José Berríos is starting to get things going for the Blue Jays

After a disappointing 2022 campaign, right-hander José Berríos was looking to bounce back this season in the second year of his long-term deal that he signed during the 2020/2021 offseason worth $131 million over seven seasons, with an opt-out after the 2026 campaign.
While Berríos has been a consistent arm since his debut in 2016, last season saw the Puerto Rican product amass a 5.23 ERA through 32 outings, the highest amongst qualified arms and posting a 7.8 K/9, the lowest career total since 2016. He allowed an AL-leading 199 hits and 100 earned runs through 172 innings of work and while he had 16 games where he allowed two runs or fewer, he also allowed five or more through nine games, struggling to find consistency on the mound throughout the season.
Relegated to the fourth spot in the rotation a year after being the Jays Opening Day starter, Berríos made his 2023 debut against the Kansas City Royals. He struggled at Kauffman Stadium, allowing eight earned runs through 5 2/3 with nine hits and two walks on the ledger compared to seven strikeouts. The right-hander followed this outing with six hit performance against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing four earned runs through 4 innings while allowing his first home run on the season.
Kiyoshi Mio …

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Author: Tyson Shushkewich / Blue Jays Nation

The 2023 Blue Jays, Position by Position: Has the rotation improved since 2022?

Ultimately, what sunk the Blue Jays in 2022 was inconsistent starting pitching.

That begs the question, is the Blue Jays rotation better now with the addition of Chris Bassitt? Long story short, it depends on how the back end of the rotation does.
Let’s dig into the numbers.
The locks in the rotation:
In this section, we’ll look at the four locks for the 2023 Blue Jays rotation.
Alek Manoah:
The 25-year-old had his best career season in 2022, positing a 2.24 ERA and a 3.35 FIP in 196.2 innings pitched. His K% dropped from 27.7% in 2021, to 22.9% in 2022. However, his BB% dropped to 6.5%, which is above average. Manoah finished third in the Cy Young voting, the third straight year a Blue Jay starter has been nominated.

Alek Manoah, Sick 85mph Changeup. 🤒
That’s about as good a change as I’ve seen Manoah throw. pic.twitter.com/M8xJUigVnX
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 30, 2022

The name of the game for Manoah is limiting hard contact. This is a big reason why his FIP is a full run higher than his ERA. This also shows FIP’s flaws, as ignoring contact (a big part of the game) can lead to incorrect assumptions.
Manoah is a great pitcher despite his steamer predictions. Expect him to only get better.
Kevin Gausman:
It’s the total opposite for Kevin Gausman. In 2022, he posted a 3.35 ERA, but a pretty fantastic 2.38 FIP in 174.2 innings pitched. Moreover, he had a 28.3 K% and a very low 3.9 BB% for a 24.4 K-BB%.

Kevin Gausman’s 5th and 6th Ks.
Thru 4. pic.twitter.com/uGUuTfcs1Q
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 8, 2022

The big discrepancy between ERA and FIP is due to Gausman’s high line drive p …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Reliever Matt Gage has been claimed off of waivers by the Houston Astros

Well, a 2022 Blue Jay is no longer on the 2023 Blue Jays roster.

According to the Houston Astros’ Twitter account, the Astros claimed left-handed reliever Matt Gage off waivers.

We have claimed LHP Matt Gage off of waivers from Toronto.
Gage joins the Astros 40-man roster, which is now full. pic.twitter.com/EE3bj82Opv
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 13, 2023

This isn’t too surprising, as the 30-year-old had success in both the minor leagues and major leagues in the Blue Jays system last season. With the Blue Jays, he had a 1.38 ERA and a 3.88 FIP in 13 innings pitched, along with a 24 K% and a 12 BB%.
He had more of a sample size with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, where he posted a 2.34 ERA and a 2.78 FIP in 42.1 innings pitched, along with a 27.4 K% and a 9.5 BB%. He was also Buffalo’s primary closer, as he registered 12 saves for the season.
Gage was placed on unconditional release waivers on February 6th, meaning that he likely had an international opportunity. Since the Astros picked up Gage, he will remain on the team’s 40-man roster, meaning that he could be one of the first to earn a call-up to the team – if he doesn’t make it out of spring training.

Here’s Matt Gage (@MattGage91)’s strikeout thread from this evening!#BlueJays #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/QrRz8Bmxmo
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) September 16, 2022

In terms of depth, the Blue Jays bullpen did take a little bit of a hit, but they’ve invited five left-handed pitchers to spring training as non-roster invitees. You can read more about that here.
With all that being said, we here at Blue Jays Nation …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays Nation’s 2023 Preseason Top 50: #3 Brandon Barriera

Our last 2022 draftee also ranks as Blue Jays Nation’s third best prospect.

