Blue Jays' Hutchison to start Opening Day

A new era is dawning for the Toronto Blue Jays.

After handing the Opening Day start to veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey in each of the last two seasons, the Blue Jays will send 24-year-old right-hander Drew Hutchison to the mound for this year's season-opener against the New York Yankees in the Bronx.

Hutchison missed the entire 2013 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery, but rebounded with aplomb last season, emerging as one of the club's most promising young pitchers. Selected in the 15th round of the 2009 draft, Hutchison fashioned a 4.48 ERA over 32 starts, but posted impressive peripheral statistics across 184 2/3 innings.

Only 19 qualified starters managed a higher strikeout rate in 2014 than Hutchison, who tweaked his slider to great success during the latter stages of the season and managed a 3.32 ERA with a 57:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his final seven starts.