C’s Chat – 2026 Vancouver Canadians RHP #10 Jack Eshleman – C's Plus Baseball

C’s Chat checks in with 2026 Vancouver Canadians pitcher Jack Eshleman.

The Collegeville, Pennsylvania native went to Devon Preparatory School for his middle school and high school years where his mother Elizabeth Eshleman has been the Director of College Counselling since 2007. Jack was a multi-sport athlete playing soccer and volleyball. In his sophomore season in high, he helped the Tide win the 2019 PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) Class 2A State Championship. He was also a First Team All-League Pitcher as a senior in 2021.

Eshleman would head to Upstate New York to attend Hamilton College in Clinton. In his 2022 freshman campaign with the Continentals, he split 14 appearances on the mound starting rotation and bullpen where he struck out 42 batters in 34 innings and had a WHIP of 1.235. Eshleman also moonlighted as an outfielder in which he recorded three hits, walked six times and drove in a run over 20 plate appearances. A tour of duty in the Perfect Game Collegiate League yielded satisfactory results as well as he won three of four decisions with a 2.16 earned run average and fanned 39 batters in 41⅔ innings for the Geneva Red Wings. Eshleman picked up a bat one more time and drew a walk in his lone trip to the plate that summer.

Focusing on pitching heading into 2023, Eshleman took a huge leap forward with Hamilton College by posting a 1.14 ERA, a 3-0 record and an obscene strikeout/walk total of 51-3 in 31⅔ innings. He totalled 21⅔ additional innings in his second tour of summer college ball, picking up a save and striking out 20 batters with the Morehead City Marlins of the Coastal Plain League.

As a junior in 2024, Eshleman had thought about going to Rutgers University but decided to stay at Hamilton College. He matched his seven starts from 2023 and tossed 57 innings for the Continentals in which he struck out 69 and walked 12 to go with a 0.91 WHIP. He won four of five decisions with a 2.05 ERA and three complete games, including a 14 strikeout performance against Middlebury on March 29. That helped Eshleman win All-NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-Region Team honours. He added more experience to his baseball resume by tossing 10⅔ innings for the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate. Eshleman struck out 14 batters and walked only four while putting up a 2.53 ERA.

Toronto Blue Jays scout Pete Holmes kept an eye on Eshleman and recommended that the club sign the righthander to a minor-league deal which came together on August 1. It was a historic day for Hamilton College who reported that Eshleman was the first player from the Continentials to sign with a major league team since the university was founded in 1793.

Eshleman threw his first professional pitch in 2025 with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays. He was promoted to the Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays after 7⅓ innings in the FCL and put up a 4-2 record with a 3.32 ERA, four saves and 40 strikeouts over 40⅔ innings.

A return engagement to Dunedin saw Eshleman nail down six saves, including one in which he struck out the side to escape a bases-loaded jam at St. Lucie on April 9 and another in which he picked off a runner to end the game against Fort Myers on April 21. After a 1-2-3 inning to get another save against Fort Myers on May 24, Eshleman was promoted to Vancouver on May 27.

So far with Monty’s Mounties, Eshleman has done yeoman’s work in middle relief and had a 3.24 ERA in June over 16⅔ innings. He put up three shutout innings and struck out one against Everett on June 14 and soaked up 3⅓ innings and allowed a run to give the C’s time to overcome a 5-0 deficit to down Eugene on June 30.

In July, Eshleman has found his form by not allowing a run over seven innings spread out over three appearances and brought a 10-inning scoreless streak past the middle of the month.

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C’s Plus Baseball spoke with the 22-year-old Eshleman during the team’s homestand against Eugene in mid-June. This interview has been edited for clarity.

C’s Plus Baseball – Jack, you’re here with the Blue Jays organization, but give us a timeline first off of when you started your baseball career and what led you through to present day Vancouver.

Jack Eshleman – Well, I started my baseball career very young, playing T-ball in the league, spending time with all my friends, kept playing throughout high school. And it wasn’t until probably my junior year or senior year, I thought I could play at the next level in college. So I ended up committing to Hamilton College my senior year, played all three years there. And then my sophomore and junior year, I played very well, I got to play in summer ball, the Coastal Plains League and NECBL. I got to play in front of better competition and was able to see what I could do. And ultimately in 2024, I was able to sign a contract with the Blue Jays. I played in Dunedin most of 2025 and started in 2026. And now I’m here in Vancouver.

CPB – How did you wind up with the Blue Jays?

