The Rays lately signed Danny Jansen to be their main catcher. Jansen has had some very dangerous years and a few superb good years. Right here we’re taking you on a stroll by means of his profession to assist familiarize you with the latest Ray.
Method again when on the earth earlier than COVID19 and $800M contracts, Danny Jansen was among the many top-100 prospects in all of baseball.
However, earlier than even that, Jansen was sixteenth spherical choice within the 2013 draft; the Blue Jays lured him away from school with a $100K signing bonus. Jansen’s first steps to the large leagues occurred within the short-season Rookie-Leagues the place he spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons, hitting .265/.378/.387 with a 12.9 BB% & 9.4 Ok% over 286 PA, registering a 128 wRC+. All of the whereas, his protection was a piece in progress. Jansen’s 2014 efficiency garnered him discover from Baseball America, who ranked him twentieth within the Blue Jays system coming into the 2015 season.
He provides plus bat velocity from the fitting facet together with the bodily power and leverage in his swing to hit at the least 15 dwelling runs yearly. His bat-to-ball capacity and data of the strike zone have produced extra walks than strikeouts.
Sadly, Jansen has had a number of accidents, lots of the simply plain unfortunate selection. In 2015 he was struck on the left hand by a swing whereas trying to obtain a pitch, leading to a damaged bone and costing him a lot of the common season.
In 2016 he suffered a damaged hamate throughout a plate look. This harm resulted in Jansen lacking one other two months of the season. He nonetheless managed to make 217 plate appearances, however struggled, hitting .218/.313/.271 with 1 HR, registering a 78 wRC+. Jansen was chosen to play within the Arizona Fall League and regardless of having not performed above Excessive-A, the Blue Jays added him to the 40-man roster.
In 2017, Jansen lastly remained wholesome for the complete season and demonstrated precisely how good he may very well be. He tore by means of the minors, crushing pitching in A ball ( 184 wRC+) and in Double-A (121 wRC+) ending the season at Triple-A. General, Jansen hit .323/.400/.484 with 10 HR together with a 9.4 Ok% & 9.7 BB% over 424 PA for a 150 wRC+. On the similar time, his defensive abilities skilled dramatic enchancment.
The next season, Jansen proved his breakout was for actual. He hit .275/.390/.473 over 360 plate appearances in Triple-A and was ranked because the forty second finest prospect in all of baseball with a spot on the Futures Recreation roster, the place he homered.
He was rewarded with a promotion, and he debuted within the massive leagues on August thirteenth, 2018.
It was a Monday evening in Kansas Metropolis; Jansen slotted into the ninth spot of the order and arrange behind the plate. His battery mate that day, Sean Reid-Foley, was additionally making his debut, and so they made historical past as the primary pitcher-catcher tandem to debut collectively within the American League since 1967.
Jansen obtained his first alternative to hit within the high of the 2nd inning. After taking the primary three pitches and settling right into a hitter’s depend of 2-1 in opposition to Royals’ starter Brad Keller. When Keller threw a breaking ball low and away, Jansen reached pulled the ball by means of a gap on the left facet of the infield. Russell Martin had been on second on the time, he took off as soon as Jansen made contact and raced in direction of dwelling plate, however Alex Gordon rapidly scooped the ball within the outfield made a one hop throw to Salvador Perez at dwelling who rapidly swiped Martin out at dwelling; regardless, Danny Jansen had his first massive league hit in his first massive league at-bat.
“After I received within the field, I used to be simply attempting to breathe and put a barrel on the ball. That’s what occurred, simply discovered a gap. I couldn’t imagine it at first as I used to be rounding first base.”
Jansen launched his first profession homerun the next evening, a go-ahead no-doubter off of Heath Fillmyer that landed a number of rows deep down the left subject line.
Over the ultimate weeks of the season, Jansen took over the Blue Jays on a regular basis catching duties and carried out effectively. Jansen appeared in 31 video games and hit .247/.347/.432 with 3 HR over 95 PA and accrued 0.7 fWAR.
