Blue Jays: Reviewing Every Reliever After the First Month

8 of 9

ARLINGTON, TX – JUNE 21: Ryan Tepera #52 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the eighth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on June 21, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Ryan Tepera – Dominant Setup Man

Just like many other members of the Blue Jays pen, Ryan Tepera has been nothing short of impressive this year. In 13.2 innings this season, Tepera has pitched to a 1.98 ERA with 16(!) punchouts, appearing in 15 games. He’s appeared a little more than you’d like your setup guy to pitch, but such is one of the very few disadvantages of winning ball games with consistency and regularity.

With this hot start, Tepera has established himself as a formidable setup option to bridge the gap from the middle relief squad to Osuna. So far, Tepera leads the team in holds with seven, sitting fourth in the majors in that statistic.

His fastball has been electric and he’s been an intimidating figure whenever he takes the bump. On the subject of Tepera, John Gibbons has said that he’s even comfortable with using Tepera in the closer’s role should Osuna be unavailable due to fatigue or injury. This is, to say the very least, a tremendous display of confidence from the skipper, and is great to see.

Ryan Tepera will pitch 100 games this year.
— Minor Leaguer (@Minor_Leaguer) April 28, 2018

As of April 30th, Tepera’s record stands at 1-1 and he has one blown save. He’s working efficiently and effectively and should remain a staple in the bullpen as the season progresses.

Also worth mentioning is that Tepera is a very colourful personality off the field, often tweeting in support of his teammates and spreading his pride for the city of Toronto. You can follow him at twitter.com/RTepera.

Grade: A-

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