Blue Jays Veteran Left-Handed Pitcher Deemed Team's 'Unsung MVP' This Season
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The Toronto Blue Jays are proving to be the team to beat in the American League right now. Heading into Sunday, the team has a 57-41 record, and they lead the AL East division by a healthy 3.0 games. There have been a lot of contributing factors to their success this year, but there is one veteran player who deserves some more credit than he is being given.
The Blue Jays signed Eric Lauer this offseason, but he was not on the big league roster to begin the year. Lauer started 2025 in Triple-A, but was quickly called up after a decently strong showing through five starts in Buffalo.
Since being called up, Lauer has been one of the best pitchers on the team.
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The 30-year-old owns a 2.83 ERA over 15 games pitched, including nine starts. In those outings, he has thrown 61.0 innings, allowed opponents to bat just .197 off him and he has racked up 65 strikeouts compared to 16 walks. He is having the best season of his career, and Toronto is starting to notice it.
On Saturday, Lauer went six innings against the San Francisco Giants, allowed two runs on three hits, struck out seven and did not walk a single batter. He kept the Blue Jays in the game long enough for them to come back and beat the visiting Giants.
Lauer's performance on Saturday was just par for this course this year. Utility player Ernie Clement gave him his flowers in a postgame interview.
“What he's been able to do, to come in and just give us a chance to win every game, it's invaluable. Tip of the cap to him. He's probably been our unsung MVP so far," Clement said, per Julia Kruez of MLB.com.
In a team that consists of Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and other great players, calling Lauer the unsung MVP is high praise.
The left-hander has been a big part in propelling the Blue Jays to the top of the division, and the top of the American League. If the season ended today, Toronto would be the second seed in the playoffs, giving them a bye into the ALDS. However, they are just 1.5 games behind the struggling Detroit Tigers for the top spot in the AL.
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With 64 games remaining, the Blue Jays have to make sure they do not get complacent. They are trying to make the postseason after being left out last year. Additionally, the team is trying to win their first playoff game since the 2016 season.
If Lauer can continue his dominance on the mound, there is a great chance for the Blue Jays to make some noise in October.
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Cameron Zunkel is a sports writer from the western suburbs of Chicago. He played Division-II baseball at the University of Illinois at Springfield where he earned a masters degree in Communication. Cameron also played independent league baseball for the Joliet Slammers and Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League. He has been in journalism since 2022 and has a passion for baseball specifically, but he enjoys all sports. His other work includes writing sports betting articles for ClutchPoints. In his free time, you can catch Cam at the gym, on the golf course, or coaching the youth in the beautiful sport of baseball.