The Toronto Blue Jays entered 2015 fully embracing a youth movement.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos has a history of sticking with out of option veterans, so it was refreshing to see him stick with the 25 best players for once. The Jays entered the season with a franchise high six rookies on their 25-man roster. These rookies weren’t here to sit and watch, they were going to be thrusted into big roles – sink or swim. So far, it’s been a mixed bag.
Three of those rookies have already been sent down. Daniel Norris, who literally lives in a van down by the river, was quickly optioned to AAA Buffalo after making five starts with the club. 20-year-old Miguel Castro was temporarily the teams closer, racking up four saves during Brett Cecil’s mini-implosion, before getting optioned. Canadian outfielder Dalton Pompey showed flashes during his stint, but his poor fielding and hitting caught up to him, and he was sent down.
It’s not all been bad for the Blue Jays rookies though.
Second baseman Devon Travis, acquired in a one-for-one trade with the Detroit Tigers for Anthony Gose, has got off to a blazing start to his big league career. He’s hit 7 home runs while sporting a .287 batting average and a .358 OBP. For his hot start he was awarded the AL Rookie of the Month. While his power is bound to regress, he’s looked great on both sides of the ball.
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22-year-old lefty Aaron Sanchez, fresh off his best start of the season, has been inconsistent. His control has been a huge issue, as he’s walking an MLB leading seven batters per nine innings and leads the league in free passes with 25. His 3.62 ERA looks nice, but his 5.70 FIP suggests it’s not sustainable. His stuff has been downright nasty. If he can harness his control, he’s going to be the real deal.
20-year old Robert Osuna has been the most consistent bullpen piece for the Blue Jays. He’s sporting a spiffy 1.10 ERA, a 2.13 FIP with an impressive 8.8 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. He’s already made 12 appearances, so I’m sure John Gibbons will temper his usage, but right now the kid is delivering.
The Blue Jays have largely stayed afloat because of their offense. They were smart to bring in Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin to a lineup that already included Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Reyes and Jose Bautista. Those moves have paid off, as the Blue Jays have the highest scoring offense in the major leagues, leading the show in runs (172), RBI (160) and ranking within the top five in OBP, slugging percentage, OPS and doubles. Donaldson and Martin have both already hit 7 home runs, posted OBP’s just under .400 and played gold glove quality defense. They’ve played like the Blue Jays hoped they would.
With Bautista and Encarnacion off to slow starts, and Reyes already on the DL, the Blue Jays have gotten unlikely offensive contributions from bit players – Chris Colabello, Ezequiel Carrera, Danny Valencia and Kevin Pillar have all had their moments at the plate. That’s unlikely to continue, but when Bautista and Encarnacion heat up again, and Reyes comes back, the offence will be even better. That’s a scary thought.
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While Pillar’s aggressive approach has seen him draw only five walks in 130 plate appearances, his defensive prowess has really been on display. The Blue Jays outfielder has made a handful of show stopping defensive plays and has stayed in the lineup largely for that reason.
The pitching on the other hand has been inconsistent. The team has shuffled their bullpen heavily this season, with a lot of new faces coming up-and-down throughout the system. When Jeff Francis is pitching in your bullpen, you know there’s some problems. Struggles in the rotation have lead to heavy usage of Jays relievers.
Aging veterans R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle have had shaky starts in the rotation, while Drew Hutchison has had his troubles himself, although his 4.67 FIP suggests his 6.69 ERA should come down. Marco Estrada has been thrusted into the rotation with Norris being optioned. While he was one of the better relievers in the bullpen so far this season, you have to wonder how his stuff is going to translate to the confines of the Rogers Centre. Estrada gave up a staggering 29 home runs last season, and playing in a batters park is a tad worrisome.
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Simply put, the Blue Jays .500 (16-16) record should be much better than it is. Their offense is too good to be mired in mediocrity. If they want to contend in what’s been a pretty open AL East, their pitching needs to be a heck of a lot better. The teams rookies are going to be inconsistent, so stability in other areas is needed.
While I’m not banking on it to happen, this team could benefit from adding another veteran starting pitcher and/or reliever. The Phillies are shopping both Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon for example, both of whom would be excellent fits on this roster. The Blue Jays five-year window is closing and there are still much needed improvements to be made. They have a chance to become one of the best offensive teams in Blue Jays history, it would be a shame if they wasted it.
