Blue Jays sign pitcher Bobby Doran to minor league deal

The Toronto Blue Jays have made yet another minor move, signing right-handed pitcher Bobby Doran to a minor league contract. He will be sent to the Blue Jays minor league camp and is expected to provide rotation depth. Doran spent 2015 pitching for the Kansas City T-Bones of the Independent League.


Doran was selected by the Houston Astros in Round 4 of the 2010 MLB Draft, but never managed to crack an MLB roster with the Astros or Chicago White Sox. Since turning pro out of Texas Tech, however, there’s not much to love about his production.

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In the Independent League last season, Doran posted an 8-6 record with a 4.43 ERA and 1.460 WHIP. His strikeout numbers (6.0 K/9 career) and walk numbers (2.8 BB/9) don’t inspire much excitement either. In 2014, a full season of AAA ball split between Charlotte and Oklahoma City, he put up a a 5.43 ERA over 126.0 innings.

Whereas the Junior Lake addition from earlier today or the Brad Penny signing contain some small hope of an MLB impact (directly or indirectly), a lot would have to change to put Doran in that category. For now, expect him to compete for a back-end spot in a rotation at AA New Hampshire or AAA Buffalo.

He’s surely a competent enough arm to cover for an injury or hold a spot down while a team waits for a coming prospect, and in that, there’s admittedly some value. So while there’s no such thing as a bad minor league signing, don’t rush out to buy your Doran jersey just yet.