Blue Jays 40-man Roster Review: The Blue Jays may see something in Wes Parsons
7 months ago
Wes Parsons is still on the 40-man roster.
This is the 40-man Roster Review, in which we’re going to take a look back at each player on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster, and how they performed in 2023, as well as their outlook for 2024.
However, Parsons may not be on the roster for much longer, as he was added to the 40-man roster in October solely to eat innings in one of Toronto’s last games. In that game, he pitched to a line of 4 IP, 10 H, 9 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 2 HR, which gave him a 20.25 ERA and a 11.26 FIP.
Parsons’ numbers with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons were much better, pitching to a 4.52 ERA and a 4.72 FIP in 81.2 innings pitched, along with a 27.5 K% and a 12.6 BB%. Parsons had a successful stint in Korea, where he had a 3.68 ERA in 176 innings with the NC Dinos of KBO.
The 2023 season wasn’t Parsons’ first go-around in the major leagues, as he spent parts of 2018 and 2019 with Atlanta and Colorado. The most the righty has pitched in a season was in 2019, when he posted a 5.45 ERA and a 6.65 FIP in 34.2 innings pitched, along with a 16.6 K% and an 18.5 BB%.
In Buffalo, his fastball averaged 94.5 mph, with a sinker that averaged 92.9 mph. His slider was his best pitch, as the low-80s breaking ball generated a 41.6 whiff% in the minor leagues. Moreover, he also threw a changeup, which had a 39 whiff%.
Interestingly, Fangraphs’ Steamer predicts him to have a solid season, as it has him posting a 3.94 ERA and a 4.12 FIP in 28 innings pitched, along with a 24.1 K% and an 8.8 BB%. If Parsons could put up these numbers, he could be a useful AAAA pitcher.
As you may recall, the Blue Jays designated Tyler Heineman for assignment, and he was picked up by the New York Mets. The Jays only have two catchers on the 40-man roster, so it’s a little weird that he was DFA’ed, especially when they don’t need spots (yet), already had some spots available, and Parsons was perhaps a better option, given the fact that Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen tend to get injured in a course of a season.
By the same token, maybe the Blue Jays liked what they saw in Parsons. The fastball averaged in the mid-90s, and the two off-speed pitchers, the changeup and the slider, both had whiff % near 40 in Triple-A. Maybe, just maybe, they saw something in Parsons. It also could be because starting pitching depth is at a minimum, but who knows.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.
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