I really had some faith in the kid, but only a day after the Morrow news it’s being reported that Brett Cecil has lost the zip on his fastball. Cecil claims that he’s not hurt, but Cecil also claims that he uses the fastball 75% of the time so we can conclude that he’s a compulsive liar. In reality, Cecil combines to use his two and four seamers about 50% of the time. I’m incredibly intrigued by Cecil’s gross misunderstanding of what he actually throws. Fangraphs incorrectly categorizes a handful of cutters as sliders, but beyond that the numbers look pretty solid.
Cecil stated yesterday that he’s yet to touch 90mph in the spring, but the entire Jays organization has floated the “slow starter” line to combat any worries. Cecil needs that velocity, though. In the past two years, Cecil’s averaged 90-mph on the heater and often touches 95-96mph. He’s improved his control and movement but having 95mph in his back-pocket allows him to set up the change, slider and curve.
This just seems like a gigantic headache for fantasy owners and the Blue Jays. Even if Cecil has a clean bill of health, coming into camp with five fewer mph seems like a rather large strength issue. If John Farrell’s insights are correct and Cecil just needs time to warm up, Cecil could make for a great waiver-wire claim a few weeks into the season.
As a Torontonian, this just pisses me off.
