape plays up due to his low release height, which gives his fastball flatter plane that plays in the upper quadrants of the strike zone. Maroudis’ primary secondary pitch is a mid-80s gyro slider that he used nearly one-for-one with his fastball. He shows advanced feel for his slider, with the ability to put it where he wants. Maroudis’ curveball sits 79-81 with heavy two-plane break and looks to be his best bat-missing pitch. He shows a changeup with good shape that generates tumble and heavy fade, but his command of the pitch is below-average. Maroudis has starter traits, deception and room to add more power to his mix. Maroudis has mid-rotation upside with good foundational starter traits. He’ll return to action in 2025 looking to show he can handle a starter’s workload.”

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50. Changeup: 45 | Control: 50.

Maroudis was back on the mound in 2025 with three rehab appearances in May with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays. He picked up a victory against the FCL Phillies on May 22 after tossing 3⅓ innings of one-run ball with a strikeout. A return to Dunedin followed and things started well enough with back-to-back four shutout inning appearances against Fort Myers on June 13 and at Clearwater on June 20, allowing just one hit in the latter game. The rest of the season saw Maroudis struggle with his control but he was able to log 45⅓ innings to end the season.

The Vancouver Canadians opened their 2026 campaign with Maroudis on the bump and three shutout innings at Tri-City set the tone for a soild April in which he posted a 1.69 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 16 innings over five appearances. The most promising development for Maroudis was getting his velocity back with his fastball hitting the 95 mile-per-hour range.

C’s Plus Baseball spoke with the 22-year-old Maroudis during the team’s late-May homestand against Eugene. This interview has been edited for clarity.

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C’s Plus Baseball – Let’s take it back to the beginning. Calvary Christian was where you went to in Clearwater. When did you get started in baseball?

Landen Maroudis – I started playing baseball when I was four years old, playing with my brother and with my cousins, you know, T-ball and just having fun being a kid. And then things really started to take off after COVID, my freshman year of high school. The world shut down and I really found time to develop and get a lot stronger. And then I came back and was throwing harder and kind of realized that this was something serious and something that I felt like I could do for a long time. And I did both all the way growing up. I used to hit, I played shortstop, played the outfield. And then I committed to NC State as a two-way and I was going to do that. And then obviously when Toronto came around after my senior year, they kind of told me that they wanted me just to pitch. And so that was kind of my plan the whole time was just to do both as long as I could until somebody told me that I had to pick one or the other. And that’s just how it worked out. But yeah, I mean, it’s been fun. I take a lot of pride in that and in being an athlete and trying to fill my position well. And I feel like it’s really benefited me in getting where I am today.

CPB – Calvary Christian, I know Irv Carter went to a different branch of that school, but what was it like pitching there?

LM – Yeah, it was awesome. Irv went to the other one in Fort Lauderdale and I went to the one in Clearwater, but it was awesome. I went there for all four years and met some of my best friends there and played with some really good baseball players. We had three guys, my senior year—myself, Liam Peterson and Hunter Dietz—who are at Florida and Arkansas. And they’re both projected first rounders in this year’s draft. So being able to play with those guys in high school, I feel like made me so much better. And we really just, you know, helped each other get to where we are and excited to see them do big things in the future.

CPB – Who would you say has helped you develop as a pitcher growing up?

LM – Definitely my Dad. My Dad played all the way through college and had a couple of pro offers. I still talk to him almost every day, just on the mental side of the game. He’s pushed me, but he’s also kept me very humble and taught me the game ever since I was four years old. So I credit a lot of my success to him. And that’s just been my guy that I always go to when I’m struggling. He just always seems to have the right things to say.

CPB – You get drafted in 2023. What was that draft day experience like for you?

LM – It was hectic for sure. Definitely a crazy experience. Going through it like day one, you don’t know what’s going to happen and I’m kind of getting calls throughout that day. And then that night, I kind of known that the Blue Jays were interested and that they had basically said that round four was where they had me going. So I had a decision to make and ultimately decided that was the best decision for me. And it was definitely hard because I had already moved in to NC State for summer school. So I had to go back up there and pack my things and come back home. And the staff over there was awesome. I mean, the head coach, Elliott Avent, he just retired. And the pitching coach (Clint Chrysler) there, too. They always treated me like family. And so it was tough to say bye to them. But they understood the decision and yeah, I ultimately felt like the choice to go pro was right.

