Toronto Blue Jays Top Five Current Players
Who are the top five players currently on the Toronto Blue Jays? Let us take a look at the roster and find out.
The Toronto Blue Jays are having a nice season so far this year as they are currently in the hunt for the division title. They have relied on a mix of their strong offense and overachieving pitching this season. With the loss of David Price and the lack of production from Jose Bautista it is surprising just how good the Blue Jays have been so far this season.
The Blue Jays are an intriguing team if they can continue to play well down the stretch and make the the postseason. The offense can compete with anyone and their pitching has been surprising. How effective could it be in the postseason is a valid question?
One aspect of the Blue Jays roster there is no doubting is there offense. They can hit balls out of the park with regularity and have continued to be a top offense this season despite facing some improved pitching from their division opponents.
The Blue Jays roster is very talented but who are the best players on their current roster? Before we answer that there are a couple of players worth mentions that just didn’t quite make the cut.
Deon Travis- The Jay’s young second baseman is a very talented hitter and defender and should have no problem playing into the Jay’s long-term plans the one thing keeping him off this list is the fact he has been injured a lot and has yet to establish a track record because of it.
Roberto Osuna- He is only twenty-one years old and already has saved over fifty games. He again may play into the Jay’s long-term plans.
Marco Estrada- Marco is enjoying a great year with the Jays and has bounced back to put up some really nice numbers. The problem for him is he is slipping a bit lately and it is doubtful he can maintain the form he has shown this season.
Next: A great Blue Jays slugger
5. Jose Bautista
Jose Bautista finally found a home with the Toronto Blue Jays. He has been a consistent power threat over the past few years and has given them a bat in the lineup to build around. The problem for Bautista this season has been staying on the field. He has been hurt for the majority of the season, and when healthy, hasn’t looked to be the hitter he has in seasons past.
All in all, Jose Bautista is a tough hitter to figure out. He can hit .300 one year with plenty of homers and struggle the next season to maintain anything above the Mendoza line. It is also interesting to note it took him a long time to establish himself as a Major League hitter. He earns a spot on this list considering his overall production and not the hitter he has been this season or in years similar to it.
Bautista’s career may be winding down as he is over thirty-five and looks to have his better position playing days behind him. Don’t write Bautista off completely just yet though as he came out of nowhere as a star player with the Blue Jays and may just decide to surprise people again during the 2017 season.
Next: A part of the young core
4. Aaron Sanchez
Sanchez is my pick as a difference maker for the Jays in the 2016 postseason. If he can be the pitcher he has been for much of this season they will have a pitcher to match up against anyone. This is not to imply Sanchez is a Kershaw, or a David Price; rather that he is a very good pitcher that can help keep them in games against any teams.
The young pitcher may not pile up the strikeouts, but no questioning he is a very solid pitcher that will be part of the Jays team for the foreseeable future. He has forced his way there and made himself part of this year’s rotation and could be one of their postseason starters if he can maintain the numbers he has been putting up for the rest of the season.
Sanchez is one of the few pitchers that the Jays can count on right now and for future seasons. The rest of the rotation is a bit aged and unproven. That may be cause for concern come this off-season considering how unproven Sanchez remains. Still, he has shown more than enough to be part of this list and should continue to improve in the seasons to come.
Next: A star when healthy
3. Troy Tulowitzki
Tulowitzki is finally shaking off whatever struggles he had last season and is starting to look like the player he was with the Rockies. He has put together a nice season staying on the field for more so than he has in the past and contributing at the level we are used to seeing from Tulo.
When he first became a part of the team, he became a bit of a distraction with a back and forth between himself and his former bosses through the media. Regardless of who was right or wrong in the argument, it was distracting both for Tulo and his new team. The fact that he has moved past it and is now playing at a much higher level is not a coincidence.
If not for the fact that he played in Coors Field, Tulowitzki’s numbers and seasons would be some of the best we have seen from a shortstop not on steroids in recent history. Coors Field has hurt the validity of his numbers and his early struggles as a Jay haven’t helped much either. Tulowitzki is a great hitter no matter which park he plays in and should prove that over the next few seasons.
Next: Another powerful slugger
2. Edwin Encarnacion
Encarnacion is a power hitter (much like Bautista) who benefited greatly from his move to the Jays. He started his career with the Reds but became a star player in Toronto. Encarnacion has been consistently giving them close to thirty homers a season and driving in plenty of runners along the way. On most teams, he would easily be the star player and is one of the most powerful hitters in the American League East.
Encarnacion is in interesting hitter in the fact he can carry the team for a month or two and then go hitless for a week. While this is somewhat true of all Major League hitters, it is especially true for him. While it may be annoying at times for the Jays, it is well worth it for the times he seems to hit the ball out of the park on a nightly basis.
It is doubtful he will hit the free-agent market for long as the Blue Jays have made it clear they hope to keep him as a key part of their team in the future. He has proven to be a solid middle of the order hitter and is thriving in a very talented lineup.
Next: Back to back MVP?
1. Josh Donaldson
Josh Donaldson is a monster of a hitter, and if not for the lineup around him, he is one of the few guys you would want to walk as a pitcher. He has made the Blue Jays deal for him look very one sided in their favor, having put together two MVP worthy seasons. Add in his great defense, and Donaldson is a true star.
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In watching Donaldson, there is little not to like. He can seemingly do it all on the diamond, as he hits for power, play great defense, and keeps a high average. He isn’t going to steal a lot of bases, but that seems to be the only downside to his offensive game.
He is still only thirty years old, and could conceivably have plenty of productive seasons ahead of him for the Jays. However, with Donaldson getting closer to free agency, and both Bautista and Encarnacion set to hit the open market this offseason, how many of their sluggers can the Blue Jays afford to retain?
Next: Orioles getting healthy at the right time
Overall, the Blue Jay’s roster is stocked with hitters and over-achieving pitchers which has them challenging for a division that is being hotly contested down the stretch this season. Their hitting will keep them as legitimate postseason contenders for a while; the problem is that often good pitching beat good hitters. The question is – can the Blue Jays become an exception to that?