Blue Jays 2015 Year End Awards: Most Improved Player

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Apr 28, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Josh Thole (22) plays catch with a fan prior to a game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Most Improved member of the Blue Jays is an interesting award. On the one hand, it acknowledges the great strides that a person has made in their chosen career over such a short period of time. On the other hand, it acknowledges that someone may not have been very good at their job the year before and had to work hard to get to the point where facepalms could be avoided. It really is the backhanded compliment of the ceremony.

Nevertheless, for the first time in the award season, there is not an unanimous result! There is debate! There is proof that all the writers of the site weren’t thinking like a hive mind! It is encouraging for the human race. The fact that there was so much growth to talk about from the holdovers of last year’s roster is a sign that the Blue Jays’ surge is not just because of the deadline acquisitions and free agent signings.

If this franchise can continue to develop talent that contributes, it’s more promising of the long-term success of the team on the field.

So which Blue Jays earned the writers’ attentions as being far greater contributors to this season’s success as opposed to last season’s mediocrity? We have three honorees but only one gets to take home the third J.J. YEA (pronounced Jay Jay Yay!) of 2015. Let’s take a look at who significantly cut down on the amount of fan cursing this past year.

Next: Runner-Up: A Buried Infielder Turned Fielding Wizard

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Runner-Up Most Improved: Ryan Goins

Last season, Ryan Goins was supposed to be the answer at second base for the Toronto Blue Jays. Instead he just raised further questions. The bat that showed signs of promise in 2013 turned into a toothpick in the following April. He didn’t even last the month, sent down after the game on April 26th with a .150 batter average. It was so bad, Munenori Kawasaki was an OFFENSIVE upgrade when he took the role over in June following the failed Brett Lawrie experiment. Goins was back up with the club for a mid-summer stint and again with the September call-ups but the results were not good. Goins finished with a .188/.209/.271 slash line, and was just above replacement level with his 0.1 WAR.

Runner-Up Most Improved: Liam Hendriks

Acquiring Liam Hendriks prior to the 2014 season did not make many waves in the Toronto media. Hendriks would be on his fourth team in three months following waiver claims that took him from Minnesota to Chicago to Baltimore to the Blue Jays, and that was following an uninspiring three seasons with the Twins that resulted in a 2-13 W-L record and a career ERA of 6.06.

He was expected to provide depth in the organization, but was still tapped in May to make two starts. Hendriks performed well, allowing three runs over 11.2 innings. The June start against Cincinnati was not as good, as Hendriks was tagged for six runs while recording just five outs. That was it until he was traded to Kansas City in the deal that brought Danny Valencia to town. Kansas City used him as a spot starter, where he fared poorly failing to go more than three innings in either start, but the two relief appearances later in September, where he was bent but did not yield a run, may have convinced Alex Anthopoulos to give the young Australian another chance. He was reacquired when the Royals designated him for assignment in exchange for minor league catcher Santiago Nessy.

Hendriks pitched well enough to start the season in the Blue Jays bullpen where the ability to focus on using his fastball instead of his sinker resulted in improved results. Hendriks’ K/9 rate spiked to a career high 9.9 as he struck out 21 more batters in 21 fewer innings than his best season with the Twins. He had a perfect month in June, allowing no runs as his sinker, which previously was seen 40% of the time according to Brooksbaseball.net, dipped to 19% behind the four-seamer as well as his slider. He finished the season with a 2.92 ERA, a mark more than two runs better than his previous low mark.

He followed it up with his most memorable performance to date, a four and a third inning relief appearance in the playoffs against Kansas City where he allowed a single hit. Even when John Gibbons told him he would take him out after the fifth, Hendriks argued to stay in. He fared better than Matt Harvey did, walking out in the 6th and retiring Eric Hosmer, Kendrys Morales and Mike Moustakas in order, Hosmer swinging.

Now heading into 2016, there is no question which team he is going to pitch for. The question instead is will he return to the bullpen, or be stretched out as a fifth starter option? Hendriks seems to prefer the former option. After Game 4 he told the media, “I love being in the bullpen. It’s a bulldog mentality. You need to go out there and go right after guys.” Given his success there as opposed to starting, Blue Jays fans won’t mind seeing him emerging from beyond the left field wall in 2016.

Next: 2015 Most Improved Player Winner: Atoning For a 'Mistake'

Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

2015 Blue Jays Most Improved Player: Kevin Pillar

Kevin Pillar had a rough 2014 season. After being called up to join the Blue Jays on May 13th to replace Jonathan Diaz, Pillar primarily saw use as a defensive replacement. He was shuttled back and forth from Buffalo before the infamous moment on June 26th against the Yankees. Lifted from the game for pinch-hitter Anthony Gose, Pillar snapped, as most players who are replaced by Anthony Gose in a hitting situation would. He slammed his bat to the tunnel floor on his way out of the dugout. The shuttle back to Buffalo was one-way for two months after that.

Pillar admitted soon after “I made a mistake.” He kept his head down with the Bisons and returned to the big club on August 26th. The time away from the club seemed to help Pillar as his bat improved in the last month, particularly during a stretch where he went 9 for 20 against the Red Sox and Cubs. Still, his 2014 season was marred by an incident that seemed petulant and damaged his standing in the club. When Michael Saunders was brought in, it was expected Pillar would be relegated to fourth outfielder behind Saunders, Jose Bautista and Dalton Pompey. The Dunedin sprinkler heads had other ideas though, and Pillar started the season as the everyday left fielder.

So how does a player get fans to forget about the hissy fit from last season and take him seriously as an outfielder? Plays like this certainly helped…

Pillar‘s highlight reel catches were so good even Montreal Canadiens fans had to bow to his mad hops. Moving to center when Pompey was returned to the minors just gave Pillar more room to make daring dives and come up with balls that had no business being caught. Pillar’s batting eye improved as well, as there were no reasons to lift him for pinch-hitters with a .278/.314/.399 line with 12 home runs and 25 stolen bases from the eight hole in the lineup. He was durable too, playing in 159 games, two of the games missed coming in the hurricane shenanigans following the division clincher in Baltimore. The center field job is his now, and it’s Pompey who is looking for a spot where he can crack the lineup card.

Next: Who was the Jays Journal 2015 Rookie of the Year?

It wasn’t all sunshine and Superman catches for Pillar this season. There is still work for him to do at the plate, as too often when the Blue Jays were behind he went for power swings that left major holes in his plate coverage. The 26-year-old Californian also just missed out on a Gold Glove, losing to Tampa Bay’s Kevin Kiermaier. Pillar will have to console himself with the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the 2015 J.J. YEA for Most Improved Player. A well-deserved honor that definitely didn’t mean 2014 left a lot to be desired.

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Runner-Up Most Improved: Ryan Goins

Runner-Up Most Improved: Liam Hendriks

2015 Blue Jays Most Improved Player: Kevin Pillar

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