Toronto Blue Jays rookie reliever Braydon Fisher was one of the best arms in the relief corps this year, and the baseball world took notice.

While Athletics infielder Nick Kurtz was the clear-cut favourite for the honour, receiving a unanimous selection, Fisher finished in a tie for 10th place, receiving one fourth-place vote. Voting is done by eligible members of the BBWAA across all the Major League cities, with votes coming with associated points. With Fisher’s fourth-place vote, he received two points and finished tied with starter Shane Smith (White Sox) and outfielder Cam Smith (Astros). It is not known at this time who voted for Fisher.

Fisher started the year in Triple-A Buffalo, but was promoted to the big league squad on May 7th on a day filled with transactions. Steward Berrora was DFA’d, outfielder Alan Roden and reliever Dillon Tate were optioned to Buffalo, and outfielder Jonatan Clase and Fisher were brought to the big league squad. The right-hander would spend the remainder of the year on the Jays roster, outside of a two-week option down to Buffalo towards the tail end of August.

With the Blue Jays, Fisher crafted a 2.70 ERA and a 3.02 FIP across 52 outings, including one spot start that didn’t go well for the rookie arm. He amassed 50 innings pitched while finishing 12 games, allowing just 32 hits, 19 walks, and 15 earned runs on the year to the tune of a 5.8 H/9 and a 3.4 BB/9. Fisher would also appear in eight postseason games, amassing a 6.43 ERA with 10 strikeouts across seven innings of work.

The 25-year-old was a strikeout artist for the Blue Jays, crafting an 11.2 K/9 with his slider, curveball, four-seamer, and cutter combo, with all four pitches authoring an xBA under the .220 mark on the year. Fisher didn’t overpower you with his fastball – it ranked in the mid-90s – but his curveball and slider were deadly pitches mixed in with his fastball, with the curve generating over 54.9 inches of vertical drop. Statistically, his slider was his best pitch, producing a +7 run value and a 32.1 percent whiff rate.

Heading into next season, both Fisher and fellow rookie Mason Fluharty will be go-to names for manager John Schneider down in the Blue Jays bullpen.