Jansen was ticketed to be the Blue Jays main catcher in 2019 as they appeared for his offensive first profile to greater than make up for his lower than stellar protection. Nevertheless, the script flipped for Jansen as his offensive manufacturing dissipated however he was among the many finest defensive backstops in baseball. Jansen completed the season with 12 DRS, the fifth most in all of baseball for catchers, however he struggled on the plate, hitting .207/.279/.360 with 13 HR, posting a 69 wRC+. Regardless, his spectacular defensive marketing campaign led to him being an above common participant with 1.8 fWAR over 107 video games.
Throughout the COVID stricken 2020 season, Jansen remained the Blue Jays beginning catcher, showing in 43 of their 60 common season video games and catching each their Wild Card video games. Though Jansen hit worse than he had a season beforehand, he received on base extra and completed with a .183/.313/.358 statline and 84 wRC+.
In an in any other case down 12 months, Jansen did take pleasure in one of the best offensive sport of his profession in 2020. On September twenty third, going through the Yankees in Toronto, Jansen went 4-4 with a double and two dwelling runs; he was additionally hit by a pitch, so he reached base 5 instances. Jansen was additionally one of many few Blue Jays to exhibits indicators of life within the second Wild Card sport; Rays followers could do not forget that he clobbered two homeruns (the Blue Jays solely two runs of the sport).
Jansen’s protection additionally regressed closely as he posted -4 DRS, which was among the many worst in baseball; though he was elite when it got here to blocking pitches. With Alejandro Kirk and Reese McGuire knocking on the door, Jansen was vulnerable to dropping his beginning job.
It appeared like extra of the identical from Jansen in 2021. From Opening Day by means of June sixth, Jansen was hitting .157/.248/.278 with a 43 wRC+. It was abysmal, and June IL stint nearly appeared like a stroke of mercy.
Throughout his rehab from the harm, Jansen determined to utterly alter his method. Jansen had all the time tried hit balls to the other subject on the surface a part of the plate. Nevertheless, Jansen had the facility to take these pitches and flip them into the seats in left subject, so now he would concentrate on doing that.
“I actually imagine that I’ve turned over a brand new leaf — simply mentally inside myself. I actually really feel like I’ve freed myself up. I’ve had a number of wrestle. And I’ve tried to study by means of that wrestle. I attempt to make as a lot as I can from it. Actually, it’s simply taken me some time to study who I’m as a hitter. And to cease attempting to be any individual I’m not. Simply having a powerful method, realizing who I’m, believing in myself and my preparation — it’s helped me take a humongous step within the psychological facet of the sport.”
He returned from the IL a brand new hitter. General from July 4th by means of the tip of the season, Jansen hit .316/.373/.750 with 8 HR over 83 plate appearances, registering a 194 wRC+ and accruing 1.5 fWAR over 28 video games.
Due to his resurgence, Jansen’s profession in Toronto appeared vivid. Sadly, in simply the third sport of the 2022 season, Jansen strained his indirect.
“It’s all psychological, man. That’s what they are saying about baseball, proper? Particularly hitting. So, positive, I’ve had a number of struggles. However, who is aware of, possibly I wouldn’t be the place I’m mentally now if not for it. So, I’ll take this adversity head on. And are available out of it higher.”
Jansen was activated in mid-Could and homered in his first sport again. The facility was nonetheless there, however Jansen’s on-base abilities weren’t as he hit .184/.241/.490 over 54 plate appearances by means of June sixth. Jansen left a sport on that date after being hit by a pitch that resulted in a fractured pinky finger, main to a different go to to the IL. He then went on a torrid stretch over the ultimate 2.5 months of the 2022 marketing campaign as he hit .270/.355/.478 with 8 HR, registering a 136 wRC+ over 186 plate appearances; general he accrued 2.7 fWAR over simply 72 video games performed.
