Toronto Blue Jays 2019 Report Card: Ryan Borucki

As the season comes to an end, it is time to hand out the report cards for Blue Jays players and take a look at how they did this season.

Ryan Borucki: D

Why did he receive this grade?

The reason Ryan Borucki receives this grade is that he just could not stay on the field. Although the injuries he sustained this season were not a direct result of anything he personally did, he would only make two starts for the Blue Jays in 2019, pitching 6.2 innings while giving up 15 hits, 8 earned runs and racking up a 10.80 ERA.

After a promising rookie campaign in 2018, many fans had hopes that Borucki would find a place on the 2019 rotation and be able to improve in his sophomore season. With the barrage of injuries on his pitching elbow, the season has been a wash and now he will have to compete for a roster spot next year in Spring Training, which could have been avoided with a strong 2019 season.

I do give Borucki credit in that he has been with the team and participating in activities, as well as rehabbing from his surgery in early August. I also highly doubt that he was 100% ready to go when he made those two starts this season, so I give him kudos for trying to pitch and work through the pain.

Could he have received an F grade? Sure, he could have. In the end, he does not really deserve the grade he gets this season because he just wasn’t healthy, but unfortunately, the baseball gods can be quite cruel.

What can he do to improve his grade next season?

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Ryan Borucki will need to prove to Blue Jays management that he can be healthy for a prolonged period of time, just like in 2018 when he was called up to the Blue Jays in late June.

While impressive as a rookie, he will need to enter the 2020 season knowing that he is fighting for a spot on the Blue Jays rotation against others like Jacob Waguespack, Trent Thornton, and Anthony Kay, and throwing effective, quality innings could see him earn a spot.

Conclusion

This is a difficult grade to assess because while Borucki was horrible in his two starts he made this season, he was obviously battling injuries that he could not overcome. Considering he did not cause these injuries to himself (ex: fracturing his ankle on his private ranch), it is hard to blame him for his report card and grade with just what we have to work with this season.

Fans will have to wait until next year to see if the southpaw can improve his grade and get back to his old ways.