Monday night, Danny Jansen sat in the dugout and watched as rookie and fellow catcher Alejandro Kirk had a 4-for-4 night including a home run. Jansen then rode the pine again Tuesday evening.
The 25-year-old catcher from Wisconsin has had an up-and-down year for the Jays. Jansen has proven himself to be quite steady behind the plate and the “everyday” catcher, but has been unreliable while at the plate. There have been a few games where Jansen has really stood out, however that was more for his great scoops of balls in the dirt and timely throw-outs on potential base stealers.
Jansen took in what Kirk did and one-upped at Sahlen Field Wednesday night in his return to the lineup. It was another 4-for-4 line, but Jansen was able to hit two balls out of the ballpark for his. Those two home runs increased Jansen’s total on the season to six while his batting average jumped from .160 to .191.
After being held hitless in his last three appearances, Jansen doubled to left with two outs in his first at-bat against Masahiro Tanaka. He then solo honored in the 4th to increase the Jays lead before homering again in the 8th to put a cherry on the Jays’ 14-1 victory over the New York Yankees.
The offensive outburst could not have come at a more important time for Jansen as it seemed like Manager Charlie Montoyo was becoming weary over Jansen’s output.
Jansen has struggled at the plate, but so have his backups. On September 12th when Alejandro Kirk was called up, Jansen, Reese McGuire and Caleb Joseph had just a .508 combined OPS.
Those struggles have worried some as to if the former 42nd-overall ranked prospect in baseball would have sticking power in the league.
Jansen impressed in his rookie season with 13 home runs and a .207/.279/.360 slash line. He also was nominated for a gold glove, but struggled to improve his batting as the season went on (.201 BA after the All-Star Break).
2020 has not been an improvement for Jansen at the plate, but his control of games behind the dish has been phenomenal. Jansen still has a caught stealing rate above 20% and has only allowed 3 passed balls. If Jansen can grow from of his performance at the plate Wednesday night, then the Jays can be a real threat next week in a 3-game series and beyond.