4 Blue Jays players who may have peaked in 2023

Danny Jansen

When it comes to professional sports, there are players who just can't stay healthy no matter what they do. They can often be referred to as soft, which is unfair a lot of the time - it's not in an athlete's psyche to not want to compete.

In respect of Major League Baseball, you could almost refer to these players as the anti-Cal Ripken Jr. Examples include the likes of Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton, Jacob DeGrom and Noah Syndergaard.

Closer to home, one example who comes to mind is Danny Jansen. This guy is the definition of unlucky. Even taking into account sharing playing time with other catchers, he's played in less than 54 percent of all possible regular season over the previous five years.

Ailments include a hamstring strain, an oblique injury and a finger fracture. Every time Jansen seems to be getting on a roll, another injury sets him back.

And really, these issues with durability are part of the reason why Blue Jays fans should worry the 28-year-old might have reached his peak in 2023. Consider that in some respects, this was his best offensive season yet in the Majors.

More specifically, Jansen set single-season highs with 17 home runs, 53 RBI and 15 doubles. He also had his second-highest ever figures for hits, runs, slugging percentage and OPS.

However, the Elmhurst, Illinois native also only played in only 86 regular season games, which sadly is also the second-most of his six-year Major League career. His injuries in 2023 included a groin strain, a forearm contusion, wrist inflammation and a season-ending fractured finger.

The point is, Jansen had one of his best seasons yet at the plate, but continued to be compromised by an ever-growing list of injuries. Combine this with the wear and tear of being a catcher, and we might have to accept we've seen the best of an extremely solid player and excellent teammate.