Rosie DiManno: Why 16 Blue Jays won’t remember this as a lost season — far from it - Toronto Star

What everyone else wants to forget, this year of unmagical Toronto baseball, these players will forever savour.

 Blue Jays outfielder Brett Bateman made a positive impact in his first taste of MLB action after the trade deadline.

Rosie DiManno is a Toronto-based columnist covering sports and current affairs for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @rdimanno.

Livin’ the dream amidst this nightmare of a year.

As the 2026 season bites the dust for the Blue Jays, there are still 16 grace notes on the sheet of dirge music: That’s the number of players who made their Major League Baseball debut with Toronto this year.

A whopping figure that speaks to so many roster crises that had to be navigated on a team ravaged by injuries, how frequently general manager Ross Atkins dipped into the waiver wire outcasts, and the cannonball express between Toronto and Buffalo. Throw in the Rule 5 draft, too, and arguably Atkins’ most astute move: plucking reliever (maybe future starter) Spencer Miles off the San Francisco Giants.

“It’s really weird to see that,” says manager John Schneider of the trolley car that continually dropped off MLB virgins at the clubhouse platform. “Especially after coming off of a World Series.”

Bizarre, bundling 30-year-old Kazuma Okamoto into the beginner class, but he’s a rookie on this continent.

“Weird when you’re shuffling new guys in and they’re trying to just get their feet wet under them a little bit,” continues Schneider. “Opportunity was definitely there. But definitely unique to have that many in one year.”

What everyone else wants to forget, this year of unmagical baseball, the Sixteen in the Six will forever savour. From the touching story of Rudy Martin Jr.’s 12 years before the mast of minor-league ball before cracking Toronto’s lineup on Sept. 11; to the hot, bat-first, big-league April start of Yohendrick Piñango (outfield misadventures punched his return ticket to the Bisons); to the faintly recalled Hayden Juenger: two relief appearances, 13.50 ERA.

“It’s The Show, man,” grins Sean Keys, who catapulted to T.O. on June 27 off the springboard of an unexpectedly strong performance in Triple-A. “The little kid in me has been dreaming about this my whole life. I’ll definitely never forget and I’ll spend the off-season reflecting on it.”

When Alejandro Kirk missed two months early in the season with a fractured thumb, Brandon Valenzuela got his splashy break in the majors: hitting .252 with seven home runs, five doubles, 18 RBIs and a .790 OPS across 46 games.

“For any rookie, making their MLB debut is pretty unforgettable,” Valenzuela was saying on Saturday morning. “It’s a huge event in your life. I got to play with a bunch of all-stars and future Hall of Famers, so that was pretty cool for me.

“And playing with Kirk, the first two catchers (on the same team) in the major leagues from Mexico, we’re going down in history for that alone.”

An eyepopping trade deadline arriviste was Brett Bateman — pause here to whoop-whoop his head-first-into-the-wall catch for the third out in the seventh inning Saturday at the Rogers Centre — who injected instant energy and uplift into Toronto’s August surge.

“I still don’t think I’ve taken it all in and realize the hard work has paid off. That’ll be more in the off-season. There’s a lot of things that I’ve got to work on. Just because I played well for a month and a half, it doesn’t mean that I have a spot saved. I have to prove it next year from spring training.”

The towering José Rodriguez (six-foot-six) got into just four games of relief, debuting on Sept. 8, but struck out five in 4 1/3 innings. Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a minor-league deal, he was optioned to Buffalo between games of the doubleheader in Baltimore this past week.

“Last week, last month has been crazy with getting traded and then I really didn’t expect getting called up. When I got the news, it was the happiest moment of my life, even though I was here for a short time.”

No one has impressed more than Miles, though, a found gem after losing three years to injury: “I always believed I was capable of doing something super-special. But getting the chance to actually do it, be here every day, that’s what was really special about this season.”

The impression he hopes to have left with the brass: “Hard worker, shows up every day, smile on his face, is ready to answer the call whatever role it might be — middle relief, long relief, opener, closer. I’ll take the ball and answer the call.”

Lefty Brendan Cellucci launched his MLB career on Sept. 15, retired all five batters he faced and has given up just one hit (0.00 ERA) in a half-dozen trips to the mound.

“It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of. It’s what I’ve worked for my whole life. It’s a beautiful thing.”

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Opinion articles are based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details

Rosie DiManno is a Toronto-based columnist covering sports and current affairs for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @rdimanno.