The 2023 MLB season is warming up as pitchers and catchers have officially reported, and spring training draws closer. In this series of articles, TGH is going to be giving an early look at every team’s projected pitching rotations ahead of Opening Day on March 30. Here is the 2023 pitching rotation for the Toronto Blue Jays.
**Note: As these are very early projections, the pitching rotations are subject to change before the season officially begins.**
The Toronto Blue Jays finished the 2022 season with a record of 92-70, which was good enough for second place in the AL East and the first Wild Card spot. This earned John Schneider the Manager’s job after initially being tagged as the interim manager. They were swept in the Wild Card Round by the Seattle Mariners who were in their first postseason in two decades.
1. Alek Manoah
2022 stats: 16-7, 2.24 ERA, 196.2 IP, 49 ER
Manoah had an incredible sophomore season, culminating in an All-Star nod. He also finished 17th in MVP voting and third in Cy Young voting. The only blemish on his record was leading the American League in hit-by-pitches for the second-straight season.
2. Kevin Gausman
2022 stats: 12-10, 3.35 ERA, 174.2 IP, 65 ER
Gausman also finished in the top 10 in American League Cy Young voting in 2022, leading the AL in strikeouts per walk. He struck out 205 batters in 31 appearances (all starts).
3. Chris Bassitt
2022 stats: 15-9, 3.42 ERA, 181.2 IP, 69 ER
Bassitt was another 15-game winner last season, pitching the most innings of his eight year career. His ERA was also the lowest of his career while pitching over 100 innings.
4. Jose Berrios
2022 stats: 12-7, 5.23 ERA, 172.0 IP, 100 ER
Berrios led the American League in two inauspicious categories; hits (199) and earned runs (100). He started 32 games, but completed zero of those outings and grabbed an ERA of 5.23.
5. Yusei Kikuchi
2022 stats: 6-7, 5.19 ERA, 100.2 IP, 58 ER
Kikuchi started his career in Seattle in 2019, pitching there until 2022, when he left for Toronto. His 2021 season saw him earn his first All-Star appearance, but his ERA jumped from 4.41 to 5.19 in 2022.
Stay tuned for more breaking MLB content, including trade deadline information, power rankings and more news from every team.
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