Jansen managed to remain off the harm record on the onset of the 2023 season, however did endure a horrific stoop for the primary three weeks of the season. He snapped out of it on April twenty first and proceeded to hit .244/.293/.535 over his subsequent 92 journeys to the plate earlier than the harm bug reared its head as soon as once more — this time within the type of a groin pressure.
It was a quick stint for Jansen as he returned on June thirteenth and once more offered the Blue Jays with effectively above-average offensive manufacturing from behind the plate. From the date he was activated by means of September 1st, Jansen hit .245/.343/.524 with 11 HR over 169 PA, registering a 139 wRC+, at which level he as soon as once more discovered himself on the IL. Throughout a sport in opposition to the Colorado Rockies, a foul ball went immediately into Jansen’s uncovered proper hand, fracturing a knuckle. This ultimately led to surgical procedure and the tip of Jansen’s 2023 marketing campaign. General throughout the season, he hit .228/.312/.474 with 17 HR over 301 plate appearances, registering a 115 wRC+ and accruing 1.9 fWAR over 94 video games.
From the beginning of the 2021 season by means of Jansen’s final sport in 2023, he hit .237/.317/.487 with 43 HR over 754 PA, registering a 121 wRC+ and accruing 6.1 fWAR over 228 video games. For catchers with at the least 700 PA throughout that point, Jansen had the tenth highest fWAR, sixth highest wRC+, tenth most HR, eleventh highest OBP%, and had the very best SLG%, regardless of showing in simply 228 video games, the fifth lowest of 37 catchers assembly the 700 plate look standards.
From 2021 by means of the tip of 2023, Jansen proved that, when wholesome, he’s among the many finest catchers in all of baseball.
Figuring out this, the Blue Jays determined to stay with Jansen for his third and last 12 months of arbitration coming into the 2024 season, hoping that Jansen would have the ability to keep wholesome and showcase his full offensive expertise over a full season.
Oops.
Throughout spring coaching, Jansen was hit within the hand whereas attempting to test his swing. He broke a small bone in his hand and began the 12 months on the IL. 2024 was an up and down offensive 12 months for the catcher, and on July twenty seventh, the Blue Jays traded Danny Jansen to the Boston Crimson Sox for 3 minor leaguers. Jansen had been the longest tenured member of the Blue Jays and now his time with Toronto was over. His time with the Crimson Sox was forgettable; he performed in 31 video games and was price simply -0.7 fWAR.
Jansen did handle to make some historical past although.
On June twenty sixth, the Blue Jays and Crimson Sox performed in a sport that will be suspended as a result of rain. Jansen was truly within the batter’s field with an 0-1 depend when the sport was postponed.
Flash ahead to August twenty sixth, the sport can be resumed on the precise place from when it had been suspended. Solely, Danny Jansen was now not on the Blue Jays, he can be behind the plate for the Crimson Sox.
Dalton Varsho took Jansen’s spot within the lineup and went as much as hit with the 0-1 depend (he struck out), whereas Jansen obtained the pitches. Jansen would hit within the backside half of the body and line out to first base. He would formally grow to be the primary participant in MLB historical past to play for each groups in a single sport.
Following the season, Jansen grew to become a free agent for the primary time in his profession.
Regardless of his lackluster season and abysmal harm historical past, there have been loads of suitors for the veteran catcher who’d be turning 30-years outdated in April. Based on studies, there have been a number of groups providing multi-year offers to Jansen, however on December sixth, Jansen and the Tampa Bay Rays agreed to a one-year cope with a mutual possibility for a second.
Jansen has been ok (when wholesome!) over the course of his profession that we will have some trigger for optimism that he’ll assist handle the Rays power catching issues, however inconsistent sufficient that he’s keen to signal a contract throughout the Rays price range. Greatest case state of affairs he’s 2025’s Travis d’Arnaud and performs so effectively that the Rays can’t afford him in 2026.
