<p>The Toronto Blue Jays faced the Baltimore Orioles in a matinee contest earlier today, looking to take the series before welcoming the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game set this upcoming holiday weekend. On the bump was <a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/yusei-kikuchi-579328?stats=career-r-pitching-mlb&amp;year=2024">Yusei Kikuchi,</a> one of the club&#8217;s most dependable starters this season, and the southpaw didn&#8217;t disappoint against the AL East rival.</p>
<p></p>
<p>He lasted 4 1/3 innings and threw 88 pitches, with the 32-year-old allowing six hits, one walk, and one earned run (via a solo home run to lead off hitter Jordan Westburg) while striking out nine batters, including Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Anthony Santander, and Colton Cowser. The only player to not get set down by Kikuchi was former AL Rookie of the Year, Gunnar Henderson, who was the southpaw&#8217;s lone free-pass on the day and grounded out in his second at-bat.</p>
<p>The Jays eventually took the loss on the day thanks to late-inning heroics off the bat of Rutchman combined with a lacklustre Toronto offense. Still, Kikuchi continued his torrid stretch to begin the campaign, which has seen the Japanese product turn things around from zero to hero within a few years after signing a three-year deal with the Blue Jays during the 2021/2022 offseason.</p>
<h2>Blue Jays Yusei Kikuchi continues impressive start to the 2024 season</h2>
<p>Following the 2022 season, Kikuchi wasn&#8217;t guaranteed a rotation spot heading into Spring Training. A 5.19 ERA and a late-season demotion to the bullpen struck down the former Mariners starter, as command issues to the tune of a 5.2 BB/9 presented him with numerous difficult situations that he was unable to dig himself out of.</p>
<p>Kikuchi finished his first campaign with the Blue Jays posting a 5.62 FIP and a 1.500 WHIP through 100 2/3 innings, the lowest tally since taking his talents to the MLB (outside of the shortened COVID campaign). The strikeout numbers were a career-high (11.1 K/9) but the command and inability to pitch deep into games had the Blue Jays looking elsewhere for a rotation arm as the season dragged on.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Yusei Kikuchi, Wipeout 88mph Slider. 🤢 <a href="https://t.co/uPB5uj5l7m">pic.twitter.com/uPB5uj5l7m</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1790794746417344845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The 2023 season saw an impressive bounce-back from the left-hander, as not only did he lock down a rotation spot out of Spring Training, but he ran away with it for the rest of the year.</p>
<p>Through 32 starts and an MLB career-high 167 2/3 innings, Kikuchi dropped his ERA and FIP to 3.85 and 4.12 respectively while commanding the strike zone to the tune of a 2.6 BB/9, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TOR/2023.shtml">besting teammate</a> and Cy-Young finalist Kevin Gausman (2.7) as well as newcomer Chris Bassitt (2.7). Kikuchi allowed just 72 earned runs on the year and struck out 181 batters, posting a 9.7 K/9.</p>
<p>In particular, he found a groove following the All-Star game, where he posted a 2.81 FIP through 14 starts and 74 1/3 innings to finish out the season. Overall, it was a solid bounce-back campaign for a pitcher that was fighting for a rotation spot earlier that spring, and one that set him up well for the 2024 campaign.</p>
<h2>Kikuchi in 2024</h2>
<p>So far this year, Kikuchi has taken things to a new level on the mound. Through in starts and 52 innings, the Jays starter has authored a 2.60 ERA while allowing just 15 earned runs on the campaign. He owns 55 strikeouts (9.5 K/9) compared to 10 walks (1.7 BB/9) and has held opponents to a .239 average and a .624 OPS while posting an 8.1 H/9.</p>
<p>Kikuchi has struck out seven or more batters on five occasions, including three contests where he racked up nine apiece, and has allowed three or more runs in just two of his starts this year. His previous outing on May 10th also saw him pitch into the eighth inning, while the one-time All-Star has reached the six-inning plateau on all but three starts so far this campaign.</p>
<p>Even more impressively, <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;stats=pit&amp;type=8&amp;startdate=2023-07-10&amp;enddate=2024-11-01&amp;season=2024&amp;season1=2024&amp;month=1000&amp;ind=0&amp;team=0&amp;sortcol=16&amp;sortdir=default&amp;pagenum=1">since the 2023 MLB All-Star Game</a>, Kikuchi owns a 3.8 fWAR, which currently has him ranked fourth across Major League Baseball and ahead of pitchers such as Logan Webb, Corbin Burnes, and Sonny Gray. He also ranks fourth in FIP (2.72) and owns a 9.66 K/9 through that period, ranking 10th. His 3.10 ERA comes in at eighth overall, ahead of names like Cole Ragans, Logan Gilbert, and fellow Blue Jays starter José Berríos, who owns a 3.44 tally.</p>
<p>In 2024, Kikuchi is ranking well in the eyes of<a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/yusei-kikuchi-579328?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb"> statcast</a>, where he boasts a 94th percentile pitching run value while his breaking run value has him sitting in the 98th percentile before today&#8217;s game against Baltimore. He owns a 4.8 BB%, ranking in the 87th percentile as well. His curveball alone ranks at a +5 run value while generating a 25.7 whiff% and is the main putaway pitch in his arsenal, holding opponents to a .198 xBA and a .259 SLG, which pairs nicely with his slider offering and mid to high-90s fastball with the occasional changeup.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="in" dir="ltr">Yusei Kikuchi&#39;s 9th K <a href="https://t.co/o3nJM3GCAl">pic.twitter.com/o3nJM3GCAl</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1790810570238677110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>While his three-year deal at first seemed to be an albatross of a deal, in a contract year where he can test the free agent waters, Kikuchi is quickly starting to enter qualifying offer territory, although there is lots of time between now and October. He&#8217;s set to test the free agent waters this offseason barring a Blue Jays extension, a tricky subject for any fan hoping to see players sign on the dotted line alongside José Berríos for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>For now, the Blue Jays offense needs Yusei Kikuchi to continue keeping the game close night after night, as the team dropped another contest today to bring their record to a 19-23 tally through the first month and a half of the season.</p>

