Blue Jays: Pitchers Performing in Spring Training

More depth than there’s been in years

Yennsy Diaz
One of the forgotten names on the prospect list is 23-year old Yennsy Diaz, I had him ranked as #22 on my top 30 list.  Diaz got into one performance last year and you know he is itching to change his baseball-reference ERA as it is currently sitting at 27.00.

Diaz has gotten into two games this spring out of the bullpen.  His first appearance was on Spring Training Opening Day where he pitched a clean eighth inning against the Yankees and he struck out one without allowing a base runner on just three batters.

Diaz got into his second game, again against the New York Yankees last Tuesday. Diaz had another perfect performance as he faced six batters and sat them all down striking out three of them.  Diaz has been used as a starter through his minor league career as he has started 84 of his 96 appearances, however with the depth at pitching that the Blue Jays have through their minor league system it could be reasonable to think he will move to the bullpen.  At this time it is unlikely he will crack the active roster, but he has definitely had a few more eyes on him after his performances.

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A.J. Cole
The Blue Jays signed 28-year old relief pitcher A.J. Cole to a minor league deal with an invite to camp after coming of a season split between AAA and the majors in the Cleveland organization in 2019.  With the Indians, Cole pitched 26 innings to a 3.81 ERA.  Cole is trying to earn a spot in the bullpen and has made his name known in three appearances so far.

Cole first appeared in the opening game of spring where he picked up the win after a clean fifth inning that saw him get a fly out, ground out and strike out.  Cole next pitched against the New York Yankees last Tuesday and although he gave up both a hit and walk, he got through the inning without allowing a run.  Cole last pitched on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies where he picked up the save in a come from behind victory.  Cole faced just three batters surrendering a base hit but induced a ground ball for a 6-4-3 double play.

Through three performances, Cole has a win, save, a 0.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.  Cole has to be pushing his way into a deeper conversation about earning a spot in the Blue Jays bullpen.

Conclusion
While we are just 10 games into Spring Training and there are still three weeks to go, these are some players that are making management take notice and open a deeper conversation one what the pitching roster will look like.