CPB – Draft camp in Dunedin. What do you remember about that experience? Was there anyone you hit it off with?

LM – Yeah, for sure. I went there and met Grant Rogers and Jauron Watts-Brown. Met both of those guys through the draft. And then when I got to the Complex, it was right from home. So it was cool to be 30 minutes away and be able to be there with my family and stuff. But I also met one of my best friends, Brandon Barriera. He was there at the Complex at that time. So I got to meet him and we kind of went through rehab together. So I’ve grown super close with him and he’s been awesome. So I’m rooting for him.

CPB – Did you go to a lot of games in Dunedin growing up?

LM – 100%. Yeah, I played there actually in high school. We had a game there. Every year we’d play Dunedin High School and they share the stadium with the Dunedin Blue Jays, which is pretty cool. Whenever they’re off, we would get to play our high school games there. So I was definitely familiar with the area and with the field. And growing up, like going to those games and going to Threshers games (in Clearwater), it was just crazy that, you know, little me was in the stands watching those games. And then, here I am playing on the field that I was once watching. So that was super awesome. And also to be able to have all my family there to come to the games and stuff was super cool for me. So I cherish those moments a lot.

CPB – Clearwater is pretty much next door to Dunedin? Is that a really big rivalry between those two teams?

LM – Yeah, yeah, for sure. They’re always good. So it’s always fun to play them. And the Threshers stadium is always packed out. So you know when you’re going there, it’s going to be a good game.

CPB – The Player Development Complex. What were your first impressions?

LM – Well, first and foremost, when I was going through the draft process, I went around to a bunch of different places around Florida to take tours and stuff. And I remember specifically, like when I went to the Blue Jays Complex, I was blown away. Like it was by far the nicest one I went to. I mean, it was just awesome. I couldn’t believe that this is where guys worked every day. And so when I heard that the Blue Jays were interested, I was like 100 percent. Like it’s right there. And that’s the best Complex I’ve ever been to. So that was awesome. And then being able to be there for as long as I was definitely, you know, wasn’t ideal because I was going through Tommy John rehab and stuff like that. But I definitely learned so much about myself. I feel like I just gained so much more appreciation for the game and being here every day. And you have a lot of time off, so a lot of time to think about different things in that aspect. And I just feel like, you know, I really appreciate the game and I developed a great work ethic going in every day and creating a really good routine.

CPB – I don’t know if you’re big into analytics or anything like spin rate, velocity, that sort of thing. Was there maybe anything that you might have learned about yourself in that aspect?

LM – I try not to dive too deep into it because, you know, you can get lost a little bit with all the analytics and stuff. But I definitely did feel like I developed my pitches well in the pitching lab and stuff like that. And I learned a lot mechanically too about how the way that my body moves and was able to make some adjustments to kind of get that velo back that I had because I was down a little bit last year and then I spent the off-season there this year kind of working with some of the guys. So it really helped me just to get that back and improve my pitches in every aspect.

CPB – I want to talk about your pitch mix in a second, but you got sidelined with Tommy John. You were able to get back on the mound last year, but results-wise, it didn’t go the way you wanted to. Were you concerned that you would get your velocity back?

LM – I wouldn’t say I was necessarily concerned. It was definitely frustrating coming back because I felt like I worked so hard to get back onto the mound. And obviously, Tommy John rehab is not easy. It’s long and it can be, you know, boring sometimes. But coming back and then kind of the velo being down and the command being off was just definitely one of the most difficult things I’ve ever gone through. But I’m definitely glad that I did because I feel like, again, like it’s taught me so much how to deal with failure and how to deal with struggles going through pro ball. And, yeah, I mean, going through the offseason this year and coming back and my velocity being back up, it feels super rewarding. But I look back on those moments and now I appreciate them because of the struggles that I went through. And now I can take that with me on to the next level.

CPB – Now let’s get to your pitch mix. What is it that you’re throwing right now and how would you rank them?