Brandon Barriera may not have any statistics yet, but his stuff has been described as “the nastiest” in the 2022 class.
Before we jump into the profile, let’s look at the criteria!
Brennan’s criteria:
Instead of writing this out every time I did for the mid-season Top 60, I’ll copy and paste my criteria for how I rank and scout these players.
There are many factors that determine a top prospect. The eye test is the biggest driver in determining a top prospect, but proximity to the majors, ceiling, and floor is also important. Moreover, statistics are another key ingredient, as everything works together to give you numbers.
As for the grades, it’s important to remember that they are relative to the league in which they play. A kid from Dunedin is not going to have a 50-grade hit tool if he were placed in the big leagues. But relative to the league in which he plays, a .300 hitter is eligible to have that grade.
For these prospects, I’ll be reviewing their background, numbers in the minors, pitch mix (if they’re a pitcher), and giving a scouting report (if feasible, rookie league guys are difficult).
Let’s jump in!
Brandon Barriera‘s career so far:
The 18-year-old left-handed pitcher was selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft.
Unlike the majority of the players on this list, Barriera hasn’t made his professional debut, …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays Nation’s 2023 Preseason Top 50: #8 Gabriel Martinez

Prior to the start of the 2022 season, Gabriel Martinez ranked as Blue Jays Nation’s 17th best prospect.

While he had a fantastic 2021 in the Florida Complex League, especially showcasing his hit tool, there were some question marks to be answered about his lack of power.
As you may guess, those questions were answered in 2022, hence why he ranks as the 8th best prospect heading into the 2023 season.
But first, let’s look at the criteria.
Brennan’s criteria:
Instead of writing this out every time I did for the mid-season Top 60, I’ll copy and paste my criteria for how I rank and scout these players.
There are many factors that determine a top prospect. The eye test is the biggest driver in determining a top prospect, but proximity to the majors, ceiling, and floor is also important. Moreover, statistics are another key ingredient, as everything works together to give you numbers.
As for the grades, it’s important to remember that they are relative to the league in which they play. A kid from Dunedin is not going to have a 50-grade hit tool if he were placed in the big leagues. But relative to the league in which he plays, a .300 hitter is eligible to have that grade.
For these prospects, I’ll be reviewing their background, numbers in the minors, pitch mix (if they’re a pitcher), and giving a scouting report (if feasible, rookie league guys are difficult).
Let’s jump in!
Gabriel Martinez‘s career so far:
The 20-y …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays Nation’s 2023 Preseason Top 50: #15 Josh Kasevich

It’s been a while since a 2022 draftee was ranked on Blue Jays Nation’s Top 50, but that changes with this article.

Josh Kasevich is an intriguing prospect, as he has a great hit tool and will be able to stick at shortstop as he’s a great defender.
However, we’ll look at the criteria before taking a deep dive.
Brennan’s criteria:
Instead of writing this out every time I did for the mid-season Top 60, I’ll copy and paste my criteria for how I rank and scout these players.
There are many factors that determine a top prospect. The eye test is the biggest driver in determining a top prospect, but proximity to the majors, ceiling, and floor is also important. Moreover, statistics are another key ingredient, as everything works together to give you numbers.
As for the grades, it’s important to remember that they are relative to the league in which they play. A kid from Dunedin is not going to have a 50-grade hit tool if he were placed in the big leagues. But relative to the league in which he plays, a .300 hitter is eligible for that grade.
For these prospects, I’ll review their background, numbers in the minors, pitch mix (if they’re a pitcher), and give a scouting report (if feasible, rookie league guys are difficult).
Let’s jump in!
Josh Kasevich’s career so far:
The 21-year-old (who’ll turn 22 a day after this article is published) was drafted in the second round of the 2022 dr …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Recapping the five most memorable Toronto Maple Leafs moments of 2022

Recapping the five most memorable Toronto Maple Leafs moments of 2022

The Maple Leafs had some amazing moments in 2022. It might just be their most memorable calendar year in a long, long time.

