Two Blue Jays quietly performing above expectations in 2024

His offensive numbers may not seem glamorous now, but his day-to-day at-bats are quality, and he’s a player who has a contact approach through all his battles. He has 89.7% zone contact this season and 75% chase contact. In most cases, IKF will look bat to ball, especially with runners on base. His approach is ultimately the reason for any of his quality at-bats, whether it’s driving a guy in or moving a runner an extra 90-plus feet.

Defensively he has 20 games played at second base and 19 played at third base. In 121 defensive chances this year, he’s totalled 39 put-outs with 81 assists, turning 13 double-plays and only one error on the season.

His true value will show once IKF gets his legs going on the base pads. The more at-bats he gets into, the better the outcome for base hits and runner movement.

Yusei Kikuchi

Toronto’s core pitching rotation is heavily relied upon and consists of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassit. Often, the fourth and fifth starter spots are overlooked, and Yusei Kikuchi’s name is sometimes left out of the conversation when it comes to the team’s top-notch rotation.

Since Kikuchi has joined Toronto, he’s been finding his way. It didn’t take long for the lefty to turn it around 180 degrees and revamp his elite level beneath him. As weeks go by, start by start, Kikuchi unlocks a new level in his own game.

Shallow-minded analysts overlook his .400 win-loss percentage with a 2-3 record and undermine his abilities. His ERA of 2.64 should speak for itself, and if that doesn’t, the fact that he’s walked below 10 batters of the 189 batters faced should tell it all.

Kikuchi is showing massive reliability, developmental progress, and effectiveness. Various areas, such as first-pitch strike percentage, first-pitch swing percentage, and in-zone percentage, have all gone up so far in 2024.

The success of Kikuchi and the noticeable shift in his numbers is quite simple. He’s refined all of his pitch selection and is comfortable throwing any of those pitches in any given scenario. The ability to throw strikes is key for his momentum in the count, and he usually works from being up instead of being behind.

His knowledge of hitters, pre-game, and on-spot is a huge workaround in his approach. He’s able to make changes mid-game and understands how to pitch to certain hitters. His slider has been his put-away option, and he’s aware of that. The slider is used in certain scenarios and hidden until needed.

We’ve seen a solid increase in energy as the game moves along for Kikuchi. He’s been up in his overall velocity this season, seeing the fastball as hot as 98 mph in his outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kikuchi could be considered a big-game pitcher for his effectiveness and quality innings alone.