The Blue Jays moved quickly after the 2026 MLB Draft wrapped up, adding a batch of undrafted free agents, and one of the more interesting names in that group is Dax Dathe.
Dathe is a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher from Round Rock, Texas, and his college path has been anything but direct. He pitched for five different programs before landing this opportunity with Toronto.
His first stop was the University of Houston, where his freshman year came during the COVID season. Dathe appeared in just three at-bats, collected one hit, and then moved on.
He spent the next two seasons at Grayson College in Denison, Texas, where he developed into a two-way player. After that came one year at Texas Tech, though he logged only 3.0 innings on the mound there.
Dathe then transferred to Division II Angelo State, and that’s where he really put together a strong run. Over two seasons, he was an all-conference pitcher. In 2025, he went 9-1 with a 2.99 ERA and 98 strikeouts across 72.1 innings, production that earned him a final year at LSU.
His time with the Tigers was brief. Dathe appeared in 12 games and threw 6.1 innings, giving up six runs for an 8.53 ERA while striking out nine. His outings were spread out, and he never quite settled into a rhythm out of the bullpen.
Still, Toronto saw enough in the full body of work to give him a shot. It’s a long road to this point, and the Blue Jays are betting that Dathe’s journey has left him with something worth developing.
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