The Toronto Blue Jays faced the Baltimore Orioles in a matinee contest earlier today, looking to take the series before welcoming the Tampa Bay Rays for a three-game set this upcoming holiday weekend. On the bump was <a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/yusei-kikuchi-579328?stats=career-r-pitching-mlb&amp;year=2024">Yusei Kikuchi,</a> one of the club's most dependable starters this season, and the southpaw didn't disappoint against the AL East rival.



He lasted 4 1/3 innings and threw 88 pitches, with the 32-year-old allowing six hits, one walk, and one earned run (via a solo home run to lead off hitter Jordan Westburg) while striking out nine batters, including Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Anthony Santander, and Colton Cowser. The only player to not get set down by Kikuchi was former AL Rookie of the Year, Gunnar Henderson, who was the southpaw's lone free-pass on the day and grounded out in his second at-bat.

The Jays eventually took the loss on the day thanks to late-inning heroics off the bat of Rutchman combined with a lacklustre Toronto offense. Still, Kikuchi continued his torrid stretch to begin the campaign, which has seen the Japanese product turn things around from zero to hero within a few years after signing a three-year deal with the Blue Jays during the 2021/2022 offseason.
<h2>Blue Jays Yusei Kikuchi continues impressive start to the 2024 season</h2>
Following the 2022 season, Kikuchi wasn't guaranteed a rotation spot heading into Spring Training. A 5.19 ERA and a late-season demotion to the bullpen struck down the former Mariners starter, as command issues to the tune of a 5.2 BB/9 presented him with numerous difficult situations that he was unable to dig himself out of.

Kikuchi finished his first campaign with the Blue Jays posting a 5.62 FIP and a 1.500 WHIP through 100 2/3 innings, the lowest tally since taking his talents to the MLB (outside of the shortened COVID campaign). The strikeout numbers were a career-high (11.1 K/9) but the command and inability to pitch deep into games had the Blue Jays looking elsewhere for a rotation arm as the season dragged on.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1790794746417344845

The 2023 season saw an impressive bounce-back from the left-hander, as not only did he lock down a rotation spot out of Spring Training, but he ran away with it for the rest of the year.

Through 32 starts and an MLB career-high 167 2/3 innings, Kikuchi dropped his ERA and FIP to 3.85 and 4.12 respectively while commanding the strike zone to the tune of a 2.6 BB/9, <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TOR/2023.shtml">besting teammate</a> and Cy-Young finalist Kevin Gausman (2.7) as well as newcomer Chris Bassitt (2.7). Kikuchi allowed just 72 earned runs on the year and struck out 181 batters, posting a 9.7 K/9.

In particular, he found a groove following the All-Star game, where he posted a 2.81 FIP through 14 starts and 74 1/3 innings to finish out the season. Overall, it was a solid bounce-back campaign for a pitcher that was fighting for a rotation spot earlier that spring, and one that set him up well for the 2024 campaign.
<h2>Kikuchi in 2024</h2>
So far this year, Kikuchi has taken things to a new level on the mound. Through in starts and 52 innings, the Jays starter has authored a 2.60 ERA while allowing just 15 earned runs on the campaign. He owns 55 strikeouts (9.5 K/9) compared to 10 walks (1.7 BB/9) and has held opponents to a .239 average and a .624 OPS while posting an 8.1 H/9.

Kikuchi has struck out seven or more batters on five occasions, including three contests where he racked up nine apiece, and has allowed three or more runs in just two of his starts this year. His previous outing on May 10th also saw him pitch into the eighth inning, while the one-time All-Star has reached the six-inning plateau on all but three starts so far this campaign.

Even more impressively, <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;stats=pit&amp;type=8&amp;startdate=2023-07-10&amp;enddate=2024-11-01&amp;season=2024&amp;season1=2024&amp;month=1000&amp;ind=0&amp;team=0&amp;sortcol=16&amp;sortdir=default&amp;pagenum=1">since the 2023 MLB All-Star Game</a>, Kikuchi owns a 3.8 fWAR, which currently has him ranked fourth across Major League Baseball and ahead of pitchers such as Logan Webb, Corbin Burnes, and Sonny Gray. He also ranks fourth in FIP (2.72) and owns a 9.66 K/9 through that period, ranking 10th. His 3.10 ERA comes in at eighth overall, ahead of names like Cole Ragans, Logan Gilbert, and fellow Blue Jays starter José Berríos, who owns a 3.44 tally.

In 2024, Kikuchi is ranking well in the eyes of<a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/yusei-kikuchi-579328?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb"> statcast</a>, where he boasts a 94th percentile pitching run value while his breaking run value has him sitting in the 98th percentile before today's game against Baltimore. He owns a 4.8 BB%, ranking in the 87th percentile as well. His curveball alone ranks at a +5 run value while generating a 25.7 whiff% and is the main putaway pitch in his arsenal, holding opponents to a .198 xBA and a .259 SLG, which pairs nicely with his slider offering and mid to high-90s fastball with the occasional changeup.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1790810570238677110

While his three-year deal at first seemed to be an albatross of a deal, in a contract year where he can test the free agent waters, Kikuchi is quickly starting to enter qualifying offer territory, although there is lots of time between now and October. He's set to test the free agent waters this offseason barring a Blue Jays extension, a tricky subject for any fan hoping to see players sign on the dotted line alongside José Berríos for the foreseeable future.

For now, the Blue Jays offense needs Yusei Kikuchi to continue keeping the game close night after night, as the team dropped another contest today to bring their record to a 19-23 tally through the first month and a half of the season.

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