Blue Jays Reliever Has Become Integral Part of Bullpen After Key Offseason Changes
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The Toronto Blue Jays have found themselves in the middle of the road when it comes to success this season, producing a 21-21 record, which is good enough for second place in the American League East. Additionally, they are only three and a half games back from the division lead, and given how many pieces they sold off at last year's trade deadline, it is quite impressive how they have maintained a level of competitive play early on.
Beyond the inflated ERA and home run stats, the Blue Jays have had some impressive pitching when it boils down to it. They rank fifth in the MLB in strikeouts (391), 11th in WHIP (1.24), sixth best in walks allowed (129), and ninth best in hits allowed (335). The issue has been home runs, where they have allowed 60 so far, the second most of any team in the league.
The positive is that the bullpen is beginning to find its stride early on, and it largely revolves around Brendon Little. Little has been absolutely outstanding in his first 21 appearances of the year, and his workload has gone up substantially as a result. In 19.1 innings pitched he has posted a 1.86 ERA, 1.138 WHIP, 29 strikeouts to nine walks, and has only allowed one home run in that span. Here is what has changed with his gameplan since last year to help with this increase in positive outings.
What Changes Has Brendon Little Made to His Pitching in 2025?
One of the biggest changes for Little has been a philosophical one, as he is attacking batters at a much higher rate than in previous years, and is using his mix of three pitches to try and drive results early. He is generating both weak contact and chases at extremely high rates, as Baseball Savant has him in the 100th percentile of whiff percentage (53.3%), 98th percentile of chase percentage (39.8%), 96th percentile of strikeout rate (35.4%), and 93rd percentile of ground ball rate (58.1%).
This largely comes from an uptick in pitch movement, as he has seen increases in vertical movement across all three of his pitches this year compared to 2024. His sinker is the most drastic, which has an additional nine inches of vertical drop compared to league average, and his curveball has a little over one and a half inches more than league average as well.
The curveball has been his killer pitch this season though, with 161 thrown opponents are batting .119 against it with a .167 SLG, and a 63.9% whiff percentage. Additionally, his sinker is drawing an average launch angle of negative three degrees on 148 pitches, so that has clearly factored into the high ground ball rate.
It will be intriguing to see how things play out for him in the coming months, as if he continues to pitch like this, he could find himself taking on a huge workload throughout the summer.
Jeremy Trottier started his writing journey with WBLZ Media, and has worked through multiple publications with 247Sports, USA Today, Fansided, SBNation and others. He is an avid fan of motorsports and most sports in general, and has completed a degree in sports management to further understand the sports industry. During his time with sports media, he has been credentialed for coverage of Boston College sports, and can often be found attending their football and basketball games as well as expected coverage of their men’s soccer team in the near future. Sports are a large part of his life and career, as he looks to pursue a full time role within the industry someday.