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Louis Varland is the ace of Blue Jays' bullpen
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Louis Varland. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Louis Varland is the ace of Blue Jays' bullpen

Louis Varland has established himself as the ace in the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen. He brings an unflappable mound presence along with a high strikeout ability (35.8% strikeout rate). He's also boasting with a 0.70 ERA that ranks second among qualified relievers. 

Varland prevails as a top-five closer in MLB with his high-leverage success. The 28-year-old pitches with massive composure and possesses solid command on the mound. He is known for consistently limiting damage in crucial, game-saving situations, which is what has made him so lethal. 

Manager John Schneider has continued to praise Varland for the fire and fearlessness he displays in high-stakes situations. 

The ace earned himself AL Reliever of the Month on May 4, sporting a 0.56 ERA and giving up just one earned run across 16 innings. He also successfully converted all four of his save opportunities following a role change in the pen.  

The transformation of the back end of the Blue Jays' bullpen by changing Jeff Hoffman and Varland's roles has made a huge difference. 

With the praise has also come trust. He has inevitably demonstrated solid durability to pitch on back-to-back days (May 19-20) and is doing it with the utmost composure. 

How Louis Varland has become a premier reliever for the Blue Jays

In his last 25 games, Varland has been superior with a 0.65 ERA, 40 strikeouts, and a 1.19 FIP across 27.2 innings pitched. He also owns the lowest ERA among pitchers with 25+ IP this season. 

In his most recent performance, Varland recorded a six-out save against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Varland's ability to retire batters efficiently comes from his curveball, which he locates at the bottom of the zone, and has been a significant weapon in his arsenal. 

It produces frequent swing-and-misses while generating a 32.8% whiff rate. Varland's breakout success has made him a huge success story who has also gotten the most out of his fastball. 

By consistently throwing his four-seamer for strikes and locating it at the top of the zone, he has produced a 31.6% whiff rate and limited batters to a .200 batting average against it. 

Varland's effectiveness in producing ground balls (57.9% groundball rate) has also made him a standout. The combo of his devastating knuckle-curveball and sharp changeup makes it impossible for hitters to barrel up (0% barrel rate).

Vanessa Serrao

Serrao is a freelance baseball writer who has covered all MLB teams, with particular expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays. She is a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.

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