Toronto Blue Jays Top Prospects #10: Ryan Borucki

After a season in hyper drive Ryan Borucki went from Single A all the way to his Triple A debut. His ever evolving talents over the past season saw him getting better even when the challenges were becoming more difficult.

The Toronto Blue Jays drafted Ryan Borucki in the 15th round out of Mundelein, IL High School in the 2012 draft. He would make his Gulf Coast League debut and was quickly sidelined with an injury that required him to have Tommy John surgery. After missing the 2013 season recovering from the surgery, Borucki bounced back and showed why he should be seen as a solid pitcher. He threw 57 innings between both short season teams in 2014. He posted a cool 2.37 ERA and held hitters to a 0.84 WHIP.

In 2015 he was sidelined with some more arm injuries that held him from taking flight. He made three appearances before having elbow and shoulder troubles. In 2016 he was able to put it all together in Lansing with the Lugnuts of the Midwest League. In 20 starts in Single A he tossed 115.2 innings and was magnificent. He posted a 2.41 ERA and piled up 107 strikeouts. He also continued to baffle batters with a 1.13 WHIP and a 1.19 Ground Out to Air Out rate.

Name: Ryan Borucki
Position: LHP        Age: 22
Height: 6’4”    Age: 175 lbs.
Throws: Left            Bats: Left
Acquired: 15th round pick (2012)

On to the 2017 season where Borucki put his talents on full display. After a rocky start Borucki tightened up his control and locked in. Starting the season with the Dunedin Blue Jays in Single A+ in his 98 innings his ERA did not properly show how well he was pitching. He limited hitters and to a 1.24 WHIP while posting a 3.58 ERA. Which shows that the runs allowed were by timely hits. He earned a promotion for his efforts and excelled with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Double A. In seven starts he allowed just 11 runs for a 1.94 ERA.

His quick pace and deceptive delivery keeps batters guessing. After watching hours of footage on Mark Buehlre he has modeled a great pace of play and hides the ball well from his opposition. This allowed him to just utterly dominate the Eastern League through 46.1 innings. He even held hitters to an opposing batting average of .187 during his time in Double A. Borucki even got a chance to get a start at the Triple A level. He crushed it in the opportunity as he threw six innings of shut out baseball while scattering six hits.

Borucki keeps his hands low during his motion. When he gets into his leg kick during his quick delivery it almost hides his hand. This keeps the hitters from getting a good look at the ball to steal the pitch type. He also turns his back to the hitter ever so slightly just before he explodes to the plate. He averages in the low 90’s with his fastball, and has some great secondary pitches. His changeup has become a devastating weapon. He mixes his pitches well and has that quick pace, which makes it even harder to time him up at the plate. Just when you think you might know what is going on, he pulls the string and that changeup drops right off the hitting plane for opposing batters.

Ryan Borucki is currently on the 40-Man Roster and had a season that many players would die to have in his last year. This begs the question as to where he will start the 2018 campaign. He had a great season in Double A and made a debut in Triple A. The one start with the Bisons went amazing.

He will definitely get an extended look this Spring Training and is totally on the radar of the Blue Jays brass. If no further depth is added to the big league roster, Borucki could be an option for the 5th starter spot in the rotation. He has shown plenty of talent and poise in his difficulties since joining the Blue Jays organization. He is someone that everyone should keep an eye on this Spring and if he misses out on an early season debut in the MLB. If he starts the season in Buffalo he could be on another quick ride to Toronto with a solid start to the 2018 season.

Next: Alex Cobb should be top priority

Top-30 Blue Jays Prospect Rankings:
#30: OF Jonathan Davis    #29: OF Harold Ramirez    #28: OF Joshua Palacios 

#27: 1B/OF Ryan Noda    #26: SS Kevin Smith    #25: OF Roemon Fields                

#24: P Angel Perdomo    #23: C Reese McGuire     #22: OF Dwight Smith Jr. 

#21: P Jordan Romano    #20: P Jon Harris    #19: P Tim Mayza

#18: C Riley Adams    #17: P Thomas Pannone    #16: P Justin Maese

#15: C Hagen Danner   #14: C Max Pentecost    #13: 1B Rowdy Tellez

#12: P Eric Pardinho    #11: SS Richard Urena