LM – So I’ve got a pretty deep mix now. I’ve got a fastball, a changeup, a slider, and a curveball. And then this spring training I actually added a new sinker, which is similar to my fastball, about the same velocity, but two different movement profiles. And then I’m also kind of been messing around with a sweeper a little bit. So that’s not ready yet, but I’m still working on that. And I would rank, the fastball and the sinker probably at one together. I feel like they play off each other well. And then after that I feel like my changeup is pretty solid, like good movement on it and I’m pretty comfortable with it. And then the slider I’ve been able to zone a lot this year, so I’d probably rank that in the three spot and then the curveball at four. But I also go to that for punchouts a lot. So I’m pretty confident with all of them and feel like I can throw all of them whenever I want in the zone.

CPB – As far as the different pitch grips, was it your Dad who showed you how to throw certain pitches or did anybody else help you out?

LM – Yeah, my Dad for sure. I mean, he obviously teach the four-seam fastball at a young age and try and learn that as quick as he can. And then he’s helped me with the slider grip and with the changeup. He taught me both of those. And then the curveball, he threw a traditional curveball back in the day. I throw a spiked one now, which they didn’t have back in the day, I don’t think. So that one I kind of just found a grip that was comfortable and felt like I could spin that one a little better. So just trial and error with him and figuring out what’s comfortable was always his biggest thing.

CPB – How do you feel your pitch mix works for you on the mound? I don’t know if you have a certain philosophy or a certain game plan but how do you work your pitch mix during a game?

LM – My mentality this year has just been race to two strikes. So I’m trying to get to two strikes as quick as I can because last year I was getting behind a lot of guys and walking dudes. So I’m trying to eliminate those 3-1, 3-2 counts as much as I can. But really just try to attack with the fastball and the slider early. Use those and then I go to the bigger breaking ball late and then I like to throw the change-ups to righties or lefties too. Kind of just mix that in whenever, early and late, if I feel like guys are on the fastball and the slider. But yeah, just try and go at guys as quick as I can and fill up the zone and get weak contact or get early called strikes and keep the pitch count low.

CPB – How have you found it pitching here in Vancouver so far?

LM – It’s awesome. I love it here. It’s so cool. It’s everything that I heard it was. The fans, I mean, I’ve never played in front of this many fans before. So that’s super cool. And then the city is obviously beautiful, like the mountains. Being from Florida, you don’t see that kind of stuff. So being able to see that kind of scenery and this kind of city has been unbelievable and I’m having a blast.

CPB – Gettomg to some fun stuff here. Swinging strikeout or called strike three? What do you prefer?

LM – Swinging strikeout for sure. Fastball by a guy at the top of the zone is nothing better.

CPB – Funniest teammate?

LM – Probably Jonathan Todd.

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

LM – Yeah, I was a big Rays guy growing up, the hometown team in Tampa. So I always watched them. Watched Evan Longoria a lot. The old 2010 team like Chris Archer, Alex Cobb, those guys. Grew up watching them. So to see them having success now is also super cool.

CPB – Final question. The Canadians have a lot of different uniforms. The Nat, white, red, black, blue, gray. And you wore the South Asian jersey. Do you have a favourite?

LM – Yeah, I’d probably say the new one this year, the 75th anniversary. The Nat jersey is probably my favourite. I think that one’s sweet. The white on white with the black, ‘The Nat’ on the front. That one I think is super clean.

Landen Maroudis File

Born – December 16, 2004, in Clearwater, Florida.
Height/Weight – 6’3’’, 195 pounds
Bats/Throws – Right/Right
Uniform Numbers – Wore number 8 for the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2024. Wore number 37 with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays and number 44 with Dunedin in 2025.
Instagram – @landen.maroudis
Twitter – @MaroudisLanden
Mound Music – “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains.
Professional Debut + First Professional Win – April 7, 2024, with the Dunedin Blue Jays vs. the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Pitched four perfect innings with five strikeouts.
First Professional Strikeout – April 7, 2024, for Dunedin vs. Lakeland. Struck out John Peck looking.
C’s Debut – April 3, 2026, at Tri-City Dust Devils. Pitched three shutout innings with four strikeouts.

Fun Fact – Maroudis is just the second pitcher drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays from Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater. The first was righthander Braden Halladay, son of Roy Halladay, who was selected in the 32nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

Thanks a million to Landen Maroudis and C’s Media Relations Assistant Alexa Liptak for getting this C’s Chat across the plate.