Trio of Blue Jays' rookie pitchers off to a promising start

Rookie left-hander Thomas Pannone is 4-1 with a 3.58 ERA in 11 appearances - including five starts - with the Toronto Blue Jays since being recalled from the minors.

By Lucas Casaletto

Canadian Baseball Network

TORONTO - As the Toronto Blue Jays conclude a season that quickly turned into one centered on growth and development, several young players - in particular, pitchers - have managed to impress, to some degree.

Ryan Borucki, Thomas Pannone, and Sean Reid-Foley moved relatively quickly through the system and, despite some expected growing pains, have performed well enough to warrant consideration as major league regulars in 2019.

A mid-season deal that shipped longtime Blue Jays starter JA Happ to the New York Yankees, and the void caused by the extended absences of Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez - who were both recently shut down with finger injuries - allowed a few starters, including Borucki and Pannone, the chance to prove themselves. The sample size is undoubtedly small, but with Marco Estrada making what was likely his final start in Toronto on Monday, and Sam Gaviglio looking like a placeholder, these young pitchers are poised to be part of what has the makings of an exciting future.

Left-hander Ryan Borucki has thrown the most innings of the three rookie pitchers currently in the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation. Photo Credit: USA Today Sports

Of the group mentioned above, Borucki’s time in the majors has been the most extensive. He’s also had the most success. Of all qualified Blue Jays position players and starters, the departed Happ is the only one to accrue over 2.0 fWAR this season. Behind him, on the cusp of that, is the 24-year-old Borucki, who’s been the club’s most reliable and effective pitcher.

“I try to keep it simple, and I’ve felt more comfortable out there as the season winds down,” Borucki told the Canadian Baseball Network.

“Obviously I am excited to be part of this starting rotation next year. I want to continue to get better, and I believe I’ve made strides, for sure, especially with my offspeed pitches."

Among starters with 90 innings or more, Borucki’s currently sits ahead of Zack Greinke, Dallas Keuchel, and David Price, among many others, with a 3.52 FIP. It’s worth reiterating that while the sample size is small, Borucki has pitched to good numbers against stiff competition. Of his 16 starts, eight of them have come versus the Houston Astros (1), New York Yankees (2), Boston Red Sox (3), and Tampa Bay Rays (2) - four teams with a combined winning percentage of .619. After a string of successful starts, hitters feasted off Borucki in six August appearances in which he served up five home runs en route to a 6.59 ERA. Since then, however, Borucki has made adjustments - specifically with his repertoire.

A three-pitch guy, Borucki has relied primarily on his four-seam fastball, changeup, and slider. Throughout the first few months in the majors, of those pitches, Borucki utilized his slider the least (15.5 percent). Four starts into September, he's trusted his slider a lot more (23.4 percent usage) which has induced more swings and misses (19.7 whiff percentage). Thus far, the results have been impressive, with Borucki sporting a 1.98 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings. Though Borucki doesn’t profile as an overpowering, top-of-the-rotation arm, he’s proven himself to be an asset early on in his career.

“He’s been tremendous,” pitching coach Pete Walker said of Borucki’s performance to date.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked of him. He’s gone out there and thrown strikes against Boston, New York, a lot of tough matchups and he’s gone out and thrown strikes. That’s extremely encouraging for the future here."

While there seems to be a good indication of what Borucki could be, Pannone and Reid-Foley are harder to assess. Unlike Borucki and Reid-Foley, who both hover around 92-94 mph with their fastball, Pannone’s tops out at 89 mph, while his curveball, which averages 70.6 mph, ranks as one of the slowest in baseball.

The left-hander’s start to 2018 was cut short after he was suspended 80 games in March for testing positive for a banned substance called dehydrochlormethyltestosterone. Following the layoff, Pannone was quickly thrust into action making separate stops with class-A Advanced Dunedin, double-A New Hampshire, and triple-A Buffalo. The results were mixed but Pannone, who, before the season, was expected to be among the pitchers on the cusp of contributing at the major-league level, got the call.

Outside of a clunker performance on Aug. 28 in which he was tagged for nine hits and seven earned runs, Pannone has been productive as a starter, particularly of late. In his past three starts, he’s limited opposing hitters to .197/.275/.423 and a 2.70 ERA. There are some red flags, however, and regression is likely on the horizon.

Pannone’s results have come on the heels of a .213 BABIP (Batting Average of Balls in Play) and a wildly high 84.8 LOB (Left on Base) percentage. Both are unsustainable, and if you factor in his fly ball rate (52.2 percent) and home runs allowed (1.67 HR/9), his numbers are a little deceiving.

Still, Pannone has come a long way considering how quickly he moved after the suspension. His ceiling is likely that of a fifth starter, and it’s entirely possible his future lies in the bullpen, but the Blue Jays front office did well in acquiring a young pitcher with years of control for a rental reliever in Joe Smith.

“It’s always interesting seeing young guys come up for the first time. Obviously, there’s a lot of nerves, a lot of anxiety,” pitching coach Pete Walker said in regards to the Borucki, Pannone and Reid Foley’s debuts.

“We try to make them feel as comfortable as possible, adjusting to life in the majors. I think Pannone has responded extremely well and has looked the part.”

Of the three rookies in the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation, right-hander Sean Reid-Foley is believed to have the most upside.

Of the Blue Jays young pitchers, it’s Reid-Foley that carries the most upside, at least in terms of pure stuff. Since being drafted in the second round in 2014, Reid-Foley has combined to strike out precisely 10 batters per nine innings in the minors. It was his performance in 2016 split between class-A Lansing and Dunedin that rose his stock as a prospect after he posted a 2.81 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 115 1/3 innings pitched.

The following year proved to be a difficult one for Reid-Foley. Pitching with double-A New Hampshire, the right-hander struggled with his control (3.6 BB/9) and saw a significant uptick in home runs (22). After refining his approach, Reid-Foley turned it back around with the Fisher Cats, leading to his most recent stint in the majors.

His six starts have brought with it some wildly different outcomes. Twice the right-hander has left an appearance having struck out 10 batters with his most impressive performance coming on Sept. 2 in which he lasted seven innings, allowed only four hits, and walked one en route to his first career major-league win. On the flip side, he’s also battled control issues, which have led to shorter, more feeble outings.

“Reid-Foley will grow into that role, I am sure of it,” Walker said. “His stuff is electric. Plus stuff, plus fastball and good breaking stuff. Certainly that all plays at this level and he knows that. Now, it’s just a matter of him corralling it and pitching with controlled aggression as opposed to just letting it go all the time. The sooner he recognizes that when he gets out there some more, he’ll start to settle in."

The Blue Jays’ cautious approach with their young starters has led to them all flashing some upside, which is an encouraging development. As the team continues its transition to a younger core, it’s the club’s lavishly talented position players - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.), Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, and Kevin Smith - that get the bulk of the attention, and deservedly so. There remains some work to be done on the pitching side, but the trio of Borucki, Pannone, and Reid-Foley graduating to the majors is a good start. We're slowly starting to witness the Blue Jays of the future, but for these three, their time is now.