Casey Janssen: Jays Best Reliever in 2011

Casey Janssen has been the Jays best relief pitcher this season, and the competition really isn’t even close. Here are Janssen’s 2011 numbers:

G 42/ Inn 43.1/ ERA 2.08/ WHIP 1.13/ SO 43/ H 37/ BB 12/ HR 1/ ER 10

FIP 2.30/ xFIP 2.93/ WAR 1.0

K/9 8.93/ BB/9 2.49/ HR/9 0.21/ BABIP .308/ LOB% 82.7/ GB% 47.8/ HR/FB% 3.0

Saves: 2

Save Opportunities: 3

Casey Janssen is clearly having a spectacular season. He has been the most dominant pitcher in the Blue Jays bullpen, and should be used in the highest leverage innings. It is baffling to me that John Farrell continues to use less effective pitchers to close out games. Take a look at Frank Francisco‘s 2011 stats, and compare them to Janssen’s:

G 44/ Inn 39.2/ ERA 3.86/ WHIP 1.44/ SO 42/ H 41/ BB 16/ HR 5/ ER 17

FIP 3.74/ xFIP 3.50/ WAR 0.3

K/9 9.53/ BB/9 3.63/ HR/9 1.13/ BABIP .321/ LOB% 78/ GB% 35.7/ HR/FB% 11.1

Saves: 11

Save Opportunities: 15

Casey Janssen leads the Jays bullpen in ERA, WHIP, opponents average, and almost all advanced pitching stats. As the Jays best relief option Janssen needs to be used in the most important innings, including save situations. With just over a month left in the season, it is a perfect time for the Jays to see if Janssen can handle the closer role.

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