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3 Things to Watch for in the Blue Jays Series vs. the Reds

Written by Dave Church, Nick Dika, and Gideon Turk

RETURNED RELIEF

During the 2016 season, no matter how bad your team’s bullpen was, you could always say, “Hey, at least we’re not the Reds.” They spent a lot of the season dead last in bullpen ERA, though they did manage to sneak by the Colorado Rockies. Even with that, the Reds’ relief core had some astonishing numbers: they allowed 103 home runs (21 more than the second-worst team) and 297 walks (35 more than second-worst). Former Jay Steve Delabar was part of one of the worst moments of the season for the team, walking four straight with the bases loaded.

After some off-season changes, Cincinnati’s bullpen has been much better so far this year. Their 3.20 ERA of is good for sixth-best in the majors, and second best in the National League. A lot of that’s from their closer Raisel Iglesias. Iglesias has been almost unhittable, notching a 0.68 ERA and 30 Ks over 26.1 innings. Old friend Drew Storen is enjoying a solid bounce-back season after a bad stretch in Toronto last year. Relative unknowns Austin Brice, Michael Lorenzen, and Wandy Peralta have provided solid work so far as well.

There’s potential trouble ahead for them, however. The Reds’ bullpen has pitched the most innings in baseball so far. They’ve needed to throw those innings because the starting staff is both injured and not great anyway. Scott Feldman, who couldn’t get mop-up opportunities for the Jays late last year, pitched opening day. Ignoring the starters, there’s still some obvious regression opportunities: Iglesias will probably allow runs at some point, and Storen might recapture the form that made Jays fans groan whenever he started to get loose in the bullpen.

Still, none of that’s happened yet, so a Jays team that’s more talented than it’s record will want to take this bullpen seriously. Knocking out a Reds starter is no longer an opportunity for hitters high fiving and licking their chops: this Reds bullpen has been good so far.

 

Joey Votto Returns to Toronto

Joey Votto is the most interesting player in baseball.

He is quite possibly on track to become a Hall of Famer. Despite being one of the best hitters in baseball, Votto has been forced to justify his hitting approach to people not only around the game, but also in his own organization. Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips (indirectly) and broadcaster Marty Brennaman (could not be more direct) have criticized Votto himself, his contract, and the on-base approach to hitting that he prescribes to.

In the process, Votto may have unintentionally become the whipping boy in a war between old school baseball thinking and new school analytics-driven approaches. This despite Votto himself smartly pointing out that the two schools of thought don’t need to be opposed – while being portrayed by some as a “walk first” player that doesn’t drive in runs or hit for enough power, Votto has a career slash line of .334/.482/.591 with runners in scoring position. He has never hit under 24 home runs in a full season and owns a .537 career slugging percentage. In this sense, Votto has also become a voice for rationality in what has amounted to the baseball version of FAKE NEWS. In the face of loud, but nonsensical criticism, Votto has continued to follow his patient, cerebral approach to hitting that results in him being one of the most productive hitters in baseball every season. Even if he’s not appreciated for it.

Votto has also developed a reputation for off-beat comments and interactions with fans and the media. In the last few seasons we’ve seen Votto dress up as a Mountie, troll Phillies fans, deny a kid sitting in the front row a souvenir because he deemed him ‘elite’, and throw shade at a fan that was heckling him while on deck. At a time when it feels like players are criticized for saying anything interesting or controversial, Votto is a unique voice. That Votto’s personality manifests itself in off the cuff, in-game comments about class conscious and not Instagram posts related to branding partnerships, make him even more unique. Votto has also been very open over his career about hitting – the mechanics, preparation, and philosophical approach that make him one of the most interesting long-form interview subjects in the game 

Hitting and clowning aside, many would say the most important thing Votto has been open about over the course of his career were his struggles with mental health. In sharing his story, Votto, who struggled with anxiety and depression after the loss of his father, has been a great advocate to bring awareness to an important issue that often goes un-discussed in professional sports.

Votto, who is from Toronto, was rumored to be on the Blue Jays radar as a potential trade target over the past several seasons. Unfortunately, the smart money is on Votto remaining with the Reds. This week’s series with Cincinnati provides Blue Jay fans with the opportunity to see one of baseball’s most talented interesting players. Take it.

 

Asher Wojciechowski Faces the Man He Was Traded For

On July 2oth 2012, then Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos made a trade with the Houston Astros to acquire J.A. Happ. To get the pitcher, who eventually returned to the Blue Jays in 2016 after a one year hiatus, Anthopoulos sent a load of prospects to Houston, one of whom made his way to Cincinnati and will now come to Toronto for the first time as a professional. Asher Wojciechowski was drafted in the first round of the 2010 draft by the Blue Jays, the same draft class that produced Aaron Sanchez and Noah Syndergaard. He is scheduled to pitch on Tuesday evening for the Reds, and if all goes to plan, his opponent will be Happ, the man he was traded for five years ago.

Wojciechowski was always a middling prospect for the Blue Jays, continuously being described as a future reliever who could slide into the rotation if necessary. That has been the case thus far, and as such, Toronto’s big bats likely won’t have the most difficult time scoring against him this week. He features a standard three pitch mix with a four seam fastball, change up, and slider, with none of the pitches being particularly special. In 25 2/3 innings of AAA work this year, he posted his best K% of his career at 29.0%. While I am not able to tell you why that has happened, it will be an interesting storyline to watch on Tuesday night. If Woj’s stuff has taken a step forward, he may be able to stick in the majors with the Reds, and a good game against his first club will go a long way to helping that come true.

Lead Photo: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

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