TORONTO – In recent years, the Toronto Blue Jays have been patient with young starting pitchers – and in some cases, it has even cost them. Whether it was Joe Biagini, Conner Greene or Sean Reid-Foley, the Blue Jays have generally chosen to develop their prospects as starters. Maybe the front office was occasionally tempted to convert those pitchers to relievers in pursuit of more immediate results, but they generally avoided indulging that temptation.
This season, they face a different kind of decision with their pitching prospects since there will not be a minor-league campaign in 2020. While the circumstances at hand are far from ideal, there may be a potential opportunity here. As general manager Ross Atkins put it over the weekend, the Blue Jays are seeking “creative ways to maximize talent.” If so, they can start with their pitching staff.
Now that minor-league games have been cancelled, the chance to develop as a starter in the minor leagues does not exist for the likes of Thomas Hatch, Patrick Murphy and Julian Merryweather. These pitchers, who were all added to the Blue Jays’ player pool late last month, will now face a different developmental path than the one the Blue Jays would have anticipated in the spring.
Under these circumstances, the Blue Jays could continue developing them as starting pitchers in Buffalo, where the club’s satellite roster will train. Certainly, they will need some minor-league pitchers stretched out in case they need bulk innings, and these three would all be candidates for that role.
Yet there’s also another option, and based on what Atkins is saying, Blue Jays decision-makers seem legitimately intrigued by this alternative way of doing things. Instead of keeping these pitchers stretched out, the Blue Jays could convert them into multi-inning relief arms available to contribute to the major-league bullpen if needed. Typically, starters’ stuff will play up out of the bullpen, where they can throw at max effort and use only their best two or three pitches. We see that in the playoffs every fall.
At this point, there’s very little certainty in the Blue Jays’ bullpen leading up to closer Ken Giles. But Hatch posted a 2.80 ERA with 34 strikeouts compared to two walks last year, Murphy’s unusual delivery could keep hitters off-balance and Merryweather was said to have hit 100 m.p.h. on the radar gun last summer. Could one or more of those pitchers help provide a bridge to Giles?
On a conference call with media members Saturday, Atkins said it’s a “fair assumption” that Hatch, Murphy and Merryweather will get looks in relief, among others. (Nate Pearson, it should be noted, will not be in consideration for a relief role, according to Atkins; if and when he reaches the majors, he’ll arrive as a starting pitcher).
Beyond the needs of the 2020 team, the Blue Jays don’t want to stall the development of key future contributors. As a general rule, this organization tends to take the long view, and understandably so. But cultivating prospects’ long-term potential is going to be hard this year, especially within a game environment. The challenges that these pitchers would ideally have faced – testing breaking pitches against upper-minors hitters, turning over a lineup three times, working on fastball command – are not really available.
“Oftentimes when you’re building starting depth and thinking about starting pitching, there are two things that are significant factors,” Atkins said. “One is the length of the season, second is the other development opportunities that you have. Both of those two things are drastically different now, so we’ll be looking to maximize our chances and capitalize on the best development opportunity that we have which is currently at the major-league level.”
This summer, the likes of Hatch, Murphy and Merryweather will either be working out with the satellite roster in Buffalo or contributing at the MLB level. In some ways, they might gain more from pitching out of the big-league bullpen. They’re already on the 40-man roster, so it’s not as though the Blue Jays would have to cut other players to make room. And from a depth standpoint, there are many other starters who can remain stretched out, including Anthony Kay, Ryan Borucki and Jacob Waguespack.
“We have the pieces to be very flexible,” Atkins said. “One of the things we’ll have to think most about might be … thinking about some of our starting pitchers in relief roles.”
Next year, when minor-league affiliates are expected to resume playing, there will be ample opportunity for pitchers such as Hatch, Murphy and Merryweather to continue developing as starters. In the meantime, this summer offers an ideal chance to see how their stuff plays in relief.
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