Let the Shun shine in

So let me set the record straight, I like Shun, let the shun shine on me.

But the record so far is anything but bright. Shun Yamaguchi is failing in spring training to make a positive impression.

First it was the adjustment to major league ball, the size of the stitches, the whole thing was an adjustment for Shun.


His two outings to date, worse and worser, now I know there is no word "worser", but I couldn't help it. The unfortunateness of the situation is that he has signed a major league contract and the Blue Jays are expecting him to make an impact in the back of the bullpen of the bullpen

While the Blue Jays have had plenty of encouraging performances from their pitching staff in Dunedin so far, the results have been pretty mixed for Shun Yamachuchi in his first taste of pitching in North America.

The 32-year-old had a rough first outing this spring, followed by a solid performance a week ago that left everyone feeling more encouraged about one of the Blue Jays’ newest pitchers. Unfortunately, then came Thursday, and the right-hander got beat up a bit by the Philadelphia Phillies. He ended up allowing four runs on five hits, also walking two more batters over just 2.1 innings.

 The good news is that this is still just Spring Training, and the stats and even the win-loss column really don’t matter that much. However, for Yamaguchi, who is in a battle for a job in the starting rotation, these early impressions are pretty significant. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to start off on the right foot, as he now sports a 12.00 ERA through six innings during Grapefruit League play.

 For a skill as precise as pitching at the highest level of the sport, that “subtle” difference can be massive, and it’s understandable that anyone coming over from the Nippon Professional League in Japan would need some time to adjust.

With that in mind, and with the way Yamaguchi’s early returns have looked, I don’t think there’s any harm in admitting now that he likely won’t win the fifth starters job. That’s not to say that anything has been decided yet, but with just under three weeks away before Opening Day, it might be time to take a slightly different focus, and even take some pressure off.

The Blue Jays could still plan to stretch him out, and even plan to install him in the rotation a little later on once he’s performing a little more consistently. They’ll start the year with eight games in eight days, but then have four off days in 20 days to follow it, so they may not even need a fifth starter for every turn through the rotation. With their veterans all healthy and trending toward a routine start to their regular season schedule, the Blue Jays could also use others in the role until they feel Yamaguchi is ready to thrive, such as Trent Thornton  (who may win the job anyway),Anthony Kay, or others.

I feel for the guy, leaving your home, thousands of mile away, getting used to a new culture, a new ball, a new language, and new signs, well I guess it's rather hard transition.

Let the Shun shine.