Toronto Blue Jays lefty Brendon Little better than he gets credit for

Little led the league in appearances, but his performance dropped off significantly in the second half of the season and in the postseason, so it's fair to wonder what the lefty's role will be in 2026.

After giving the Blue Jays 45.2 innings of 3.74 ERA ball in 2024 with an unbelievable 70.9 groundball rate, Little took a step forward in 2025.

Little built on that success and was immediately thrust into a high-leverage role this past season.

That month, he also started a streak of 15 games without allowing an earned run.

The lefty responded well and was striking out batters at a rate we hadn't seen before. Through April, Little had appeared in 16 games and racked up 21 strikeouts through 13 innings.

The 29-year old leaned on his knuckle curve more than ever and became a strikeout artist for the first time, accumulating 91 K's, the highest total among all left-handed relievers.

He also led southpaw relievers in appearances (79) and with a fWAR (1.3) that ranked ninth.

Little was 0-1 with a 4.88 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 24 innings (34 appearances) following the All-Star break. He amassed 13 holds, 17 walks, one save, and one blown save.

Little was shaky down the stretch, but he conceded just two home runs in 2025 and managed 30 holds and a save with just three blown saves on his ledger.

An indisputably ugly playoff run means his 2025 may not be remembered fondly, but his body of work over a regular season when the Blue Jays had no margin for error to win the AL East was excellent.