Toronto Blue Jays RHP RA Dickey has completed his first season as a starting pitcher in Canada. Even though he has plenty of experience pitching in the American League in his days in Texas, Minnesota and Seattle, this was his first AL season after redefining himself as a knuckleball pitcher. If the question was openly asked, "RA Dickey's first season in Toronto, was it a success or failure?", many would answer that it was a failure before even looking over the season.
For the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays, the season was a big disappointment. If the word "failure" was used, it would not be an over statement. The Blue Jays were picked to win the AL East by several people associated with the game. A team that already had star hitters Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion as well as proven pitchers Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero made the two well publicized trades with the Marlins and Mets. Adding Jose Reyes to the lineup and three successful starting pitchers, Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle expected to put the Blue Jays in a much better position to succeed than in the prior two seasons. A win today would put the Blue Jays at 75-87, a loss at 74-88. A team that seemed to be so much improved on paper will show no more than a two game improvement from last season.
Dickey finished this season at 14-13, 4.21 while leading the AL with 34 games started. Though it is a far cry from his 20-6. 2.73 NL Cy Young season of a year ago, I would not consider Dickey a disappointment. I'm sure if RA was asked, he would discuss things he would have liked to do better. He did pitch his best game of the season in his third to last start against the Yankees. This could be considered the game that most damaged the Yankees playoff hopes. He pitched into the 8th inning in his last start, leading the Jays to a win against the Tampa Bay Rays in a game the Rays needed to win.
Dickey's season can be considered decent; he finished 14-13, 4.21 with 224 1/3 IP, giving up 105 ER, 71 BB and 207 hits. His 177 Ks go along with his 1.237 WHIP. Obviously, the numbers did not match up to his 2012 season, where he was 20-6, 2.73, 233 2/3, 71, 54, 192. He also had 230 Ks last season with a WHIP of 1.053. His numbers do not tell justice for how well Dickey pitched in the second half of the season. From July 21st, he made 14 starts. During that time, he was 8-6, 3.62 as opposed to 6-7, 4.75 beforehand. In the second half, Dickey also averaged 6.857 innings/ start, 7.97 Ks/ 9 IP and had a WHIP of 1.166. Prior to the All Star break, Dickey was averaging 6.126 IP/ S, 6.43 Ks/ 9 IP and had a WHIP of 1.290. The fact that his Ks were up, base runners down and innings per start up make a case that Dickey can be better next season. If he pitches closer to the way he did in the second half of 2013 next year, the Toronto Blue Jays could become a contender in the AL East again. Having Reyes healthy for a full season helps as well (obviously).
For the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays, the season was a big disappointment. If the word "failure" was used, it would not be an over statement. The Blue Jays were picked to win the AL East by several people associated with the game. A team that already had star hitters Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion as well as proven pitchers Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero made the two well publicized trades with the Marlins and Mets. Adding Jose Reyes to the lineup and three successful starting pitchers, Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle expected to put the Blue Jays in a much better position to succeed than in the prior two seasons. A win today would put the Blue Jays at 75-87, a loss at 74-88. A team that seemed to be so much improved on paper will show no more than a two game improvement from last season.
Dickey finished this season at 14-13, 4.21 while leading the AL with 34 games started. Though it is a far cry from his 20-6. 2.73 NL Cy Young season of a year ago, I would not consider Dickey a disappointment. I'm sure if RA was asked, he would discuss things he would have liked to do better. He did pitch his best game of the season in his third to last start against the Yankees. This could be considered the game that most damaged the Yankees playoff hopes. He pitched into the 8th inning in his last start, leading the Jays to a win against the Tampa Bay Rays in a game the Rays needed to win.
Dickey's season can be considered decent; he finished 14-13, 4.21 with 224 1/3 IP, giving up 105 ER, 71 BB and 207 hits. His 177 Ks go along with his 1.237 WHIP. Obviously, the numbers did not match up to his 2012 season, where he was 20-6, 2.73, 233 2/3, 71, 54, 192. He also had 230 Ks last season with a WHIP of 1.053. His numbers do not tell justice for how well Dickey pitched in the second half of the season. From July 21st, he made 14 starts. During that time, he was 8-6, 3.62 as opposed to 6-7, 4.75 beforehand. In the second half, Dickey also averaged 6.857 innings/ start, 7.97 Ks/ 9 IP and had a WHIP of 1.166. Prior to the All Star break, Dickey was averaging 6.126 IP/ S, 6.43 Ks/ 9 IP and had a WHIP of 1.290. The fact that his Ks were up, base runners down and innings per start up make a case that Dickey can be better next season. If he pitches closer to the way he did in the second half of 2013 next year, the Toronto Blue Jays could become a contender in the AL East again. Having Reyes healthy for a full season helps as well (obviously).
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