Blue Jays Offensive Issues Masking Elite Bullpen Full of Talented Relievers
In this story:
To say it has been a disappointing season for the Toronto Blue Jays would be the understatement of the decade. They came inches from winning their first World Series in over three decades to now be in jeopardy of missing the postseason altogether.
It is easy to point the finger at injuries, as they have dismantled the starting rotation, as it seemingly hasn't been healthy all season, but the real problem is that the offense is unable to score runs, which forces the pitching staff to be nearly perfect every single outing.
That being said, the bullpen has been nearly that, and it really is a shame that, with some of the best relievers in the game and an elite closer in Louis Varland, the position players are seemingly letting them down.
Yes, baseball is a team game, but it is unfathomable that the offensive drop-off that has happened in merely one offseason, as their rankings across both leagues are quite pitiful.
- Runs Scored: 29th
- Triples: 30th
- RBI: 30th
- Drawn Walks: 29th
- On-Base Percentage: 26th
- Home Runs: 28th/29th
- Slugging Percentage: 26th
- Batting Average: 8th
- OPS: 27th/28th
To put into simple terms, the Blue Jays are not bad at hitting, but with very little power and a seemingly inability to draw walks, it is hard to score runs, as the only team with fewer runs in the year is the 59-win Los Angeles Angels.
It has been a disappointing year at the plate, and even if the Jays make it to October baseball, they won't get far without finding ways to put a squiggle on the board, no matter how tough the relief staff is.
Toronto’s Relievers Over the Last Month Have Been Elite
Toronto has built a very, very impressive group of relievers who have seemingly gotten better as the year has gone on, which is highlighted by the last 30 days of work that the 'pen has endured with far too many bullpen games.
- Spencer Miles: 0.00 ERA, 14 strikeouts, 1.03 WHIP in 8 appearances
- Mason Fluharty: 1.00 ERA in 12 appearances
- Louis Varland: 1.69 ERA, 6 saves, and 15 strikeouts in 10 appearances
- Braydon Fisher: 1.69 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 13 appearances
- Tyler Rogers: 2.89 ERA in 10 appearances
Of the five standouts listed, only Rogers has not held opponents to a below .200 batting average, but that is his game. He induces a lot of weak contact and keeps runs off the board.
Other notable standouts are Ricky Tiedemann and Brendan Cellucci, who stepped into crucial roles for their debuts, combining for 7.1 innings of scoreless ball.
Time is quickly running out for Toronto to salvage their season. They were in control of their own destiny, but after falling two games behind the final wild-card spot with a loss Friday night, the team will need some help from other ballclubs.
But, first things first — they have to win games.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.