Toronto Blue Jays Emerging Star Reliever Finding Success With Remarkable Pitch
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The Toronto Blue Jays are desperate to break out of the middle-of-the-pack in the MLB, mired in mediocrity.
There is a good amount of talent on the roster, but things just aren’t clicking fully for the team on the field. They are 12-12 thus far and in need of a spark to help push them to the next level.
Finding their power stroke offensively would certainly help. The Blue Jays have only 13 home runs through 22 games, with free agent addition Anthony Santander hitting two and All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with only one.
With the offense struggling to find consistency, there has been immense pressure on the pitching staff to get the job done and carry the load.
For the most part, they have responded positively with some stellar performances coming on the mound.
One of the players who has shone on the pitching staff is Brendon Little, who is an emerging star out of the bullpen.
He has been a workhorse for manager John Schneider over the first few weeks, making an MLB-high 13 appearances. Across his 10.2 innings pitched, he has recorded a 2.53 ERA with an impressive 164 ERA+.
Little has struck out 18 of the 44 batters he has faced, with stellar statistics across the board. The only real concern is the walks, as he has issued five for a shaky 4.2 BB/9, but it has not come back to haunt him yet.
His FIP is an impressive 2.28, as he is overcoming some hard contact with an average exit velocity of 91.2 mph allowed and a hard-hit rate of 47.6% by keeping the ball on the ground.
Little has an excellent ground ball rate of 47.6% thus far this season, which is actually a steep drop off from the eye-popping 70.1% he registered last year.
What has helped him get off to such a strong start?
As shared by Michael Salfino of The Athletic (subscription required), Little possesses one of the most devastating curveballs in the game.
He has thrived as one of the setup men ahead of closer Jeff Hoffman because he generates an absurd 71% of whiffs when throwing the pitch.
As a left-handed pitcher, he has avoided drastic splits as well, with his arsenal playing against right-handed and left-handed batters alike.
Little may not be near the top of the pecking order for saves, but he is an important piece of the Toronto bullpen with his devastating breaking ball leading the way.
