Toronto Blue Jays Pitchers of the Month – June 2025

Eighteen different Blue Jays pitchers made appearances last month, including Tyler Heineman (1.0 IP, 1 ER). Ten of those who pitched picked up wins, leading to Toronto’s 16-10 record in June. Let’s look at the best of the best.

Honourable Mentions
Max Scherzer only made two starts in June, with the first coming after almost three months of working through his thumb injury and the compounding ailments that came from it. He went five innings in each start, and while he isn’t back to looking like the Mad Max of old, his seven strikeouts in the series opener against the Yankees were nice to see. The thumb will continue to need maintenance, and that could mean some missed or short starts, but as Scherzer ramps back up, he has the potential to make this list in future months.

Brendon Little made 11 appearances, striking out 17 batters and extending his homer-less streak to 35.2 IP and 148 batters faced (dating back to April 2). He got tagged for a few earned runs this past month, but his 17 Ks and 2.51 FIP were both second-best out of the 'pen in June (of pitchers with at least 3.0 IP), while his 0.60 WPA was the very best.

Jeff Hoffman notched six saves in June and picked up a pair of wins as a bonus. After a May in which he was as far away from making the Pitcher of the Month leaderboard as possible, he turned it around in June with 12 appearances totalling 10 innings and only giving up a pair of runs (both runs were in games where he picked up the save).

#3 - Eric Lauer: 25.1 IP, 2.49 ERA, 25 K, 3.60 FIP, 0.4 fWAR
Lauer went from being used as part of the regularly occurring ‘bullpen day’ to locking down a spot in the rotation when Bowden Francis hit the IL. In June, he picked up the most wins of any Blue Jays pitcher (3), gave up the fewest barrels of any regular starter (2) and gave the Jays a different look as the only lefty in the rotation. He made six appearances (four starts) and gave up one run in two of them and zero in another pair. The last rotation spot is about limiting damage and putting your team in a position to win, and Lauer has done just that. Last week, Owen Hill asked the question: Has Eric Lauer Saved the Blue Jays Season? and it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t.  

#2 - Braydon Fisher: 13.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 19 K, 0.91 FIP, 0.5 fWAR
Six hits (only one for extra bases) and three walks scattered across 13 appearances were the only blemishes on Fisher’s June. He otherwise retired 40 of the 49 batters he faced and didn’t give up a run to anyone (including inherited runners).

Simon Li looked at Fisher's performance in depth and noted how valuable he’s been to the Jays. By fWAR, he was the best the bullpen had to offer in June and was only bested by the starter occupying the #1 spot. Of the Jays' pitchers to throw at least three innings, only Lauer had a lower barrel rate (2.8% for Lauer vs. Fisher’s 3.7%).

Relying on a low-80s curve and a high-80s slider (with a mid-90s fastball to keep hitters honest), Fisher kept batters off balance, earning 13 of his Ks swinging (including all three of the outs he recorded against the Yankees on Monday) compared to the six called-third-strike outs he manufactured this month. 

#1 - José Berríos: 32 IP, 1.97 ERA, 24 K, 3.34 FIP, 0.7 fWAR, 0.87 WPA
José Berríos made quality starts in four of his five outings in June. We’ve talked a lot about how the Jays have had to manage the back end of the rotation without calling on the bullpen too often, and of the three top-of-the-rotation starters, Berríos threw the most innings in June.

He made it look easy in starts against St. Louis and Boston on the road, and one against the White Sox in Toronto. He pitched into the seventh or eighth inning in all three of those games and didn’t give up any earned runs. A solitary earned run over six innings was the only blemish on his home start against Philadelphia at the beginning of the month too.

In terms of Win Probability Added, Berríos's 6.2 innings of shutout ball in St. Louis were his best of the month – a lot of weak contact with just the one strikeout, but all told, it was a very well-managed game. His 8 Ks over seven innings in Boston certainly produced a more fun highlight reel and showcased another way Berríos can dominate on any given night.