Okay, so, I was trying to figure out this whole Josh Thole and Blue Jays thing. You know, it’s one of those things that just popped into my head and I needed to get to the bottom of it. So I started digging.
Diving into the Thole-Jays Connection
First off, I went to see if I could find out more about Josh Thole. I mean, I knew he was a baseball player, but that was about it. Turns out, he was a catcher. Played for the Mets for a while. Then, I started looking into his time with the Blue Jays.
What I found was pretty interesting. Thole joined the Blue Jays along with R.A. Dickey in a trade back in, I think it was 2012. The whole point of bringing him on was because he was really good at catching Dickey’s knuckleball. That’s a tough pitch to handle, but Thole was known for being able to do it.
- Joined Blue Jays in 2012
- Known for catching R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball
- Stayed with the team until 2016
He was with the team for a few years, I think through the 2016 season. He wasn’t the starting catcher or anything, but he played a specific role. Basically, when Dickey was pitching, Thole was the guy behind the plate. It was a pretty unique situation, having a catcher specifically for one pitcher.
Why it mattered
I kept looking into it, and it seemed like this strategy worked out pretty well for the Blue Jays, at least for a while. Dickey was a solid pitcher, and having Thole there to catch his knuckleball made a difference. It was like they were a package deal.
I guess the main takeaway from this little research project was that sometimes, in baseball, these specific player combinations can be really important. It’s not always about having the best players at every position, but about finding the right guys who work well together. It’s like, the team realized they needed someone who could handle Dickey’s tricky pitch, and they went out and got Thole. It was all about strategy and team-building, and I thought that was pretty cool.
Anyways, that’s the story of my little deep dive into Josh Thole and the Blue Jays. It was a fun little exploration, and I learned a bit more about baseball strategy along the way. Maybe I’ll do another one of these soon!
