Unlikely Blue Jays hero named latest AL Player of the Week

Amidst a lost season for the Toronto Blue Jays, they have actually had some unsung heroes performing well along the way to help give the team some glimmer of hope for their future. Among them include their latest unlikeliest of heroes in pitcher Bowden Francis, who just recently took home AL Player of the Week honours.

This past week, Francis made two impressive starts, going 2-0 with a stellar 0.64 ERA, 0.29 WHIP, while giving up only one earned run on four hits along with 15 strikeouts over 14 innings of work. He has sure come a long way since his disastrous start to the 2024 season earlier this year.

Having earned a rotation spot coming out of spring training, Francis failed to make the most of his opportunity when he gave up 12 runs on 12 hits over just 8.1 innings in his first two starts. That was enough to relegate him back to the bullpen, where he continued his on-and-off struggles. Eventually, his ineffectiveness caught up to him, leading to his optioning back down to the minors in mid-July.

After the mass exodus of players that took place at the trade deadline, Francis regained a spot on the major league roster and hasn’t relinquished it since. In fact, working primairly as a starter once again, he has been a totally different pitcher, as highlighted meticulously by our very own Michael Fisher. Since his return to the big leagues, Francis has looked dominant, compiling a 3-1 record with a solid 2.16 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, along with just a .161 opponents batting average and an impressive 12:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

With various spots up for grabs for the upcoming 2025 season, Francis is building a strong case to be a part of the main core for the Jays’ future. With the way things have been going for him now, it might not be just a spot on the pitching staff, but perhaps even a permanent role in the starting rotation wouldn’t be out of the question.

For a season where many things haven’t gone right for the Jays, it appears as though they finally have something going their way with the convincing, renewed success of Francis as a starter.