Poll: Blue Jays fifth starter

Four of the Blue Jays’ five initial jobs are set. Alec Manoa When Kevin Gaussman Both had great seasons last year and will be back in 2023. Jose Berrios Coming off a disappointing season but with a strong track record and six years left on his extension, he’s locked elsewhere. Chris Basit After Basitt rejected a qualifying offer from the Mets, he will remain there even after the club agreed to give him $63 million over three years this winter, in addition to giving up draft picks and international bonus space. You will be in

However, although the final location isn’t so certain, there are some options that might step up and take the job. Ryu Hyun Jin is in rehab from Tommy John surgery and could return around the All-Star break, but that’s still a guess at this point. Even if Ryu makes it to that timeline and returns in the second half, he may still need another arm due to an injury to one of the other pitchers.

Yuusei Kikuchi

Kikuchi is considered a frontrunner for perhaps the fifth starter, based on experience. After years of strong work in Japan, Kikuchi came to North America before he signed with the Mariners in 2019. He spent his three years in Seattle with interesting but inconsistent results.

He reached free agency after 2021 and signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Jays. He started 20 games last year, but was relegated to the bullpen after posting a 5.25 ERA. He tossed his 18 1/3 innings in the bullpen, and although his earned run average improved slightly to his 4.91, his underlying numbers were more promising. His 24.5% strikeout rate as a starter has jumped to his incredible 39.8% rate as a reliever, and his control has improved as well. In the rotation he recorded a walk percentage of 13.2%, but only walked his 10.8% of batters facing outside the pen. A relief pitcher with a .371 batting average probably helped boost his ERA. His 4.15 FIP and 2.28 xFIP suggest he deserves a better player.

It’s a small sample size, but it does suggest that Kikuchi could have a great floor as a left-handed reliever if he’s eventually kicked out of the rotation entirely. But he will turn 32 in June and could get another start as he is the most experienced of the group. He averages about 95 mph with his fastball, so he can bring at least some speed. However, Kikuchi ranked in the first percentile last year in terms of barrel rate, hard-hit percentage, and average exit speed, so it doesn’t seem like a challenge for a big-league hitter. He’s posting a 5.02 ERA innings and needs to figure out how to do better. Even if he gets his fifth starter job in spring training, he’ll need to boost other players throughout the season.

Mitch White

The 28-year-old White was a second-round pick by the Dodgers in 2016 and was hailed as a promising prospect in the years that followed. He has spent the last three years without a firm role, frequently being picked in the minors and recalled to the majors when needed, serving as a starting lineup as well as a relief.

In 2021, he made 21 appearances in the majors, including four starts. He pitched 46 2/3 innings in his 3.66 earned run average, scored a ground ball at a 47.7% rate, struck out 24.9% of the batters faced, and walked his 8.6% of them. . Things got even better in his 43 2/3 innings in the minors, with White posting a 1.65 ERA, a 30.1% strikeout rate, and a 7.4% walk rate.

In the first few months of 2022, White spent most of his time at big league clubs, with only a few Triple-A appearances. He made 10 starts and 5 relief appearances and pitched 56 innings. Although his strikeout rate dropped to his 19.8%, he had a consistent 3.70 ERA and his 8% walk rate. The Blue Jays got him in time, but the transfer didn’t help his results. He made 10 appearances for the Jays, including eight starts, during which he posted a 7.74 ERA. His walk rate and ground ball rate remained about average, but his strikeout rate dropped even further, putting him at 15.3%.

His tenure in Toronto got off to a rough start, but overall there’s a lot to like about White. He was in the 79th percentile for hard hit rate, 77th percentile for barrel rate, and average exits last year while he was in the 63rd percentile for velocity. His .276 BABIP as a Dodgers and .368 mark as a Blue Jay somewhat explain the different results. All the advanced metrics like 3.76 FIP, 4.68 xFIP and 4.70 SIERA love how his Toronto outperforms his ERA that behemoth. White has no options right now, so the Jays will have to keep him in the bullpen for a long time unless he gets stuck in a rotation job, but he has five years of control left and will always have a few options if circumstances permit. You should get a starting chance of

Nate Pearson

Pearson, 26, arguably has more points than anyone on this list. A first-round pick by the Jays in 2017, he performed well in the minors and skyrocketed the prospects rankings. Baseball he America considered him one of the game’s top 100 prospects by early 2018, and in 2020 he climbed to number seven.

Unfortunately, Pearson has failed to pitch 50 innings in the last three seasons and has been stalled by injuries since. His elbow strain limited him to 18 innings in 2020 and another two in the postseason. The following year he dealt with a groin strain and shoulder impingement, and had surgery for a sports hernia at the end of the season.Between the majors and minors, he pitched his 45 2/3 innings that year. I was. In 2022, his early season start was delayed by mononucleosis, after which he suffered a latissimus dorsi muscle during rehab. Although he could only pitch 15 1/3 innings in the minors, he was fit enough to play in the Dominican Winter League by the end of the year. He pitched 12 innings without allowing an earned run for the Tigres del Lisi, striking out 36.4% of the batters he faced.

