2016 Blue Jays Season Review: Darrell Ceciliani

By: Jay Blue and @JaysGirlEmily

Blue Jays From Away

Now that the season is over, the crew at Blue Jays from Away will take a look at the Blue Jays one by one and review how each player’s season went, whether he met expectations (or not) and look at how he fits into (what we think of) the Blue Jays’ plans going forward.

Darrell Ceciliani came to the Blue Jays in February thanks to a trade to the New York Mets (and since I can’t seem to find the player to be named later, I would think that the deal was consummated with some cash heading to the Mets). At the time, he was coming off a career year in Las Vegas, the Mets’ Triple-A team where he hit .345/.398/.581 with nine home runs in 254 plate appearances. While he only hit .206/.270/.279 with the big league club, Ceciliani was looked at as a possible competitor to Ezequiel Carrera and Dalton Pompey for the Jays’ fourth outfielder spot.

Ceciliani made a good case for himself in spring training, hitting .417/.500/.833 with three doubles and four home runs in just 36 at bats in 19 spring games. But when the season opened, Ceciliani, with options remaining, was sent to Buffalo where he played just four games before getting injured and missing a month. Returning to action in mid-May, he played relatively poorly, hitting .234/.274/.308 in 29 games before a one-game call-up to the Jays where he went 0/3 with two strikeouts against Arizona on June 22.

Sent back to Buffalo, Ceciliani hit in 10 of his first 11 games, smoking the ball at a .372/.429/.674 rate, hitting his first two home runs of the season. Obviously something clicked with Ceciliani and, in 38 games between June 25 and August 7, he hit .314/.381/.584 with nine home runs, earning himself another call up to the majors. This time, he was given a little bit more of a chance but didn’t make the most of it, striking out 11 times in 25 plate appearances.

He finished the season with 11 games in Buffalo and two in Toronto (only hitting once in Toronto) and had a very solid .266/.323/.441 slash line with the Bisons, hitting 17 doubles, three triples and a career-high 10 home runs in 334 plate appearances while striking out in 15.6% of his plate appearances and walking in 7.8%.

In Toronto, things didn’t look as good for Ceciliani. He hit just .111/.172/.185, walking in 3.4% of his 29 plate appearances and striking out in 48.3%. Barring some major acquisitions, however, there may be a chance for Ceciliani, 26, to get some playing time for the Blue Jays in 2017.

As a left-handed hitter, Ceciliani could compete for the fourth outfielder job again. That said, while Ceciliani was given very little opportunity in the majors to compete, what chance he did have was squandered by striking out in almost half of his plate appearances.

Contract Status

Ceciliani has well under a year’s worth of major league service time and still has one option year left.

Emily Says

Darrell Ceciliani started the year off in Triple-A Buffalo before being called up to Toronto on June 17th. He was sent back down a week later after playing in two games – one as a defensive replacement, the other as a starting outfielder where he went 0-3 with two strikeouts.

He was recalled in August, played in nine games and had three hits, including two doubles, for a .130 average. He walked once and struck out eleven times. After September callups, he made two appearances and struck out in his only at-bat. He ended the season with a .111 average and a .172 OBP.

Over 74.0 innings in the outfield, he made 12 putouts and had one error. He did not make the postseason roster.

Regular Season Grades

Jay: F
Emily: D