JE – It was actually a great story. I was in Vermont in the NECBL. My Mom was actually visiting me. I had an off-day. We were going to Burlington to explore. And as we were stuck in traffic, I got a call from my advisor at the time, now my agent, John Shinn. He calls to say, ‘The Blue Jays are offering you a contract.’ It was great that I could be able to share the experience with my Mom.

CPB – Very cool. Did you get a chance to celebrate afterwards?

JE – Yeah, we had a really good dinner. And then obviously Ben and Jerry’s, there are big factories in Vermont. So they have a bunch of stores there, celebrating with some ice cream.

CPB – Very nice. Favourite flavour of ice cream?

JE – I’m big into like cookie dough or like cookies and cream, a combination of that. They had a, I forget what it was called. It’s probably like some Superman ice cream. It had like brownie bits, cookie bits, cookies and cream, all that good stuff.

CPB – Sounds good. So let’s talk about when you first became a pitcher. Was that in high school or was that earlier?

JE – That was high school. I think I first solely focused on pitching my freshman year in college. I was actually committed to Hamilton as an outfielder. My freshman, sophomore year, I didn’t want to be labelled a PO (Pitcher Only). I wanted to hit. And then as my time in high school went on, I started to realize maybe I’m better at pitching than hitting. And then when I got to college, I definitely took off with my pitching abilities, skyrocketed my freshman year and said, ‘Okay, if I’m going to play at a higher level, and that’s what I wanted to do, I’ll be pitching and not hitting.’

CPB – Who would you say helped you develop as a pitcher to help you get to here today?

JE – I think the two guys in my high school, summer ball and high school baseball coach, Con Aquilani and Anthony DeVito. Con runs a big program. There’s a lot of guys from seniors in high school all the way down to seventh and eighth graders in middle school. It’s a big combination of all ages. And his philosophy isn’t about winning games when you go to these tournaments on the weekend. It’s about becoming a better human, a better man outside of the game of baseball, you know, respecting the game on the field and off the field. And just his philosophies, him and Anthony DeVito’s philosophies about pitching was just fill up the zone, you know, throw strikes. Not really big on velo, you know? You can throw ball four as hard as you want to but the (batter) still gets on first. So just being able to fill up the zone, it was something I prided myself back then in college and even now, just being able to fill up the zone, no free walks. If I get to full count at three balls, it’s me versus the hitter. I’m going to throw my best pitch and see what happens, be able to throw it in the zone. Those two definitely, when I wasn’t throwing as hard as I did, that was definitely the key to my success. And then as I got older and able to put on more weight, got more familiar with my body, got stronger. And as the velo came, those philosophies still stick with me. I think that’s what’s able to help me grow into the pitcher I am right now.

CPB – Hamilton College, you were the first player to sign a pro contract. How big a deal was that to you being the first, kind of being a trailblazer?

JE – That was awesome. I think, you know, being able to play at the Division III level and being able to continue my career on professional level is awesome. I loved Hamilton College. I think I made lifelong friends. I love my coach, Tim Burns. I met my girlfriend there too. So Hamilton’s given a lot back, able to help me turn to the man and pitcher who I am now. And I can’t wait to be able to eventually down the line, get back to Hamilton.

CPB – Is there a special memory that, or a special game during your time in Hamilton, anything that stands out we can look back?

JE – There are a couple. I think every conference weekend is exciting. Just the rivalry you have. I remember the first time Hamilton baseball made it to the playoffs was my freshman year in 2022. And we were able to host the first round against Trinity. We ended up winning the series and moving on to the championship weekend next week. That was awesome being able to experience that for the school’s first time and my coach’s first time. And unfortunately, we lost the championship, but just the ride and the memories I made were amazing.

CPB – Sounds good. Let’s talk about when you first got down to Dunedin. What do you remember about your first introduction to Dunedin?

JE – A lot of really good baseball players. And at the time, a lot of bigger and stronger guys around me. So that kind of motivated me my first year to kind of hit the weight room, be able to put on more weight. I think I came in at like 180 (pounds) and then that 2025 spring training came in at 200. So being able to get bigger, you know, I was able to get to this level, but I want to stay and improve. So obviously, getting in the lab, getting in the weight room, being able to do everything that I can physically and mentally to get myself ready for 2025 and years to come.

CPB – The Player Development Complex, lots of resources, you mentioned the pitching lab. How do you find that that’s helped you out develop as a pitcher?

JE – It’s great. I mean, the Blue Jays have a ton of staff. They’re fantastic, you know? Whether it’s in the weight room, the pitching coaches in the pitching lab, the dieticians, just being able to be able to do everything at once. And it’s crazy to like come from Hamilton. It’s night and day having everything for you. They’re all working together to try to make you the best baseball player as you can. And obviously, Hamilton was great, but the facilities and the resources, it’s night and day.

CPB – Let’s talk about your pitch mix now. What is it that you’re throwing? And how would you rank your pitches from best to still needs work?

JE – Yeah, I throw three pitches, fastball, gyro-short slider, and then a splitter. I think the fastball has been my best pitch, able to throw it, be able to command it really well, especially get it up in the zone, be able to get swings and misses and weak contact. I think it has the best life up in the zone. The slider and splitter, I kind of just go with what’s working. The splitter has been a work in progress. It’s something the Blue Jays taught me in 2024. In 2025, I rarely threw it. But I spent the whole offseason being committed to that, like I want to be able to get throw it for a strike, as a putaway pitch, get weak contact. I think my hard work in the offseason really paid off. I feel very comfortable throwing it in any count, lefties or righties. I think last year, if you told me to throw a splitter to a righty, I’d probably spike it five feet in front of the plate. But the slider has been another go to off-speed pitch. I’m being able to land it. I’m starting to like the splitter more and seeing how it moves as I’m getting more consistent with it and more familiar with it. Just being able to thow it as a putaway (pitch), get a lot of weak contact and whiffs on it.

CPB – How would you describe your delivery? From what I gather, it seems pretty conventional.

JE – Yeah, I think so. I haven’t really changed much about my mechanics. I’ve pretty much been over the top, three-quarters over the top. I pretty much done the same fastball and sliders all my life. In college, I threw a curveball. But as I started to throw harder and move more violently on the mound, that curveball kind of blended into the slider. So I just went with that and I’m able to throw it harder. But yeah, I’ve been pretty much over the top all my life.

CPB – You started out with Dunedin. What stood out to you as far as the competition in the Florida State League? How did you make the adjustment from jumping to Division III to pro ball?

JE – Yeah, I think the biggest thing was just leaving mistake pitches over the middle. I think in college, in Division III, you throw a fastball over the middle, I was able to get by with it. And then as I got to Dunedin, when I leave a fastball, I get behind 1-0, 2-1, throw a fastball over the middle. Sometimes it goes far away. But being able to realize that, getting ahead, getting to 0-1, 1-2, kind of getting to those counts, that’s something that the Blue Jays preach a lot. And the numbers, the statistics behind it don’t lie. There is a lot weaker contact, a lot less hits. And then as I get to that, I can kind of expand (the strike zone) and not have to nitpick and try to get to a spot. But I think Hamilton being Division III helped me being able to just pound the zone, throw strikes, and that’s what I continue to do now. And then as I get to more favourable pitcher counts, I can expand with my different pitches.

CPB – You get the promotion to Vancouver. How did you find out about it?

JE – We were actually playing at Clearwater, which is lucky enough, only 15 minutes from Dunedin. I was kind of just laying in bed at like 11:30, 11:45, just getting ready to make a bowl of ice cream, actually, get ready for bed. I got a call from our manager, Ryan Castille. He told me, “Oh, you’re heading up to Vancouver. You got to pack everything, you got a flight at 12:45 tomorrow. I was like, ‘That is awesome.’ I was shocked to be able to call my parents afterwards and my girlfriend. And then after that, I was like, ‘Oh, I got to go get my stuff. So it was a long night and a long travel day the next day, but definitely well worth it to be up here.

CPB – How have you found it pitching here at the Northwest League so far?

JE – It’s good. I mean, the competition’s better, so it’s forced me to be really focused on the mound. There are a lot of great hitters, but I know with my stuff, if I’m in the zone and being able to get to do what I do best, that I’m able to get outs and help the Canadians win games.

CPB – How have you found it pitching here at Nat Bailey Stadium? A big difference in crowds. Is that something you really feed off of when you’re on the mound?

JE – Oh yeah, definitely. I think there’s a lot of passionate fans here, and especially these weekend games when The Nat is sold out, it’s awesome to be able to pitch in front of a crowd like this, you know? I didn’t even get some crowds like this. A lot of games are a couple hundred fans, and Hamilton didn’t really have a lot of fans, especially pitching in 40 degree weather. No one really wanted to sit outside in March and April when it was gray and drizzly, but beautiful weather like this in Vancouver, all these fans are passionate, they want to come out and support the team.

CPB – Who did you say you hit it off with first when you got to the Blue Jays organization? Who did you just instantly connect with?

