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Blue Jays 2024 Season Preview: Starting Pitchers
Chris Bassitt
Bassitt set career highs in innings pitched (200) and games started (33) last season. Tossing 7.2 scoreless innings vs the Yankees in late September with a dozen punchouts to end the regular season was quite the exclamation point on a strong season for the southpaw. Unfortunately for Toronto, he never pitched another inning in 2023 after that. Bassitt is a gamer who has adjusted nicely with age and seems to relish playing competitive baseball on a contending club.
Known for his enormous quantity of pitches, Bassitt was consistent for large stretches of the season. Due to all that success, the projections indicate a slight regression for 2024. They forecast a slightly lower 7.83 K/9 while at the same time improving his BB/9 to 2.36. Bassitt is one of those guys who could be his own worst enemy when he gets lost in what pitch to throw, thus causing an inning to spiral out of control.
In any event, they see him posting an ERA ranging anywhere from 3.80 to 4.30. This is a pitcher who can get better as the season goes on. Watching Bassitt in his opening day start in St Louis and the last start against the New York Yankees were two wildly different experiences. A pitcher who is always seen talking with his teammates can be expected to pass on his wisdom and knowledge whenever possible.
The projections point to a pitcher who should continue to see solid production next season. Bassitt is in the middle of a three-year free agent contract and will be 35-years old on opening day. I think Bassitt is a lock for continued stable production towards the top of this vaunted rotation. This is the type of player who lets his play do the talking and the expectation should be pretty similar in 2024.