This might be the best Blue Jays starting rotation we’ve ever seen

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/04/2022 (1598 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the vast majority of the 21st century so far, the Blue Jays have gone into the final days of spring training with huge question marks in their starting rotation. There has always been a strong starter or two, sometimes even three, but the bottom end has been filled with a procession of ifs and hopefullys, and even the occasional “that’s all we’ve got.”

That’s not the case anymore.

The 2022 Jays feature a starting rotation that many pundits are referring to as the best in the American League, even after the departure of Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray.

Four of the five starters have been all-stars, two as recently as last season. The other member would likely have been AL rookie of the year in 2021 had he been called up a few weeks prior to his actual May 27 launch date.í

José Berríos, Kevin Gausman, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Alek Manoah and Yusei Kikuchi make up the deepest and most talented rotation the Jays have had in decades, maybe (and this could be blasphemy, I know) their best starting five ever.

Gausman, who signed a five-year, $110 million (U.S.) contract the day before Ray left for Seattle, loves what he’s seen so far.

“I think the mix that we have is (different from) any other rotation in baseball,” said the right-hander, who pitched for the 107-win San Francisco Giants last season.

“Kikuchi is a lefty who has so many different pitches, (who) can throw 97 (miles per hour) — the ball explodes out of his hand,” Gausman said. “Ryu has proven that when he’s healthy he’s an unbelievable Cy Young-calibre talent. I’ve always been a huge fan of Berríos — he wore the Orioles out for years when I was with them. And just now starting to see Manoah …”

His voice trailed off while trying to describe how impressed he’s been by the 24-year-old, who is looking to build off a spectacular rookie season. The feeling is mutual. Manoah’s jaw dropped multiple times when he watched Gausman throw live batting practice for the first time in Dunedin.

“I think my changeup is getting better just by watching him throw his splitter,” Manoah said of the Gausman offering that flummoxed opposing batters to the tune of a .133 batting average against last season. Gausman had a whiff rate of 45.9 per cent on his splitter last year; that’s how often hitters swung and missed at the pitch.

Berríos — the right-hander who signed a seven-year, $131-million extension over the winter, after the Jays had acquired him from the Minnesota Twins for two top prospects at the July 30 trade deadline — will get the ball on opening day.

“I’ve been dreaming of that day,” said the 27-year-old native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. “That’s why I’ve prepared myself to be the best, to be in that scenario. I’m going to enjoy every second, every moment.”

Berríos will join a very long line of opening day starters for the Jays over the 13 years since Hall of Famer Roy Halladay was traded to Philadelphia. Halladay took the ball to start the season for seven straight years. Since then, no one has done it more than twice.

Berríos is set to become the Jays’ ninth opening day starter in those 13 seasons, though it’s the third time in the last four years that he’ll get the ball on day one.

Ryu got the nod the last two, but the veteran lefty is set to be third out of the chute this year, pitching the finale of the opening series against Marcus Semien’s Texas Rangers. He hit a wall in late August last season, posting an ugly 8.38 ERA over his final seven starts.

“This is a guy who (has been) top three in the league in Cy Young voting two of the last three years,” Manoah said of his close friend, “so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about there.

“He goes out and has a (4.37) ERA and people are saying it’s the end of the world,” continued Manoah. “That just goes to show you that we’re used to him being in the high twos or low threes, and he is, too. He’s working his tail off and he’s ready to have a big year.”

They all are, and they’ll be helped out by an offence that led the major leagues with 262 home runs and a .797 OPS last season.

“I truly do believe that we have the best lineup in the world,” Kikuchi said.

Manoah, the junior member of the group, has set some pretty lofty goals.

“If each starter can go win 20 games, then we’ve got a 100-win season,” said the ever-confident hurler.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

Of course, there’s never been a major-league team with five 20-game winners. There have only been two teams with as many as four, and none in the past 50 years. But Manoah didn’t mean he expects to win 20, or that each of his rotation mates will.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a win on the (individual) stat sheet,” he explained, “but a team win (on) the day that I start is a win for me.”

It’s a very advanced outlook and another indication of Manoah’s maturity, which is why he really doesn’t seem like a player about to embark on his first full season in the majors. Of course, neither did Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette or Jordan Romano when they did that last year.

One “kid who doesn’t really seem like a kid” and four veteran all-stars adds up to a very good rotation. And when you mix in the Jays’ killer offence and the new vacuum cleaner at third base, 20 wins on each starter’s day doesn’t seem all that out of reach.

Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star and host of the baseball podcast “Deep Left Field.” Follow him on Twitter: @wilnerness