JE – I got there late, so I didn’t get my contract until like two days before the deadline, so I actually arrived with Trey Yesavage, and it’s funny enough that he lives about 20 minutes from where I do from home, so we actually played against each other in high school. He didn’t pitch, but it was cool to talk to him, be able to connect with him, and then able to play with him in Dunedin. It was awesome to see how well he throws, it’s cool to just watch that, because he has such good stuff, and he’s such a good person too. Javen Coleman was another one, he was my roommate for the first couple of months, he was a another good kid to talk to. Recently, it’s been Johnny King, Holden Wilkerson and Landen Maroudis. We’ve been close, we all played together in the FCL (Florida Complex League) when I was there for a month in May, and then the rest of the time last year in Dunedin, and then pretty much spent a lot of time together in the offseason at strength camp. A lot of similar interests, a lot of pretty much the same person, so it’s been great. I mean, all the guys are great, you know? Everyone’s pretty much friendly, and you can get along with everyone here, which is great.

CPB – Who would you say is your funniest teammate here?

JE – Funniest teammate? I gotta go with Jay Schueler. Some people don’t appreciate his humour, and sometimes it’s not intended to be humour, but it’s funny, I like him.

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

JE – I grew up watching the Phillies since I lived about 45 minutes from Philadelphia, so I pretty much watched all Philadelphia sports, but one guy I really liked watching growing up was Aaron Nola. I still like watching him. Early 2000s, mid-2000s, he was a power arm, being able to throw, he was like 95, 96. Now his velo’s gone down, but he’s still able to get outs, and I think that’s really cool with a pitcher, realizing that you don’t throw as hard as you did, but you rely on your stuff, you’re able to execute pitches when you need to and you’re still able to get outs at such a high level. I think that’s really cool, being able to see that, and be able to realize, like, I don’t throw the hardest, I’m not throwing 100, 101, but if I’m able to execute, I can get outs at this level, and the levels above.

CPB – You have your mound music, but is there maybe anybody else on the team’s music that you like?

JE – It’s a little hard to hear from the bullpen. I’m trying to think of guys walkout songs. I like Peyton Williams’ song, I don’t know what it’s called (“Bad News” by Whitey Morgan) but it’s got a good good ring to it. Holden Wilkerson has a good one, Too Late for Love (Def Leppard).

CPB – Does your mound music help prepare you when you’re just about ready to pitch?

JE – Yeah, I think so. When we’re in the gym and have a heavy lift, you’re listening, you’re not lifting in silence, you got some music on that you enjoy. I think being able to find something that you enjoy to listen to, I think not only can pump you up, but also kind of just relax you a little bit, I know it depends on the guy, you know, you got country, rap, uh, pop, house music, EDM, 80s rock, just whatever, whatever the guy’s into, but it’s cool to see someone’s walkout song, so you wouldn’t kind of expect them to listen to that type of music or that genre of music.

CPB – Final question. The Canadians have lots of different uniforms. The Nat, white, red, black, blue and gray, do you have a favourite?

JE – I like The Nat uniform. The 75th anniversary one, and the hat is really cool. I really like the blue one, more so just the blue hat, with the Canadians, the kind of the red, white, and blue, I think that one’s my favourite, and then also because it matches the blue cleats I have. I still haven’t gotten any cleats that match any other jersey, but I love all the jerseys, just a wide selection, and it’s cool to represent the Canadians.

Jack Eshleman File

Born – October 13, 2003, in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
Height/Weight – 6’2”, 185 pounds
Bats/Throws – Right/Right
Uniform Numbers – Wore number 22 with the Hamilton College Continentals from 2022-2024. Wore number 52 with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays and 34 with the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2025. Wore number 21 with Dunedin in 2026.
Professional Debut – April 6, 2025, for the Dunedin Blue Jays vs. the Clearwater Threshers.
First Professional Strikeout – April 6, 2025, for Dunedin vs. Clearwater. Struck out Kehden Hettiger swinging.
First Professional Win – May 17, 2025, for the Florida Complex League Blue Jays vs. the FCL Yankees. Pitched three shutout innings, walking one and striking out three.
First Professional Save – May 31, 2025, for Dunedin vs. Clearwater. Retired both hitters he faced and struck out the final batter of the game.
C’s Debut – May 31, 2026, vs. the Eugene Emeralds.
First C’s Win – June 18, 2026, at the Spokane Indians. Pitched 3⅓ innings of two-run ball and struck out two.
Mound Music – “Blame It” by Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain.
Instagram – @jeshleman _20
Fun Fact – Eshleman likes collecting baseball cards.