Michael Saunders was acquired in December of 2014 from the Seattle Mariners for J.A. Happ. Oddly enough, Saunders will now share a locker room with Happ and the Toronto Blue Jays after the pitcher signed as a free agent in November.
Jays fans can envision what Happ has to offer on the pitching staff. He logged two full seasons with Toronto from 2013-14, making 48 appearances and 44 starts. His 16-18 record with a 4.34 ERA was nothing special, but he was a consistent source of innings as a southpaw.
Saunders, a native of Canada, has played only 19 games at the Rogers Centre in his career, with all but one being for the visiting team at the time. His career line at the Blue Jays’ home park gives way to a .203/.288/.542 line. If anything, Saunders was able to clear the fence with his left-handed swing, having swatted five home runs in only 59 at-bats.
On the whole, the Condor has been an adequate hitter in his career while playing a majority of his games at the pitcher friendly Safeco Field. His best season came in 2012, the sole one where he exceeded 500 at-bats. Saunders slashed .247/.306/.432 with 19 home runs and 21 stolen bases. A 20-20 season narrowly evaded him, unlike the injuries plaguing throughout the course of his baseball career.
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Saunders suffered a freak injury in spring training last season with the Blue Jays when he tripped in a sprinkler hole and tore his meniscus. This mishap would eventually end Saunders’ season in the beginning of May after attempting a premature comeback, having appeared in nine games as a Blue Jay.
Given his inability to achieve consistency in his career coupled with the fact he never played amidst a potent offense in Seattle, the 29-year-old drew enough confidence from new management in Toronto to warrant trading away Ben Revere in January for the services of reliever Drew Storen. Revere was a great candidate to hit leadoff and supply the Blue Jays with stable if spectacular defense in left field. Now, Jays fans will surely hold their breath every time Saunders leaps aggressively into the fence in hopes of attempting recording an out.
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If Kevin Pillar can reciprocate his numbers from a year ago, he should slot into the leadoff spot for Opening Day, though his .314 OBP was not ideal for the role. Josh Donaldson recorded 136 games hitting second in the batting order. It’s a wonder how much he could’ve built on his 2015 numbers with more RBI opportunities. Should manager John Gibbons decide to keep him there, he could be followed by Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin and any combination of Justin Smoak/Chris Colabello/Devon Travis in the seventh spot. That means Saunders will likely hit eighth ahead of defensive wizard Ryan Goins, which could limit his production potential.
If Saunders gets hot and stays there, he could very well see himself move up the lineup with his blend of speed and power. However, another scenario altogether could see Dalton Pompey beat out Saunders for the starting left fielder job, thus making any long-term expectations moot. Pompey probably is not there yet and will better serve as a platoon player with occasional spot starts and pinch running opportunities in 2016.
Travis is the one piece that will make this puzzle come together. He shone bright as a rookie last year before a debilitating shoulder injury shut him down. Across 62 games, his .304/.361/.498 projects to much healthier results in a leadoff spot. The one drawback is, unless he were moved to DH and Encarnacion used as the everyday first baseman, it would take away the best defensive infielder the Jays have in Goins. Travis’ bat is too capable to keep out of the lineup though, so Gibbons could have some touch decisions on tap. His shoulder surgery took place in November and is expected to keep him sidelined for 16-20 weeks.
There is no shortage of offense on the Toronto Blue Jays. Saunders, Travis and Pompey are the wild cards right now. The 20-20 potential that Saunders flashed in a healthy 2012 campaign has to be on Gibbons’ mind. Projections for Saunders’ 2016 vary, with baseballreference.com likening him to a .251-30-7-27-4 line. Fangraphs.com’s steamer projections give him a little more love, with a .247-34-8-33-5 forecast.
One major factor working in Saunders’ favor is that he is one of the few left-handed bats on Toronto’s roster. Pompey switch hits, as does Smoak, leaving Goins, C Josh Thole and OF Ezequiel Carrera as the only other prominent left-handed swingers.
The safest bet would be to expect Saunders to play some timely left field for Toronto, but not in a full-time capacity that will see him log more than 500 at-bats. His durability is still a huge question mark, and the field turf at Rogers Centre won’t quell any immediate concerns. Plus, there’s just too much talent to go around at the dish for the Blue Jays. If or when everyone is healthy, Gibbons will be playing daily match-ups.