It began with a memorable moment from Auston Matthews and it ended with Mitch Marner making history, But we also can’t forget about what happened in the middle, right?
So, with 2022 coming to an end, I thought it’d be best to look back on the year and all of the incredible moments surrounding the Maple Leafs.
Enjoy!
5 – Game 1 of first round vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Maple Leafs couldn’t have had a better start to the 2022 playoffs, quite literally.
Toronto filled Tampa’s net with five goals, courtesy of Jake Muzzin, David Kampf, Marner, and Matthews, who scored a pair. From start to finish, the Maple Leafs outplayed the Lightning, not even allowing a goal against.
This was the start of an incredible seven games, and although we now know the outcome, I’m sure we can all agree that it was Toronto’s best playoff series in a while.
Right?
4 – Game 3 of first round vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Both the Maple Leafs and Lightning were headed back to Toronto with the series all tied up at two. Although the winner of Game 5 would have the chance to be one win away from getting to the second round.
This was an amazing game. You had Tampa scoring two goals in the first period, and at that point it seemed like the game might’ve been out of reach. But Toronto came back, with John Tavares scoring in the second period, and Morgan Rielly tying it early in the third.
1:13 later and William Nylander scored, which put Scotiabank Arena and Maple Leafs Square into a craze. That was, until Ryan McDonagh tied it back up at three.
The madness wasn’t over though because Matthews and Marner had a two-on-one, and Marner shot it off of Andrei Vasilevskiy’s pad and Matthews put it in.
Toronto won that game 4 …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Aaron Judge wins the American League Most Valuable Player award, Bo Bichette, Alek Manoah and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got votes

As mostly everyone expected, Aaron Judge is the 2022 American League Most Valuable Player.

It really isn’t a shock, and even though it wasn’t unanimous (Shohei Ohtani got two first-place votes), everyone and their mother knew he was going to win. And yeah, he had an incredible season, slashing .311/.425.686 with an American League record 62 home runs. He had a career-best 11.4 fWAR, and a 207 wRC+.
Not just that, but the 30-year-old dragged the Yankees to the American League Championship Series, despite having next to no protection around him.
Judge is currently a free agent and is set to make HUGE money after one of the best seasons in history. As a Jays fan, I do hope he leaves the American League, but I’d say there’s a fairly good chance he sticks with the Yankees for the rest of his career.
Los Angeles Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani finished second, but he had an absolutely historic season like never before. The 28-year-old slashed .273/.356/.519 with 34 homers in 666 plate appearances. This obviously wouldn’t be enough under normal circumstances, but unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know why he was a finalist.
Ohtani has a 2.33 ERA and 2.40 FIP in 166 innings pitched as well. This included a 33.2 K% and 6.7 BB%. He also finished in fourth place in the American League Cy Young voting.
Yordan Alvarez finished third in the voting, as he slashed .30 …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

The Houston Astros have won the 2022 World Series, bring on the transactions!

The Houston Astros have won the 2022 World Series.

This is the second World Series in their 51 years of existence. Their first one came back in 2017, but there’s a huge asterisk next to that one due to the trash bin banging scandal which came to light in 2019.

“THIS TIME THEY FINISH THE JOB!”
SOAK IT IN, HOUSTON! @astros pic.twitter.com/RaONvzDRx5
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 6, 2022

It was well deserved for the good team in Texas, as they dominated the American League with a 106-56 record, the second-best record in Major League Baseball.
To get to the position, they swept the Seattle Mariners in three games in the American League Divisional Series All three games were relatively close, including an 18-inning marathon game that saw the Astros win 1-0 to clinch the sweep.  In my opinion, even if the Blue Jays beat the Mariners in the Wild Card Series, they weren’t getting by the Astros.
They also swept the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, a lot less close than the ALDS, but still funny as hell.
The Philadelphia Phillies were the first to beat the Astros, winning games one and three. However, the experience of the Astros was too much for the Phillies to overcome, as they fell in six games in Houston. Yordan Alvarez gave the Astros a 3-1 lead, and they never looked back.

YORDADDY TO THE MOON. pic.twitter.com/4BiiPpjcTM
— Houston Astros (@astros) November 6, 2022

This snaps a trend of a different National League East team beating up on the Phillies, as the Washington Nationals won in 2019, and the team from Atlanta won in 2021. The plague season doesn’t count.
Had the Phillies won, current Blue Jays 5th outfielder Bradley Zimmer would’ve been entitled to a ring, as he spent a few weeks with the Phillies before being re-claimed off waivers by the Jays. However, former Blue Jays Aledmys Diaz has won his first ring.
The Astros winning the World Series is also notable because 73-year-old Dusty B …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Winners and Losers from Toronto Raptors 2022 preseason

Winners and Losers from Toronto Raptors 2022 preseason

The Toronto Raptors have closed the 2022 preseason on a strong note, beating the rival Boston Celtics in overtime for the second time in as many weeks. A 3-2 record is nothing to shake a stick at, considering how deep they had to dive on the bench for minutes. The roster has been finalized, and […]
Winners and Losers from Toronto Raptors 2022 preseason – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