Brendon Little quietly turned in a solid season as the Blue Jays’ top LHP reliever

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Brendon Little started last season as a relative unknown to casual fans but ended it by making a strong case to be a rare carryover from what was a leaky bullpen in 2024.

The Jays’ seemed to have decent depth from the left side of their relief corps entering the season with Génesis Cabrera and Tim Mayza being the featured lefty arms on the Opening Day roster. Mayza had trouble with his velocity and command and was designated for assignment in late June. Cabrera pitched well but was nonetheless removed from the 40-man roster on November 4th before signing a minor-league contract with the New York Mets.

After starting the season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, Little made his season debut on April 26, pitching an inning and a third of middle relief in a 12-2 loss to the L.A. Dodgers. He was shelled for five hits and three earned runs but would enjoy much better results as the season wore on.

The southpaw was sent back down to Buffalo but was recalled in early June. Following another tough initial outing (one inning pitched, two hits, one home run allowed, two earned runs) the former 36th-round pick started to prove he belongs in the majors, pitching to a 2.38 ERA over his last 10 appearances (11.1 IP) of the month while stranding both inherited runners faced.

Little followed that by allowing an opponent's batting average of .229 and sporting a 2.89 ERA over 12 games in July while stranding 83% of inherited baserunners. As his confidence grew, the Pennsylvania native was thrust into more high-leverage situations and was regularly asked to get outs in the sixth inning and beyond.

From Aug. 2 to Sept. 25, Little had a 2.21 ERA over 20.1 frames, spanning 22 appearances. He earned his first career save (he also blew one) and a pair of holds as he became one of the more reliable options out of a beleaguered bullpen. In his final outing, the former State College star surrendered a pair of earned runs, but that did little to take away from the favorable impression he made all season.

Overall, the lefty went 1-2 with a 3.74 ERA in 45.2 innings pitched with 36 strikeouts, and a 1.31 WHIP. He is well-regarded within the organization and has a great chance of making the Opening Day roster in 2025.