Low-key addition in the Blue Jays bullpen has been a nice surprise

Tommy Nance was acquired in an under-the-radar trade, but his recent performance may be putting him on the major league map.

In a season where a lot has gone wrong for the Blue Jays, the bullpen's shortcomings have been one of the team's most obvious issues. But Nance has been one of the few bright spots for the beleaguered Toronto relief corps, which is currently 28th in the majors with a 4.78 earned run average.

Nance, 33, has appeared in 13 games with the Blue Jays this season, notching a 3.07 ERA and striking out 13 in 14.2 innings pitched. He's posted a 0.89 WHIP while allowing five runs, eight hits, five walks and two home runs. Nance has also finished five games.

Of course, like most relievers, Nance's numbers are affected by a single appearance. Three of those runs he's allowed and one of those home runs came in one outing Aug. 22 against the Los Angeles Angels. That's the only appearance where Nance has allowed multiple runs, as he has posted zeroes in 10 of his 12 other games.

And to think, when the right-hander was acquired in an August trade with San Diego, hardly anyone knew about it. Nance was dealt from the Padres for cash considerations, then added to the MLB roster when reliever Genesis Cabrera was placed on the Paternity List the next day. For most, that was the first time they heard that Nance was even in the organization.

One of the reasons for his success this season might be Nance's curveball, a pitch that was recently on display this week. Nance fired a scoreless inning Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, ending the frame by vanquishing Bryson Stott with that same curveball.

According to Baseball Savant, the curveball has been Nance's second-most used pitch this year after his sinker. With the curve, batters are just 1-for-16 (a .063 batting average) against the pitch. Nance's whiff rate with the curveball is 38.7 percent, the second-highest percentage he has ever had with any pitch in his MLB career. Nance posted a 42.2 percent whiff rate in 2022 with the same pitch, the curveball.

What makes a good curveball is a high rate of spin and movement. Nance's curveball has a spin rate in the 90th percentile of MLB pitchers in 2024, according to Baseball Savant.

As for movement, in 2024, Nance's curveball has a vertical drop of about 53.7 inches. That's 8 inches more drop, or 17 percent more drop, than similar curveballs that average around
84 to 85 mph like Nance's. That amount of drop is among the MLB leaders, with at least 50 pitches thrown this season. Of course, it is a small sample size, because Nance has only appeared in 13 games and thrown 74 curveballs in 2024.

Nance signed a minor league deal with San Diego in the offseason. He never made it up to the Padres, but he did have a 4.05 ERA over 33.1 innings in 26 games with the El Paso Chihuahuas of the Pacific Coast League. Nance struck out 35 of the 150 batters he faced in Triple A.

At the MLB level, Nance pitched in 62 games between the 2021 season with the Chicago Cubs and the 2022 season with the Miami Marlins. Between those two teams, Nance went 3-4 with a 5.47 ERA and 1.43 WHIP, but he struck out 87 over 72.1 innings of work. He allowed 10 home runs, however, and his walk rate hovered around 10 percent in each season.

If he can keep this up, Nance may present a cheap but effective bullpen option for Toronto next season. Nance is out of options, but has just over two years of major league service time. As a result, he won't be eligible for arbitration.