Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna recorded his 20th save of the season in Tuesday’s 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the first Blue Jays rookie since Billy Koch (31) in 1999 to record 20 or more saves in a season, per Sportsnet Stats.
Osuna faced just two batters to get the milestone save, striking out Orioles designated hitter Jimmy Paredes, then inducing a flyout to left field from Orioles catcher Steve Clevenger.
Only 20 years old, Osuna has converted 20 of his 22 save opportunities this season, posting a 2.36 ERA and 0.87 WHIP, with a 73-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 68.2 innings. He also has seven holds, all of which came in April, May or early June, before he stepped into the closer’s role.
Despite his age, and despite the fact that he’d never pitched above the High-A level, Osuna earned a spot in the Toronto bullpen right out of spring training, with the team determining that it would rather have him make an instant impact as a reliever, rather than continuing his development as a starter.
Of course, it’s still quite possible the Blue Jays will eventually want Osuna to join the starting rotation, possibly as soon as 2016 or 2017, depending on what the rest of the roster looks like.
On the other hand, there’s an argument to be made for sticking with what works, and there’s little question that Osuna is already one of the team’s most effective relievers.
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