Where would Toronto Blue Jays be without new faces?
Having played 29 games, the Toronto Blue Jays are flirting with .500 but just can’t seem to find that consistent stride necessary to get them over the hurdle and atop the AL East division for an extended amount of time. In 2014, the club managed to string together three different win streaks of five or more games before the Midsummer Classic. So far this year, the best they have mustered is one streak of three wins.
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The pitching has been spotty and without reverence by the opposition. The staff has the third worst team ERA in the Major Leagues at 4.83. Starters (5.40) are even worse than the bullpen, which have posted a 3.91 mark and have only six saves in 10 opportunities.
While the Blue Jays’ offense collectively ranks first in MLB for runs scored (155), RBI (148) and is fourth in slugging percentage (.433), if it weren’t for some new faces, the club would likely be in the cellar of the AL East and outside the top 10 rankings in most hitting categories.
Free agent signee Russell Martin plus trade piece acquisitions Josh Donaldson and Devon Travis are basically carrying the ball club in their first month of wearing royal and navy blue. Some players take time adjusting to a new ballpark, city surroundings and travel schedules. Not these three. If it were not for the Jays’ new catcher, second and third baseman, Rogers Centre might be a more depressing place to spend a Saturday afternoon in spring.
Donaldson (.301), Travis (.297) and Martin (.286) all lead the team in batting averages for players with more than 75 at-bats. The trio also lead the team in home runs with Martin and Travis having seven and Donaldson at six. The order or ranking may vary some, but the same can be said for runs scored, RBI and OPS.
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Travis is playing so well in his rookie season, that right now there could even justifiably be some tempered AL MVP buzz around his name. The 24-year-old has brought the most excitement to the position for the Jays since Roberto Alomar exited his second base post with Toronto in 1996. The last remaining relic of the ‘Doc Deal’ still inside the Blue Jays’ organization, Travis is more than meeting expectations. He has the fifth most home runs and RBI in MLB and easily leads all second basemen league-wide in those respective categories.
Donaldson was acquired for a number of prospects sent to Oakland. The friendly hitter parks of the AL East and his cozy lineup mates have Donaldson hitting well above his career mark of .270 and only one home run off his career best mark through 29 games played. Most importantly to the club has been Donaldson’s durability. He played 158 games each from 2013-14 for the A’s and has not missed a start for the Jays in 2015.
Lastly, the contract Martin signed in November was the biggest ever by a free agent under Alex Anthopoulos’ general management. For a 32-year-old catcher, the deal had its fair share of skeptics. While he hasn’t yet been able to get the most out of some young arms in the rotation, his offensive production has been a surprise. The native of Canada looks to be having a career year at the dish after having homered in four of his last five games. Martin leads the Jays with a 1.4 WAR, tied with outfielder Kevin Pillar. Travis (1.2) and Donaldson (1.2) are tied for the second best WAR marks on the club.
While Pillar is not a new face in Toronto (he’s registered 218 ABs from 2013-14), he is still a ‘newer’ face that is also a revelation for Toronto. Hitting .277 with 14 RBI and leading the team in stolen bases with five, Pillar’s biggest asset to the team has been his glove. On several occasions in 2015 he has made highlight reel catches in Toronto’s outfield reminiscent of Willie Mays‘ athleticism. The 26-year-old has a dWAR of 1.1 which far and away leads the club.
While staples of the Blue Jays’ lineup like Jose Bautista (.198 BA, .797 OPS) and Edwin Encarnacion (.216, .631) have not fully found their groove in 2015 yet, they are still contributing. The two have nine home runs and 31 RBI between them, but you probably won’t find their names at the top of any All-Star ballot like they were a year ago.
For the remainder of baseball’s first half, one thing is paramount to the Toronto Blue Jays’ success, and that is the health of their three new faces. Even if veteran players like Bautista, Encarnacion and Jose Reyes return to form, the club will likely need to continue winning games by scoring lots of runs because the pitching staff is presently operating as a frustrating work in progress. It has been pleasantly apparent early on, however, that the new bats in town are anything but disappointing.