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Blue Jays Bullpen: Sparkman To The Rescue?

Stop me if you heard this one.

The Jays select a young starting pitcher in the December Rule 5 draft. The kid has talent, with a fastball in the 90-93mph range and one average breaking pitch (and a second one that is still a work in progress) but is far from a sure thing as a starter. There is also some concern about arm health, as the pitcher has already had Tommy John surgery.

The Jays plan to convert him to a long reliever in the near term, and hope that reduced innings can bump the fastball to the 95mph+ range and give him the luxury of relying more on his two best pitches.