Who doesn’t love fantasy sports and the start of Spring Training.
Without context, it was a bit odd to see a bat boy with the number “4-10” during the Toronto Blue Jays’ first spring training game. It was even weirder to see an active Blue Jay, Tim Mayza, sprinting to get the bats.
Yet, this was the scenario that the left-handed pitcher found himself in, as he lost the team’s fantasy football league. His first selection was Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins and it appears that he was the commissioner of the league, according to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson ( who wrote a fantastic piece on this topic.)
Mayza may not be a great fantasy football owner, but he’s a fantastic pitcher and was incredibly important in the Jays bullpen during the 2023 season. The lefty posted a 1.52 ERA and a 2.60 FIP in 53.1 innings pitched (or 69 appearances). His FIP was the tenth-lowest for relievers with 40+ innings pitched, while his ERA was the fifth-best with the same sample size. In fact, only Josh Hader was better in those statistics for left-handed pitchers.
Some other interesting stats include a 24.7 K% and a 7 BB%, solid overall numbers but not a guy you’d expect to strike out a ton of batters. Mayza did, however, generate a ton of ground balls as he had a 58.2 ground ball%, mainly due to his sinker. The 32-year-old was also elite at keeping inherited runners, allowing just 13 of 53 inherited runners to score, a fantastic total.
Mayza will be incredibly important for the Jays in 2024, as he is their best left-handed pitcher and can be used in a set-up role if need be. However, it’s fun to laugh at the little things, such as an important player acting as a ball boy with his fantasy football record for a number. Good stuff.
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