Tanner Andrews relentless patience was rewarded with Blue Jays opportunity

There was practically no hype surrounding the Toronto Blue Jays' offseason acquisition of right-hander Tanner Andrews. Even when he was officially invited to camp, his presence was overshadowed by Nate Garkow.

Nevertheless, the career minor leaguer pushed forward. He tossed three scoreless innings in spring training and got assigned to Triple-A Buffalo, where he dominated to the tune of a 1.35 ERA over 20 innings. That performance was strong enough to earn him a call up to the big leagues when Dylan Cease hit the shelf with a hamstring strain.

Andrews, who has appeared in 151 MiLB games since being drafted back in 2018 by the Miami Marlins, finally made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays against his former team this week. Suffice it to say, he did not disappoint.

The 30-year-old made two appearances in the Marlins series, tossing three scoreless innings for John Schneider. He wasn't absolutely flawless -- he walked two and struck out only one -- but for all intents and purposes, he exceeded all expectations after waiting nearly a decade for his chance in the big leagues.

Tanner Andrews brings more than just a good story to Toronto

It's no secret that the Blue Jays' injury-plagued pitching staff has been a mess all year. The rotation has simply lost too many pitchers to cover a ton of innings, putting the onus on an inconsistent bullpen to pick up the slack. Save for Louis Varland, it's been hard to trust anyone in particular in high-leverage spots.

About the only thing working within the relief corps has been the team's closer-by-committee approach to the ninth inning, though that's not where Andrews will factor in the next time he's in the big leagues. After his two appearances the Blue Jays optioned him back to Triple-A. However, thanks to a wealth of starting experience in college and the lower levels of the minors, he can be asked to bridge the gap in the middle innings the next time he's in Toronto and at this rate, that could be very soon.

Truthfully, he may be overqualified for the gig. Even though he's never been particularly great at Triple-A (career 5.58 ERA), he showed real promise in Buffalo this year. He produced some of the best exit velocities and hard-hit rates among all Triple-A pitchers prior to his MLB debut, a feat he's continued in his limited exposure to big-league hitters.

His middling command could become an issue, but so long as he's suppressing loud contact and covering multiple innings, he'll have a place in Jays' bullpen when called upon. Considering it took him eight years to get this opportunity, expect Andrews to do everything in his power to earn his next one.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow