Ken Giles turns 34 today.
When the Blue Jays picked up Giles in the Roberto Osuna trade on July 30, 2018, he came with his baggage. We all saw the video of him hitting himself. The Astros had sent him to the minors when he had a poor start to the 2018 season.
Of course, Osuna’s issues forced the Jays into making the trade, so we expected a discounted return. Along with Giles, the Astros sent David Paulino and Hector Perez.
Paulino pitched 6.2 innings for the Jays in 2018, and we released him in August
2019. He was in the Phillies system for a bit, but he has been out of baseball since the end of the 2021 season.
Perez played one game with the Jays in 2020. Since then, he’s worked in the Reds, Phillies, Orioles, and Rays systems. This year, he’s pitching in China.
In his three years with the Jays, Giles had a 2.83 ERA and 38 saves (with just 1 blown save), which puts him 10th in Blue Jays history.
In 2019, he was injured at the trade deadline, which stopped the Jays from trying to trade him. And, of course, in 2020, he only played four games before missing the rest of the season and then having Tommy John surgery in September.
The Mariners signed Ken to a two-year, $7 million contract before the 2021 season (with a team option for a third year). He pitched 4.1 innings for them in 2022 and was released at the end of the season. Since then, he’s thrown in the Giants and Dodgers systems. This year, he pitched in the minors with the Braves.
In an 8-season MLB career, Giles has a 2.71 ERA in 362 games, with 115 saves.
When he was healthy, he was a lot of fun to watch. He was a sure thing in safe situations. Throwing high 90s fastballs and a wicked slider, he might not have been 100 Miles Giles by the time he was with the Jays, but he still could blow a fastball by a hitter.
Happy Birthday, Ken.
Zach Pop turns 28 today.
Pop was traded to us from the Marlins (along with Anthony Bass) for Jordan Groshans. Bass, as you know, was released earlier this season. As far as I know, no MLB team has picked him up.
Groshans was a prospect I liked a lot. He played 17 games for the Marlins in 2022, hitting .262/.308/.311. This year, he’s played in the A’s and Yankees’ systems.
Pop pitched in 7 games for the Jays last year, with a 1.89 ERA, and 15 this year (funny,
Pop got into a handful of games in 2022 and 2023, but this year, he’s pitched in 55 games with a 5.67 ERA in 46 innings.
Happy Birthday, Zack.
Mickey Klutts turns 70 today,
Mickey played 22 games for the Jays in 1983, his last season in the MLB. He hit .256/.289/.465 while playing mostly third base.
That was the end of an eight-year MLB career. Most of his playing time was with the A’s. He played in 199 games during his career, with a .241/.289/.371 batting line, 14 home runs, 34 walks, and 101 strikeouts.
Happy Birthday, Mickey.
