Toronto Blue Jays: Aaron Sanchez and the Return of the Blister Issues

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez left the game on May 17 against the Chicago White Sox due to a blister on his throwing hand.

Aaron Sanchez came into the Toronto Blue Jays organization with the potential to turn into a reliable arm in the starting rotation when drafted in 2010 in the 1st round.

Since his MLB debut in 2014, Sanchez has seen both highs and lows while donning the Blue Jays uniform.

His best season would come in 2016, where he would go on to a 15-2 record with a 3.00 ERA. He would log a career high 192 innings pitched and would rack up 161 strikeouts for another career high.

Unfortunately for Sanchez, there has been a lot more low’s in his career compared to impressive seasons like 2016.

Over the past three seasons, he has only appeared in 38 games, with multiple stints on the Injured List (IL) impacting his innings pitched but also his ERA.

In 2017, Aaron Sanchez would land on the IL multiple times during the season, with a blister on his middle finger (throwing hand) and a cracked nail being the root causes. He would finish the season with only 8 appearances and a 4.25 ERA.

In 2018, Sanchez suffered another hand injury when his middle finger got caught on his suitcase while it was falling over, causing a contusion towards the knuckle area. He would miss roughly two months on the IL and would only start/appear in 20 games, throwing an abysmal 4.89 ERA.

With the 2019 season being a repeat of the past two years, Aaron Sanchez just cannot keep his throwing hand safe from the elements.

He has already had an issue with a broken fingernail this season, although he did end up making his next start against the Oakland A’s.

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Whether it be a blister or a nail issue, Sanchez just struggles to keep himself in the starting rotation and from being a dominant pitcher like he was in 2016.

To be completely honest, I am not sure how a player/pitcher avoids a blister or can prepare for avoiding blisters other than getting some hand lotion/cream and avoid throwing a baseball until the blister heals.

Pitchers obviously throw hard and can develop calluses or blisters on their hands, but this has been a prominent issue for Sanchez these past couple seasons. When he has blisters, his command and velocity become an issue causing his ERA to rise.

For Sanchez, when he is healthy, he can be a dominant and impressive addition to the Blue Jays starting rotation. The problem is that he just cannot stay healthy.

Sanchez did say that he may end up missing his next scheduled start, based on his previous experience with blister issues and how he would rather miss one game versus almost an entire season.

If I were Aaron Sanchez, I would take a trip down to Shopper’s Drug Mart and look at the hand lotion aisle. A quick call to super agent Scott Boras could lead to some possible endorsement opportunities.