Casey Janssen: Setting a Great Example For Teammates

 

 

Beginning the 2013 season, the Blue Jays are looking at a familiar crowded bull-pen theme. Due to the business side of baseball, the Jays may option some arms to AAA despite perhaps being deserving of a MLB role. One of those people left behind will not be Casey Janssen. However, Casey has been that victim of the numbers game in the past, and he should serve as a ray of hope to any teammates that might be dealing with a demotion.

A 29 year old Casey Janssen was the odd-man out with a minor-league option on his contract as Octavio Dotel was returning from the disabled list in April of 2011. The alternative to sending Janssen down, at the time, was to release David Purcey: The Jays 2004 first round draft pick who was out of options. Although Janssen had decent numbers in 2010 (3.67 ERA and career relief ERA of 3.10), they couldn't justify giving up on a former 1st rounder when Janssen could be 'banked' in AAA. So Janssen was sent down. That wasn't necessarily the first disappointment Casey had faced since starting his MLB career.

Janssen had aspirations as a career starting pitcher.  When he was originally called up to the Jays, it was in a starting role to replace AJ Burnett in 2006. Then in 2007 he was asked to cover in the bull-pen... where it turns out he thrived.  His bullpen ERA was 2.35 over 70 games, and he looked like he had found a great every-day role. That is until a torn labrum required shoulder surgery, and he spent the entire 2008 season on the DL. 2009 was a struggle for Janssen to get back to full-strength as he did a couple of stints on the DL, spent 18 games in the minors, and put up unimpressive numbers at the MLB level. For his 2010 season, Janssen put some solid numbers together, stayed off the DL, and proved that he was back, healthy and ready. So after the struggle to get back to major league ball, his 2011 demotion to AAA must have felt like a kick in the teeth.

I've heard lots of interviews over the years where Casey Janssen has mentioned that he wanted to be a starter, but he was willing to play wherever the team needed him.  He's always been that unselfish team player, and I didn't hear complaints from him in the press when he was sent down to AAA to start 2011. He accepted his unfair assignment in 2011; he went down, pitched 7 shut-out innings over 6 games, and was on the next flight back up when Toronto finally decided to release David Purcey on waivers. His contract at that time was $1 million for 2011. On his 2011 recall, he put up a 2.54 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and went 6-0 as a reliever over 55 games. He parlayed those numbers int a 5.9 million dollar contract for 2012/2013 with a $4 million team option for 2012. He's run the gambit in terms of roles; starter, long reliever, set-up guy, and now closer. He's done everything asked of him, and consistently carried that team-player attitude that's made him the cornerstone of the 2013 bullpen.

There may be a few disappointed pitchers spending time in AAA this season; JA Happ, Brad Lincoln, Aaron Loup... and even Josh Thole for that matter (as a positional player).  Hopefully they'll be able to look to the example of Casey Janssen, and hold out hope that the best days are still to come after the next recall - regardless of the 'fairness' of it all.