The Toronto Blue Jays are sticking with their youngest hurler to close out games to start the 2016 season.

The team announced Wednesday morning that 21-year-old Roberto Osuna would be the team’s Opening Day closer after a superb rookie campaign last year.

twitter embed

"Really, we like both (Osuna and Drew Storen) but I have a familiarity with Ousna; we all do," Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We have some flexibility if we decide to change some things the further along the season we go."

Osuna took over the closer role from left-hander Brett Cecil in late June and was magnificent over the following three months.

He posted a 1-6 record with 20 saves and 75 strikeouts over 69.2 innings (68 games) in 2015. Osuna also had a 2.58 ERA and a 0.919 WHIP. The Mexican threw 5.2 innings in the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers, allowing no runs and no hits with six strikeouts. Osuna had a rough time against the Kansas City Royals, though, posting a 6.75 ERA over 2.2 innings in the American League Championship Series and was stuck with the Game 6 elimination loss.

twitter embed

"It's not too much about what I did last year, it's about the confidence Pete Walker and Gibby are giving to me right now. That means a lot to me and I'm, obviously, going to do my best," Osuna said.

Some believed the Jays would go with former Washington Nationals closer Storen in the closer's role after he was acquired by the organization over the winter via trade. But for now, the Toronto is going with the guy that was an integral part of their memorable 2015 ride to the playoffs.