Toronto Blue Jays 2020 Report Card: Ryan Borucki

Jays Journal contributors will be authoring Toronto Blue Jays report cards based on how each player performed in 2020. In this edition, we take a look at Ryan Borucki.

Ryan Borucki seemed to have benefited from the delay of the season as he was expected to miss the start of the season with an arm injury if it wasn’t held off.

While coming through the Blue Jays minor league system as a starter, he was used strictly out of the bullpen this season.

In 21 relief appearances, Borucki posted a 2.70 E.R.A. with 21 strikeouts in 16.2 innings while also limiting opposing batters to hit just .200 off him.

Borucki’s arsenal

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

According to baseball savant, Borucki relied on only three pitches with them being a sinker (47.8%), slider (37.9%), and changeup (14.3%).

By looking at his pitch charts, his changeups predominantly landed on the right side of the plate. This is a pitch he relied on against right-handed batters as of the 46 changeups he threw in the 2020 season, not one was against a lefty.

He used his slider 77.9% of the time against lefties with his sinker being thrown just twice more against righties.

His most effective pitch is his slider as batters batted .077 off that pitch and none of them were for extra bases. Despite throwing his changeup strictly to righties, the results weren’t great as it ended with an opponent average of .429 with a slugging percentage of 1.000.

Split stats

Borucki was lights out during home games as he didn’t allow a single run while limiting hitters to a batting average of .208. While he posted an even better opponent average on road games (.194), his E.R.A. was 4.50.

He also fared much better against lefties (0.93 E.R.A./.125 opp avg) than he did against righties (5.14 E.R.A./.286 opp avg).

Grade

Borucki did fairly well in his first full season as a reliever. While he will always be available to start if needed, with his solid season, he most likely cemented himself as a key reliever for the Blue Jays going forward.

Lefties are a necessity in forming a solid bullpen and Borucki seems like an important piece of a hopefully strong bullpen in the future.

One thing he will need to do to get better is limiting the number of walks he gives up, 12 free passes in 16.2 innings but if his accuracy can get to standard, he’ll be golden.

Final grade: B-