Toronto Blue Jays (10-11)
A rip roaring offense was expected to carry the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016, but a few of their key contributors have not yet started producing at elite levels. Pitching has actually been Toronto’s calling card to start the season, as the bottom half of their starting rotation has stellar.
At the top of the rotation, Marcus Stroman has hit some bumps in the road on his quest to become the staff ace, but he’s still enjoying a solid season regardless. Stroman’s main issue has been his failure to strikeout batters, as he owns a lowly 4.35 K/9. That should improve as he progresses beyond his sixth start, however.
41-year-old R.A. Dickey has struggled behind Stroman, and it’s unclear how much longer he can effectively pitch at the major league level – although he went six innings while giving up only three runs in his last start. The bright spots in the rotation have come from the trio of Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez, as all own ERAs either below or near three.
The bullpen competition between Robert Osuna and Drew Storen entering the season worked out in the former’s favor, and it’s clear why. Storen struggled to start the season, but has had two straight outings without giving up a run. There could be another competition brewing if Storen continues to get back on track and if Osuna struggles.
While the Blue Jays offense hasn’t been bad – they rank 9th in the league with 90 runs scored – it hasn’t been earth shattering like many expected. Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista have yet to heat up in the power department, but that should come as the temperature also rises. Reigning MVP Josh Donaldson is producing eerily similar numbers to last season, and it’s possible he repeats if he can lead the Jays to success this season.
Michael Saunders is proving himself after winning the left field job over Dalton Pompey, as he’s hitting .345/.406/.569 with 11 runs scored and seven doubles.
The problems stem from Troy Tulowitzki and Russell Martin, who are both batting under .200 and look lost at the plate. Tulowitzki has a .690 OPS with four home runs, and while he’s stumbled to start, he hit two home runs on April 24 against the Oakland Athletics. Martin, in the second year of his beefy contract, is hitting a putrid .154/.237/.173 with a 42.4 percent strikeout rate. With Josh Thole as the only other catcher on the roster, Martin will need to get things figured out quick. It should be noted that his defense has also been worse than season’s past.
Next: Just avoid the one game playoff