Bowden Francis ends the season on a high note but draws shocking comparison in recent report
Photo credit: Clutch Points
The Toronto Blue Jays got a lot more than they expected out of Bowden Francis this year after playing incredibly well in the second half of the season and the team now has extremely high hopes for him in 2025.
Francis started off the year in a good position as he was part of the starting rotation but quickly lost that spot after two tough starts he was sent to the bullpen and after only 3 appearances, he was on the sidelines with an injury.
Francis when he began the year in the starting rotation. However, two forgettable starts later, he was relegated back to the bullpen. Three relief appearances later, he was on the sidelines with a right forearm injury. -Eng
When Francis came back in July he continued to struggle in the bullpen which got him sent down to Triple-A and this was the turning point. Francis was only in Triple-A for two weeks when the Blue Jays decided to bring him back up and regained a place in the starting rotation after the trade deadline.
Following the deadline is when things really turned around, Francis pitched 11 games between the trade deadline and the end of the season putting up an incredible 1.80 ERA while only allowing 13 earned runs and came close to a no-hitter on two separate occasions.
In 11 games, Francis posted a stellar 1.80 ERA, .140 opponents batting average, 0.60 WHIP, while giving up just 13 earned runs with 8 walks and 58 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched. That included taking a no-hit bid into the ninth inning for two of his starts. -Eng
Bowden Francis draws comparison to Roy Halladay
Francis had a phenomenal year overall despite the rough first half since no one in the organization expected him to have such an amazing second half of the season. In a recent report, Francis was compared to one of the best pitchers of all-time Roy Halladay.
Hopefully, with the ace vibes that we all witnessed in his second-half performance, Francis could be materializing into the second coming of the late Roy Halladay in front of our eyes.
While Francis did had a unbelievable year and fans are excited to see what he has in store for next season, it might just be a little early to compare him to the legendary #34.
Source: Jays Journal
The 4 best Blue Jays development stories of 2024
The 4 best Blue Jays development stories of 2024
Previously on Blue Jays Insider
Latest 10 stories
