Casey Janssen

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**Casey Janssen**

Toronto Blue Jays — No. 44
Relief pitcher
Born: September 17, 1981 (1981-09-17) (age 26)
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
April 27, 2006 for the Toronto Blue Jays
Selected MLB statistics (through 2007)
Win-Loss	8-13
Earned run average	3.89
Strikeouts	83
Teams
Toronto Blue Jays (2006-present)

Robert Casey Janssen (born September 17, 1981 in Orange, California) is a right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the Toronto Blue Jays.

He was selected by the Blue Jays out of UCLA in the fourth round of the 2004 draft. When an injury to A.J. Burnett created an opening in the Blue Jays' rotation, Janssen was promoted from the Syracuse Chiefs and made his major-league debut against the Baltimore Orioles on April 27, 2006.

Janssen throws six different pitches: a four-seam fastball that tops out at 92 mph, a two-seamer, a cutter, a curveball, a change-up and a slider. Although he is not an overpowering pitcher, thus far in his career Janssen has been very successful in upsetting hitters' timing and inducing weakly hit balls. In his first two months in the majors, he proved to be a groundball pitcher who allows few line drives.

Casey Janssen won his first two games against the Los Angeles Angels, both times posting extremely solid outings, allowing less than three hits over seven innings each.

In 2007, with multiple injuries to the Blue Jays rotation and bullpen, Janssen made a move to the bullpen and performed very well as the set-up man for interim closer Jeremy Accardo. Janssen has established himself as one of the best in the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen as well as in the American League. His fate in 2008 remains up in the air, however. With the return of all-star closer B.J. Ryan slated for the beginning of the regular season, Janssen may be moved back into the starting rotation, or the Blue Jays could opt to keep him in a relief role.

The Fan 590 in Toronto reports that Casey Janssen will miss the season with a torn labrum. The Toronto Star has since confirmed the news.

Janssen will undergo surgery after cutting a Tuesday warmup short due to pain in his right shoulder. Jesse Litsch will break camp as the team's fifth starter, and lefty Scott Downs will take over Janssen's role as the primary setup man.