Blue Jays: Five players who won’t make the team, but will finish the year

Underrated rotation options

Much of the narrative about the Blue Jays’ starting rotation has been the need for a number two or better starter, and that’s a fair criticism of the group. Outside of Hyun Jin Ryu there aren’t many established big leaguers, or at least ones with bring much in the way of stability. There’s upside with arms like Robbie Ray, Tanner Roark, and Steven Matz, but it’s really hard to predict how they’ll perform.

If the veterans can’t stay healthy or hold down their rotation jobs, the Blue Jays have plenty of depth options waiting for an opportunity. With Nate Pearson and possibly Ray starting the season on the sidelines, my guess is Anthony Kay could receive a start or two to begin the year so he’s not part of the group I’ll talk about today. For number five here, I’m admittedly cheating as well, because I’ve got two players to highlight in Trent Thornton and Thomas Hatch.

Had Hatch not suffered an injury this spring there’s a good chance he’d be in heavy consideration for a rotation job. He pitched very well out of the bullpen last year, and has made Ross Atkins look very smart for the trade he made in July of 2019, sending David Phelps to the Cubs in exchange for Hatch. His was a name that most of us had never heard of, at the time but he’s shown that there was good reason for the Blue Jays’ interest. It remains to be seen how long he’ll be out or how serious his injury will ultimately be, but as long as he can avoid surgery then he should find his way to the big leagues at some point this year.

As for Thornton, he’s become a bit of a forgotten man in the conversation despite still having solid upside. Unfortunately injuries limited him to just three appearances and 5.2 innings in 2020, but he was arguably their most important starter during his rookie season in 2019. He looked great in his first spring appearance, and as long as he’s fully healthy then he could be in the mix for an early start or two as well.

It was a real shame that Thornton was injured last year, especially after he seemed to hone his craft at the end the 2019 campaign. Given an opportunity, don’t be shocked if Thornton grabs a rotation spot and hangs on to it.

Cheering for a comeback

If there’s one player we should all be cheering for in camp this spring, it’s probably Tim Mayza.

The Pennsylvania native has worked hard to get back to performing at a high level after sustaining a devastating arm injury with the Blue Jays in 2019. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, he’s back throwing hard and is very much in the mix for a bullpen job.

The biggest reason that I think Mayza still start the year in the minors is because he still has minor league options remaining, and the Blue Jays will have a bit of a crunch to deal with as far as their 40-man roster. Kirby Yates’ injury opens up a spot, but they’ll also have to find room for veterans like Francisco Liriano, or A.J. Cole, assuming they want to keep them around. With Mayza they have the luxury of the minor league option.

If I’m making a prediction as of this writing, my assumption is that Liriano will be the second southpaw out of the bullpen to start the year, joining Ryan Borucki. That might come as a minor disappointment for Mayza, but he should rest comfortably knowing that an opportunity is bound to come in 2021. Every year big league teams need a large group of relievers to make it through a full season, and after a shortened 60-game schedule in 2020, pitching depth is going to be more important that ever.

Maybe the 29-year-old won’t be the most important piece in the bullpen this year, but I fully expect him to find a role at some point. After watching him walk off a big league mound in pain in 2019, it’ll be cause for celebration when he officially returns to a regular season game.

A gamble that could really pay off

It was a sight for sore eyes when Julian Merryweather finally made his MLB debut last season. It was only eight appearances, including three starts, but the long wait looked like it was about to pay off.

The Blue Jays acquired Merryweather from Cleveland back in 2018 just before the August 31st deadline, a second deadline that no longer exists. Of course, he was traded for Josh Donaldson so there was always going to be some weird pressure to give the Blue Jays a return for their star. The problem was that Merryweather was still dealing with serious arm injuries, but the Jays felt the gamble was worth it. They’d lost all leverage in their pursuit of trading Donaldson as the former MVP tried to get healthy at the time, and it was their last chance to trade him before he became a free agent.

It’s entirely possible that Merryweather could find a role in the bullpen to start the year, especially after the injury to Yates. However, with one minor league option remaining as well, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him start in Buffalo. He’s expressed an interest in remaining as a starting pitcher as well, and that would require more stretching out anyway. My guess is that’s what he’ll do to begin the year.

However, as long as the fireballer can stay healthy then I’m excited about what he could bring to the Blue Jays’ bullpen in 2021. He has the skill set to really succeed in the role, and if I had my way I’d likely start a full-time transition there now, especially with his injury history.

I don’t know that Merryweather is going to have a shot to win the closer’s role, but I could see him being an important arm in the 6th or 7th inning, or maybe even as a multi-inning reliever following a short-outing starter. Either way, it’s not hard to see him being a solid contributor at some point this year.

The story of the spring

If spring stats were the most important factor in who makes the team, Alek Manoah would unquestionably start the year in the big leagues. However, it doesn’t quite work that way, so try not to be too disappointed when the hard-throwing righty starts the year in Triple-A.

That said, after the way Manoah has performed during his Grapefruit League appearances, there’s no doubt that the coaching staff and front office have taken notice. It’s a shame he lost the 2020 season in the minor leagues due to the pandemic, but you wouldn’t know it with the way he’s throwing the ball right now.

After another solid outing on Thursday the former first round draft pick has a 0.00 ERA with a 0.14 WHIP and 15 strikeouts over 7.0 innings, holding opposing hitters to a .048 average. His fastball looks outstanding and his slider has been impressive, and he looks ready to take the next step.

Even if the injury bug keeps biting the Jays, I expect that they’ll prefer to start Manoah in Triple-A, especially so they can control his innings count. He prides himself on being a workhorse, but every professional pitcher is going to have to alter their approach this year after a strange 2020. For Manoah, the incentive to agree to some shorter outings early in the year might be the chance to make some big league starts at some point.

I had the opportunity to interview the Florida native early in 2020, and he very much impressed me at that time. It comes as no surprise to me that he’s thriving this spring, and I’m excited to see him with the Blue Jays later this year, even if we’re going to have to wait for a few more months.

Won’t be denied

Prior to seeing Simeon Woods Richardson pitch this spring, I didn’t really expect that we’d see the 20-year-old in the big leagues in 2021. I had read a few other writers make that prediction, but I wasn’t sure I really believed it. That said, it might be tough to deny the emerging prospect for long.

Like Manoah, Woods Richardson has had a very impressive spring and looks more than capable of getting big league hitters out. He’s also sporting a 0.00 ERA across eight innings, including a 0.84 WHIP and eight strikeouts. I realize that we can’t make too much of spring stats, but you couldn’t ask for more from the Texas native.

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Since he also missed the opportunity to gain minor league experience in 2020, Woods Richardson has never pitched above High-A. My guess is he’ll begin in Double-A with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and the Blue Jays will look to carefully manage his innings as well.

Woods Richardson strikes me as the type that could help in the bullpen down the stretch. He throws hard and doesn’t appear to be intimidated by much of anything, which are enviable traits for a reliever. Still just 20 years old, it would also help the Jays limit his workload if he’s only throwing an inning or two at a time later in the year.

It could all come down to a need in the rotation and/or in the bullpen, but I no longer think it’s out of the question that we’ll see Woods Richardson in the big leagues this year. Out of the five or six arms I’ve mentioned he’s admittedly the longest shot, but I’d still bet on seeing him sometime this summer or fall.

Again, some of the pitchers I’ve talked about may very well begin the year on the big league roster, but as of this writing i don’t think that’ll be the case. Injuries can obviously change things in a hurry though, and at one point or another Charlie Montoyo will likely call on them all. You can never have too much pitching.