The Toronto Blue Jays are once again in the hunt for the AL East crown and a deep playoff run. A large part of their success comes from the excellent production they have received from their rotation. The addition of Francisco Liriano at the trade deadline gives them a six man rotation to round out the season. It also finally puts the Aaron Sanchez bullpen questions to rest. They will be well rested when October rolls around. If they pitch in the final six weeks like they have all season, the Jays will find themselves in the playoffs.
Toronto Blue Jays Rotation Top Five Worthy
The Top
J.A. Happ now leads the majors in wins with sixteen and has carried over his success with the Pirates in 2015 to his second stint with the Blue Jays in 2016. His name is now being included in Cy Young discussions. He could easily be a twenty game winner when the regular season comes to an end. The sixteen wins are impressive, but his 2.96 ERA and 124 strikeouts to 43 walks shows that he is well worth the $16 million per season he is earning.
Marco Estrada is also having a miraculous season for the Blue Jays. He has kept batters to a .186 average, good for second in the majors, will also maintaining an ERA of 2.95. He only has seven wins however, which has allowed his successful season to somewhat fly under the radar among non Blue Jays fans.
The Kids
Aaron Sanchez was the pitcher of discussion around management and front office staff over the past couple weeks. His production this season has proved he belongs in the rotation. Another starter with an ERA under three, at 2.85, and an 11-2 record have also added him to Cy Young discussions. He is a possible dark horse to walk away with the honors.
Marcus Stroman hit a few bumps in the road mid season. Since the All Star break he has returned to form. After missing most of the 2015 season with a knee injury he returned in September with a performance Blue Jays fans did not expect, but more than welcomed. This further excited fans for 2016 as the ace of the future had seemed to arrive. Although his 4.63 ERA is elevated his 126 strikeouts to 38 walks is great.
The Veteran
R.A. Dickey has been the only blemish within the rotation this season. His 4.61 ERA is less than desirable and batters have a .255 average against him. The knuckleball is certainly entertaining to watch, but the pending free agent will have to ‘knuckle under’ in his final five starts to ensure the Blue Jays make a post season berth.
The Newcomer
The addition of Francisco Liriano raised a few eyebrows in Blue Jays nation as he leads the majors in walks with 71 and has a 5.34 ERA to boot. His veteran presence will be valuable however during the playoffs and he still pitches at a strikeout per inning ratio. Bringing him in will also allow all starters to get extra rest before a tiring October arrives.
Not including Liriano, the Blue Jays rotation have a combined 50-27 record. Three have ERA’s under 3.00 and as a group have recorded 587 K’s to 221 BB. That’s a 2.66 K/BB ratio! The Blue Jays sit one game on top of the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East, and have gone 6-4 over their last ten improving their record to 65-50.
Contenders are built around strong rotations and the 2016 version for the Blue Jays have demonstrated how strong the are. With Dickey being the only pending free agent among the original five the 2017 rotation should look very similar. If they build off of their 2016 success they could emerge as the best rotation in all of baseball and continue to bring success to baseball not just for Toronto, but all of Canada.
Main Photo:
TORONTO, CANADA – JUNE 22: J.A. Happ #33 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the first inning during MLB game action against the Arizona Diamondbacks on June 22, 2016 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
