A conversation with Joe Siddall: Breaking down Blue Jays’ Key Players and Rising Stars

In a recent conversation with Joe Siddall, former MLB catcher and current Sportsnet broadcaster, he shared his insights on the current Toronto Blue Jays roster and the development of some key players.

Robbie: Out of everyone in the organization, players, coaches, management who teaches you the most about baseball?

Joe: That's an excellent question. I mean, that's a broad scope because I could talk to Kevin Gausman about why he used the fastball more at the bottom of the zone to set up his splitter in Colorado and why, for example.

A conversation with Joe Siddall: Breaking down Blue Jays’ Key Players and Rising Stars

Siddall mentioned Gausman's name a few times, as a pitcher whose approach is fascinating, especially when it comes to working with his two-pitch arsenal. "He stands out because he’s a guy who throws mainly two pitches."

The challenge for Gausman, according to Siddall, comes down to the psychology of using these two pitches effectively. "He'll pepper the bottom of the zone with it to keep hitters honest because he feels like a lot of hitters will just lay off any low pitch because they think it's a splitter. Then there are also games where he'll do it, and guys will tee off on him."

Siddal pivoted from pitching to hitting by mentioning Bo Bichette. “I love talking hitting with any good hitter. To talk about hitting with Bo is just crazy because he's a little different. He’s so good with his moves.”

Siddall then shined a spotlight on the evolution of young talent, such as Addison Barger, who has made an incredible impact on the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays. "I think he’s getting more familiar with the league," he explained, mentioning how Barger has started hitting breaking balls. "He said, ‘I started hitting some of them, so they kind of went back, and now it’s back and forth.’"

Robbie: Where did that rapid improvement come from for Barger? For me right now, and I can speak to a lot of Jays fans here, he's my favourite hitter on the team.

Joe: He’s your favourite guy to watch because it’s just all unloading, right? It’s just violence. He’s coming at you. I think he’s so good because of his move. Bichette contorts his body in a way that not a lot of guys can, and it's the same with Barger. What he does is he coils into that back hip. When he punishes baseballs, it's fun.”

“For guys that coil into that back hip and really load into it, I call that controlling their forward move," he continues. "A lot of guys just move forward, but with Barger, he controls his move so much that he turns the barrel back, which allows him to create space and time to get to the fastball.”

Robbie: Let's move on to Shane Bieber here. He's up to 98 mph, he threw 62 pitches the other day, so I assume maybe a couple more starts. I know you don't have the answer, but how do you see the rotation shaping out when he returns?

Joe: As we said on the broadcast, these things tend to work themselves out. It’s not something I get too caught up in because it’s not even a question right now. If somebody’s struggling, maybe you make a move.

The complexity of the situation doesn't create an easy move for the Blue Jays, especially with pitchers like Eric Lauer performing well. "I think you and I agree, we'd hate to see Lauer in the bullpen. The easy answer is to see how guys in the rotation are doing. Is anybody hurting a bit? Does anybody need an IL stint?" says Siddal.

He then went on to mention the six-man rotation option. “I don’t love the six-man rotation,” Joe admitted. “When you start doing all that, the last thing you want to do is take them out of their routine. If you tell Scherzer that he's getting an extra day, he might throw you through the wall.”

Siddall then went on to suggest a name who hasn't been the most consistent, as a potential candidate to be pushed to the bullpen. "Jose Berrios is an interesting one for me to look at because he's had some leaks."

Robbie: Is there a favourite catcher right now in the game for you, non-Blue Jays?

Joe: You know, the position has changed so much. Watching Alejandro Kirk every day is easy because he’s one of the best receivers in the game. I don’t see a ton of catchers, and I go, I love the way he catches back there. But it’s probably just because it’s really hard for me to learn to love this new style of catching.

Siddall went on to share his thoughts on the current style of framing pitches, something that’s changed significantly since his time as a catcher. “Framing in my day would consist of just bringing it in gently. These violent moves are tough to watch sometimes, that's why I don’t like the word violent. I want soft, relaxed, subtle moves with the hands, quiet hands.”

Robbie: Is that why you use the term 'receiving' over 'framing'?

Joe: When I came up, it was receiving. You were a good receiver. It was about receiving the pitch because we always talked about giving the target and bringing it in without being violent. Those are the things I continue to hang on to.

In part three, we discuss Siddall’s journey from the minor leagues to the majors, his focus on defence, and the mentors who shaped his career.