How Louis Varland Became the AL’s Best Reliever of the Month to Start 2026
Professional baseball is well underway, and that means the first round of personal accolades has come and gone. MLB insiders and writers have voted as to who warranted the first American League Reliever of the Month, amongst other top titles, and it isn’t shocking that Louis Varland was up for the award.
It is hard to say that one pitcher, or one player, is more important than another, as this is a team sport, but if forced to, Varland’s importance as a closer for the Toronto Blue Jays is nearly impossible to glance over.
As Varland continues to be a nightmare for hitters, he earns his first (of many) accolades this season as he was named the American League Reliever of the Month. This was an honor he deserved as he continues to retire batters at a rapid pace.
A Look at Varland’s Biggest Highlights So Far
Varland has been incredible this year as he has posted a 0.53 ERA, and 1.06 WHIP to complement 28 strikeouts in 17 innings. However, some performances definitely stick out more than others and the first that comes to mind is the 30-pitch inning against the Cleveland Guardians.
It wouldn’t have been shocking to see as long an inning as the 9th in that Guardians game turn into quite a problem, but Varland pitched himself out of a jaw-clenching jam that he put himself in as he loaded the bases on himself for the last two outs of the game.
Instead of a Blue Jays’ L, Varland was rewarded the save as he not only recorded the final pair of outs in the ninth, but did so in strikeout fashion without allowing another run to score. Then, Varland made himself available the following evening.
The next couple of games for Varland were both recorded as saves to finish out the month for the Jays’ closer at Rogers Centre. Varland faced six batters in those games and struck out five in phenomenal outings for the 28-year-old.
The Jays are gearing up for a pretty tough stretch as they will finish this cross-country road trip in Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Rays before heading back to Canada for a six-game homestand. Look to John Schneider giving Varland the nod in crucial spots to get this ballclub back over .500 while the team tries to get healthy.
Congrats to Varland and the Jays for this honor, and let’s hope for big things in both the team’s and pitcher’s futures.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/onsi as How Louis Varland Became the AL’s Best Reliever of the Month to Start 2026.
Monday Bantering: Jays Notes, Varland, Heineman
So there is a little bit of good news, Louis Varland was named AL reliever of the month. He pitched a bunch, 16 innings, 0.56 ERA, 1.0 WAR, 4 saves. Batters hit .200/.277/.254 against him.
We are pretty lucky to have him, I don’t know who would be closing games for us without him. Maybe they continue this way all season, Hoffman in a setup role, which seems to be going fine and Varland in the closer role. Or they could mix and match depending on who they want to have different guys face.
Tyler Rogers, Braydon Fisher, Spencer Miles and Joe Mantiply are all pitching well.
And Hoffman has a 3.38 ERA in his 6 games, giving up a run in each of two games, with 1 walk and 8 strikeouts in in the 5.1 innings. It’s a start.
The stuff between John Schneider and Tyler Heineman, in yesterday’s game, was weird. If John had such a problem with the way Heineman was playing, why didn’t he pinch hit for him in that spot. I get the feeling that John was mad at himself for not pinch hitting. Which is fair, I was kind of mad at him for not pinch hitting.
I don’t like managers being that public with their dislike of what a player is doing. I think things like that should be private. And, beyond that, Schneider knows what Heineman is. I mean, Schneider was the same sort of player, good glove/bad bat. If he doesn’t like Heineman’s play, why put him in the lineup. Why not talk to the front office about finding a better option.
Despite last years play, or at least the play from the first half of last year, Heineman is not a hitter. Expecting him to be one is not going to end well.
And, if John is going to start taking guys out of the lineup for a bad at bat, we are going to be forfeiting a lot of games.
John Sterling passed away at 87.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t a fan. One year, when we were on holiday, I ended up listening to him call some Yankees/Blue Jays games and I hated that he mispronounced some player’s names, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion others. And, it bothered me. I mean Bautista was one of the top players in the league. You should be able to get that one right, if your job is to be a radio announcer.
But, he had the job a long time. Called 5420 regular season games, 5,060 consecutive games. Yankees’ fans liked him. He was enthusiastic. He was different. Different is a good thing, he wasn’t boring.
Maybe I’d have liked him better if he didn’t work for the godless Yankees.
Addison Barger hit a home run in his first rehab start, and took a walk, with a ground out as well. I think the plan is for him to play three rehab games.
Addison didn’t have a great start to the season, with 1 hit in 23 PA. So, expecting him to be great as soon as he comes back might be a little hopeful, but it will be good to have him back.
Tonight’s game is a 6:30 start. Nick Martinez starts for the Rays. Eric Lauer will…..pitch at some point. He wasn’t happy with the opener thing last time against. But then, you want change, pitch better. Lauer has a 6.00 ERA in 27 innings this year. Pitch well, and he’ll likely get to be the starter next time around. Pitch crappy, and this if the best you can hope for.