Blue Jays Starting Pitchers Have One Glaring Weakness That Has To Be Fixed
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It was just a few weeks ago that the Toronto Blue Jays starting pitching staff looked to be a legitimate weakness for the team, with the front office seeking some upgrades ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
They came away with a former American League Cy Young Award winner, acquiring Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for one of their top prospects, right-handed pitcher Khal Stephen.
Bieber has continued his rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo and all reports are positive. He has been throwing the ball well and will make his final start on Friday before the assignment is over, with the next step being a return to the Major Leagues.
A lot of focus has been placed on his return because manager John Schneider is going to have an incredibly difficult decision to make upon his return.
Will the team go with a six-man rotation for the time being, and if not, who gets bumped from the rotation?
There is no obvious answer currently.
Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, Eric Lauer and Max Scherzer are all performing well in their roles, none warranting a move to the bullpen. Eventually, Schneider will have to have that conversation with someone because they won’t operate with a six-man rotation forever.
Credit should be given to those five for settling down a rotation that was in shambles for much of the season beyond Berrios, Bassitt and Gausman. Lauer has been an unexpected source of production and Scherzer has performed well since getting healthy.
Blue Jays Pitchers Cannot Contain Home Run Allowance
As a whole, the rotation has succeeded, but there is one glaring issue that has popped up since the trade deadline: their inability to limit home runs.
Starting pitchers have allowed 12 home runs in 12 games, as shared by Mitch Bannon of The Athletic (subscription required).
“When we self-assess every couple weeks,” Schneider said, “the home runs allowed is kind of always a glaring thing.”
Their 111 home runs allowed on the season by starting pitchers is the second most in baseball, with only the Athletics being worse at preventing long balls, serving up 113.
Overall, the Blue Jays have given up 164 home runs, which is tied for the fourth most in the league.
It is something Toronto’s coaching staff has been trying to work on, but at the end of the day, it comes down to execution from the pitchers.
A staff that overall lacks nasty stuff, ranking 24th in Sutff+, finding locations is paramount to success.
That means being aggressive in the zone, which opponents know is coming. Strikes are easier to hit than balls and if pitchers are missing down the middle, things are being served up to hitters on a silver platter.
It will be something worth keeping an eye on moving forward, as home run allowance is the only area the team has really struggled in this year.
Outside of that, this is a solid staff both in the rotation and bullpen.
