Vet Guerra settles in with youthful Jays
Journeyman a pleasant surprise this spring
The beginning of Javy Guerra’s career with the Blue Jays was about as nondescript as they come, but it didn’t take long for the reliever to find himself in some high leverage situations for his new club.
The 33-year-old right-hander’s start with the club flew under the radar this February, when he was one of 15 nonroster invitees to spring training on a list headlined by the likes of prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio.
But he put his best foot forward in camp by posting a tidy 0.87 earned-run average through 10 1/3 Grapefruit League innings. When Jays relievers started dropping like flies — David Phelps, Ryan Tepera, John Axford and Bud Norris, who was eventually released, all started the season injured — it was Guerra that Toronto turned to as Plan B.
“You never know. Sometimes things like this happen and you’re ready,” Guerra said last week.
Guerra, a journeyman who has spent parts of nine seasons in the big leagues but has never pitched more than 46 2/3 innings in a single year, was a pleasant surprise for pitching coach Pete Walker coming out of spring.
He had proven he had the stuff to be effective, so when the bullpen’s circumstances changed because of injuries, Toronto felt confident pushing him into an unexpected role. Guerra has shouldered a number of highleverage situations for the Jays early this season, helping to cover the late innings in the absence of a few setup men.
“He’s been really good for us,” Walker said. “He’s a great clubhouse guy. He’s been around. Even though he doesn’t have a ton of major league experience, he has a veteran presence. Ideally you work your way into those roles, but he’s been kind of forced into it a little bit here and he’s doing everything he can to get us outs.”
It was the youth in Toronto’s clubhouse that drew Guerra to the Jays in the first place, despite interest from a couple of other teams this past off-season after spending the last two years in the Miami Marlins organization. Not so much the hitting side, what Toronto’s up-and-comers are generally touted for, but the pitching.
The way the bullpen has rallied in the absence of some key arms is exactly what Guerra expected of Toronto’s relievers. The Jays have relied on the same eight guys since the start of the season, an unusual spell of consistency for a club whose pitchers have been plagued by injuries the past two years. The group carries a 4.09 ERA combined, good for 13th in baseball heading into play on Wednesday, despite being a relatively young and inexperience group, on average just over 27 years old with less than five years of major league experience.
“Going into camp, you always expect a couple hiccups here and there,” Guerra said. “Things happen beyond our control . ... I think everyone really stepped up, everyone threw the ball well and it just continued. From Day 1, we just kept getting better.”
Toronto’s starters have shown unity this season by enacting a new group warmup routine. Guerra said there is a similar sense of togetherness in the bullpen. That hasn’t always been the case, in his experience.
“It’s a good feeling knowing everyone’s rooting for everyone. There’s no distraction . ... I think everyone genuinely wants everyone to do well, and that’s a good combination for a young team,” he said.
Guerra took on a closer role with the Los Angeles Dodgers about three weeks into his first season in the big leagues in 2011, notching 21 saves in the most productive year of his career. He knows how to handle the pressure of the role he currently holds.