5 Blue Jays players who were cursed in 2023

Over the course of the 2023 season, the Toronto Blue Jays had many players that made significant contributions to the ballclub in helping them reach their ultimate goal in making the MLB playoffs. In one way or another, they either met or exceeded expectations in guiding the team towards winning and success.

However, there were a few players that seemed to be cursed in terms of the amount of bad luck they ran into in 2023, as they had previously proven to be invaluable contributors in the past. Here, we take a look at five players that unfortunately didn’t end up having the year they envisioned despite their sound track record, but hopefully can bounce back in the not-so-distant future.

Adam Cimber

For Adam Cimber, 2023 was certainly a year he would like to forget. Cimber was coming off an impressive 2022 season with the Jays in which he compiled a strong 10-6 record with 19 holds and four saves, along with a 2.80 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 58 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched. He was certainly looking towards a third consecutive strong season with the ballclub ever since coming over from the Miami Marlins back in 2021.

He actually began the 2023 season on a good note, as he held his opponents scoreless in his first four outings of the season. However, things would begin to spiral downward for Cimber from there on. He would surrender runs in four of the next seven outings and eventually land on the IL by the end of April due to a right rhomboid strain. After coming back near the end of May, things got even worse for Cimber as in his next 11 appearances, he would give up 12 earned runs including three home runs in just 10.2 innings of work for a horrific 10.13 ERA and 1.88 WHIP. His season would end mercifully when he found himself on the IL once again due to a right shoulder impingement that eventually became a season-ending injury.

Cimber has been a solid MLB reliever ever since his debut in the majors back in 2018 with the San Diego Padres. Over his six-year career, he had been one of the more reliable and dependable bullpen arms in MLB during that span, so it’s most certain that he didn’t just forget how to pitch all of a sudden. So perhaps he just ran into a case of bad luck, along with some ailments that no doubt affected his effectiveness. Hopefully he will have the opportunity to bounce back in 2024 when given the chance once again by the Jays.

Zach Pop

Zach Pop was acquired from the Miami Marlins last season by the Jays at the trade deadline along with Anthony Bass to help bolster their bullpen down the stretch. For Pop, it was a feel good story as he was coming home to pitch for his hometown team, and he certainly did not disappoint. Despite his brief stint with the Jays in 2022, Pop delivered whenever called upon, as he posted a strong 2-0 record with a 1.89 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, giving up only four earned runs, two walks and 11 strikeouts in 19 innings of work.

As a result, he definitely had the upper hand in landing a bullpen spot with the big league club heading into 2023. Pop did indeed end up starting the 2023 season in the majors, as he continued his success he has had with his new ballclub by going 1-0 with a miniscule 1.08 ERA, .115 opponents batting average, 0.72 WHIP, with 11 strikeouts in just 8.1 innings pitched in his first nine appearances.

However, his luck would suddenly turn bad in the worst possible way. He would struggle with his control and command in his next few outings, yielding runs in four of his next six appearances, which tied the amount of runs he had given up last season with the Jays. If that wasn’t bad enough, Pop would subsequently find himself on the 15-day IL with a right hamstring injury. However, his IL stint took a little longer than expected and would end up being two months long instead. On top of that, he was also struggling in his rehab as well. As a result, by the time he was reinstated back in early July, there was no room for him anymore in the Jays’ bullpen and was optioned to Buffalo where he remained for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, things didn’t get any better in Buffalo as his season of misery would continue even in the minors.

As the 2023 season finally came to an end for Pop, he will look to regain the Jays’ trust in the upcoming season when bullpen roster spots open up again for 2024. Hopefully this time around, Pop will have some better luck going forward and a fair shot at securing a spot on the 26-man roster.

Nate Pearson

When it comes to Nate Pearson, it just felt like he has been cursed all this time since his MLB debut back in 2020 with the ballclub. With his amazing stuff, he was expected to be a top-notch, front-end of the rotation starter for many years to come when he made his rapid ascension from the minors to the major leagues. However, it just seemed like every time he was about to break out, something would happen to him, whether it be losing his consistency and command, or falling to injuries that would put him out for a period of time, setting him back.

Nevertheless, he had put all of that behind him as he started the 2023 season with a clean bill of health and full of promise heading into his seventh professional baseball season. When he was promoted once again to the big league club at the end of April, Pearson took off as he finally displayed the dominant form many expected him to be all these years.

In his first 17 appearances, Pearson was lights out, going 4-0 with a 1.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, giving up only five earned runs with five walks and 26 strikeouts in just 23 innings pitched. To everyone, it seemed like he has finally arrived and here to stay. Unfortunately, things unravelled for him quickly as he practically fell off a cliff in the following couple of months. With his effectiveness and confidence all shattered, he was ultimately sent back down to the minors once again, going back to the drawing board once more.

The curse apparently still remains as Pearson still hasn’t had the breakthrough season everyone has been waiting for. But time is beginning to run out, so hopefully for 2024, Pearson will finally have both fate and luck on his side and ultimately show everyone once and for all that he could indeed be an effective MLB player.

Alek Manoah

Finally, of course, there’s former ace Alek Manoah. There’s probably no one on the team that encountered as much bad luck than what Manoah had for the 2023 season. Back in 2022, he was basically almost on top of the baseball world, as he posted a stellar campaign in which he pitched to a 16-7 record with a 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, with 180 strikeouts in 196.2 innings pitched. He was so impressive that he was also an All-Star and AL Cy Young finalist that very same year.

But boy does that seem like ages ago now. In 2023, practically everything had fallen apart for Manoah right from the very beginning. He would struggling mightily with his control and command throughout the season, failing to find a groove even after some hard fought impressive outings. They had even tried sending him down to the minors, hoping for him to rebuild his pitching game and regain his confidence to back to where it was before.

Unfortunately, even after all that, things still didn’t turn for the better, as ultimately Manoah would lose his spot in the rotation once again when he was optioned to the minors shortly after the trade deadline. He would not rejoin the club during the stretch run and was eventually shut down for the season in September.

For someone with Manoah’s skills and abilities and the strong resume he has built up, no one was expecting such a collapse to happen. But if he can focus on the fundamentals both physically and mentally, and rebound from the unfortunate luck he had in 2023, he could be back bigger and better in no time for the future of the Jays’ franchise.