The fact that Pearson ended the year in good health and handling Winterball is encouraging, but it’s hard to expect much from him in the near future. But after three straight seasons of injury and dismal appearances, it’s probably unwise to expect him to suddenly leap into the 150 inning range in 2023. He pitched 101 2/3 innings in the minor leagues in 2019, posting a 2.30 ERA, a 30.7% strikeout rate, and a 7% walk rate. His talent is certainly there, but his workload capability is an open question.

Thomas Hatch

The 28-year-old Hatch was a third-round pick by the Cubs in 2016 before joining the Jays in a 2019 deadline deal. David Phelps to Chicago. Hatch made his 2020 promising major league debut, with a 2.73 ERA he pitched 26 1/3 his innings. However, the last few seasons have been a struggle, with Hatch posting moderate results in the minors and appearing in only four big league games between two campaigns. He started and allowed 10 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. He went 131 in Triple-A innings with a 4.67 ERA, a 20.3% strikeout percentage, a 6.8% walk rate, and a 44.1% ground ball percentage. He still has him in the 40 and another option he has a year left, but he could be an urgent starting candidate unless he takes a step forward this year.

Boden Francis

Francis, who turned 27 in April, was drafted by the Brewers in the seventh round in 2017, but moved to the Jays in 2021. Rowdy Telles trade. He was added to the Jays roster in November of that year and prevented him from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft.Unfortunately, Francis ended his MLB debut in a scoreless streak that lasted 2/3 innings. Despite that, we had a brawl last year. He pitched 98 1/3 innings in the minors with a 6.59 earned run average and was completely removed from the roster in June.

However, Francis suited up for Winterball and joined Puerto Rico’s Crioros de Deguas. That stint went so well for him that Francis started 9 games with a 1.51 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. He has struck out 47 of his 136 batters he has faced so far, achieving an excellent 34.6% percentage. He’s no longer 40, so he’s still a long way from earning a spot in Jays, but he could be an interesting wildcard in this deck.

Yosvel Zulueta

Blue Jays Earned Extra International Bonus Pool Money Through Trading Kendris Morales When Dwight Smith Jr. He used it to sign Zulueta from Cuba in June 2019, just before the signing period that began in July 2018 ended.At that time, Zulueta was already speeding up to 98 per hour, as reported by Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. Recorded in miles.

Since then, Zulueta’s rise has been stalled by several factors. He required Tommy John surgery shortly after his signing and spent 2020 in rehab. In 2021, he faced one hitter before torturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, wiping out the rest of the year. , and progressed from Low-A to High-A, Double-A, and Triple A. He posted his 3.72 ERA combined in his 55 2/3 innings, robbing him 33.9% of hitters and walking his 12.9% of them.

At the end of the year, the Jays added Zulueta to their 40 to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft, and Baseball America ranked him the second best prospect in the system. Zulueta is probably more of a long-term play than an immediate solution for the Jays. After a long injury period, he still needs to increase his workload and improve his command, but once he does, he has his triple-figure heater headlining his four-pitch mix. I’m here. He turns 25 this month, and his options are plentiful, suggesting he’s in no hurry to push him into the big league rotation. But when pitchers show they’re ready, as the Jays recently showed at Manoa, they can be aggressive against young hurlers.

Ricky Tiedemann

The 20-year-old Tiedemann was selected by the Jays in the third round of the 2021 draft. In 2022, he started the year at Low-A before jumping to High-A and Double-A in his 19-year-old season. At 2.17, he stole 38.9% of hitters and walked 9.6% of hitters.

That performance made him skyrocket in last year’s prospect rankings. As mentioned earlier, BA now sees him as the best prospect in the system. Gabriel Moreno Previously traded to the Diamondbacks Dalton Bajo handle. They currently rank him 28th overall in the league, and the MLB pipeline is equally bullish with him ranking 33rd.

Like Zulueta, Tiedemann will likely be a long-term play for the Jays rather than an immediate option. He’s still incredibly young and won’t qualify for Rule 5 until December 2025. But he could knock on the door this year because he reached Double-A last year.

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The Jays could also look outside the organization to find someone they like more than any of these options. Johnny Cueto, suggests that short-term veterans could be added to take over and push everyone else down the depth chart. So there seems to be a lot of interest in it.If the Jays miss him, remaining free agency includes: Michael Wacha, Zach Greinke, Dylan Bundy When Chris ArcherIf the Jays are willing to make another deal, the Marlins have plenty of weaponry available and the Mariners seem to have some openness to the deal. Chris Flexenthe Brewers appear to be stuck in rotation and could consider trading someone like Adrian Hauser.

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