How players from the Blue Jays AAA team had a major impact on the season and how they can help us in the future.
(Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
The Blue Jays were very underwhelming with their trade deadline moves when it came to bolstering the offense, only acquiring SS Paul DeJong who they later DFA’d to make room for Bo Bichette returning from the injured list after DeJong had an abysmal start to his very short Blue Jays career.
What the Blue Jays didn’t acquire this year from trades they acquired from their farm system. Many players came from Buffalo and delivered some of the most clutch moments of the season.
1. Bowden Francis
As part of the return from the Rowdy Tellez deal, Francis was one of the first notable callups by the Blue Jays, he had his first major stint with the big-league club this year and proved to be dominant. Francis posted a 1.73 ERA in 36.1 IP across 20 games with a very impressive 0.826 WHIP. Francis was used mostly in a bulk role and did his job excellently and was a very big factor in the Blue Jays’ success.
2. Nathan Lukes
Cracking the opening day roster, Lukes was set to be the Blue Jays’ fourth outfielder. Lukes mostly was used as a bench player who would run and field in the later innings. Offensively he was nothing to be startled by only posting a .192/.290/.308 slash line, but who could forget his go-ahead double against the Detroit Tigers which was a game saving moment and one that Jays fans will remember for ages.
3. Ernie Clement
What Clement’s role would be was a big question for Jays fans upon being added to the MLB roster however, he quickly became a fan favorite. Clement served as a very good infield replacement during Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman’s injury stints. Slashing .380/.385/.500 across 29 games, Clement was a major piece to the Blue Jays’ success and found his way into the hearts of many.
4. Spencer Horwitz
After shining in the World Baseball Classic for Team Israel, Spencer Horwitz had some nice stints for the Blue Jays this season. Slashing .256/341/.385 in 15 games, Horwitz was first called up for a brief stint in May. Later, he became the Blue Jays’ September callup replacing Brandon Belt while he was injured. He also won the Bisons’ team MVP after slashing .337/.450/.495 in 107 minor league games so you have to expect a big career for this guy.
5. Davis Schneider
The man you’ve probably been waiting for, Davis Schneider. Schneider was an incredible call-up to start the month of August. You probably know the story, the home run in the first plate appearance, the consistent clutch and power, the knowledge of the strike zone, and of course, possibly the best start to a career in MLB history. He was given the nickname “Babe” Schneider for a reason. Schneider crushed the ball this year, slashing .276/404/603 across 35 games. The craziest part is towards the end of the season he suffered an 0-31 streak where he was still crushing the ball but ended up very unlucky. Schneider could be a key factor for the Blue Jays in 2024 especially after the lack of production the second base spot has had since Marcus Semien left.
The Toronto Blue Jays major leaguers were very underwhelming for the most part apart from some key guys. The young guys from Buffalo were huge for the team and were a major reason that we were able to make it to the playoffs. The best part is that we still have some studs in the minors with that “Buffalo Magic” such as Orelvis Martinez, Ricky Tiedemann and Addison Barger and this team can have a very bright future if the magic carries on.