Toronto Blue Jays 2019 Report Card: Danny Jansen

Danny Jansen had a solid late-season debut in 2018 and was handed the keys to the starting catching job this year. How did it go for the 24-year-old?

Late in 2018, Blue Jays fans got to see a glimpse into the future behind the plate in Danny Jansen.  It is well documented that once he figured out his eye sight issues his offense soared.  Management was so convinced in Jansen that they elected to move Russell Martin in the final year of his contract so Jansen could get as many reps in 2019.

Behind the plate Jansen has done very well, as he has allowed just four passed balls in well over 800 innings.  When you compare that to the greats like Yadier Molina, Ivan Rodriguez and Russell Martin he had less then all of those guys in their rookie seasons while Jansen played more innings.  Jansen threw out 19 of 60 (32%) of base runners which is above average in the majors.

At the plate, 2019 seemed to be three different chapters for Jansen.  The Opening chapter was not good, as he batted just .185 in April and failed to hit a home run.  If you can believe it, May was a little worse, as he batted .143 with two home runs, but no other extra base hits.

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Jansen went onto Chapter Two in July and hit .246, had a .328 on base percentage and struck out just nine times compared to 35 times over the first two months.  Jansen continued on into August where he batted .345 and had just 10 strikeouts.  The final chapter, which was into September, has seen Jansen see more bench time so the team can see what they have in Reese McGuire, as well as some nagging injuries.  Over eight games he has batted just .167.

It looks as thought Saturday will be the last game of the season for Jansen and it was a good one to finish on as he went 1 for 3 with a walk and run.  More importantly he caught a solid game that helped Trent Thornton finish on a strong note which for his role on the team is more important than a top batting average.

What I remember most about 2019 with Danny Jansen was a ten game stretch where he got hits in nine of those games and raise his average from .184 to .219.  Jansen had a three game stretch where he hit two doubles and four home runs.  In total over that stretch, Jansen went 15 for 38, with three doubles, one triple and four home runs.

Danny Jansen’s 2019 Overall Grade= B-