The Toronto Blue Jays Bandwagon Guide

Introduction

Chances are you’ve heard from somebody, or read about it somewhere, but for those who don’t know, the Toronto Blue Jays are in the thick of a playoff race for the first time in a really, really long time. That means we’re getting to the end of August and the team hasn’t been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. This is very exciting. Not only has this country not seen playoff baseball since the Jays won the World Series in 1993, we haven’t even witnessed meaningful games being played this late into the year in over a decade.

A few days ago, the Jays briefly held a half game lead over the Yankees for top spot in the American League East Division. That lead, held on Aug. 13, was the latest time in the year the team had the lead in the AL East since 1993. So yeah, it’s been a damn long time since the Jays have given us anything to cheer about. After a legendary trade deadline that saw them acquire arguably the best short stop in baseball, Troy Tulowitzki, a former Cy Young Award winner for best pitcher in the leauge, David Price, and a handful of other solid role players, the Jays are the talk of the sporting world. So if you’re interested in jumping on the bandwagon, here’s our guide on all you need to know about this team and why this run is going to be special.

The Playoff Drought: 1994-2012 Seasons

Like I said before, the Jays haven’t given us a hell of a lot to get excited about since they won back-to-back World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993. Over the past 20 seasons, they’ve gone through a whole bunch of good players — like Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco, Shawn Green, Roy Halladay and Carlos Delgado — with absolutely nothing to show for it. They’ve also trotted out some really terrible, frustrating teams who are painful to watch — but I won’t go into much detail about those ones. The best of those seasons came in 2006 when the Jays put together an 87-75 record, good for second place in the AL East. Although 2006 marked the only time since 1993 the Jays managed to finished above third place in the division, it wasn’t good enough to make it to the playoffs because the Wild Card was occupied by the 95-67 Detroit Tigers.

For those who don’t know how the playoffs work in baseball, you need to either win your division, or have the best record of any second place team in your league. In 2013, Major League Baseball introduced a second Wild Card position so that the two Wild Card teams can take part in a one game playoff to determine who moves on to the real playoffs. So back in 2006, the Jays and their 87 wins weren’t nearly enough to make the playoffs. Even if there had been two Wild Card teams back then, it still wouldn’t have been good enough because the Chicago White Sox boasted a 90-72 record. So yeah, long story short, they haven’t been anywhere near the playoffs for a long time.

The Letdown: 2013 Season

After the 2012 season, the Jays were in a weird limbo period where they had a few star players on team friendly deals that wanted to win immediately, some good, young players who looked poised to have breakout seasons and a really good group of prospects who were a few years away from making any kind of impact at the Major League level. Figuring that it was time for the playoff drought to come to an end, General Manager Alex Anthopolous unloaded nearly his entire farm system, making two blockbuster deals that immediately caught the attention of the baseball world. The first trade was with the Miami Marlins, who had decided to give up on being even kind of good just one year after their brand new, publicly funded billion dollar stadium was opened.

The Jays acquired former World Series winner Mark Buehrle, ace pitcher Josh Johnson, perennial all-star Jose Reyes and $8 million in cash for a collection of young players and top prospects. A month later, Anthopolous traded the Jays’ top two prospects, Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard, to the New York Mets for reigning NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey. In just over a month, the Jays had gone from being an afterthought in the American league to being World Series favourites. That didn’t happen. A week into the season Jose Reyes got injured trying to steal a base and none of Buehrle, Dickey, or Johnson came anywhere close to living up to expectations. Save for an 11 game winning streak in June, 2013 was a complete disaster for the Jays, as they finished the year with a 74-88 record.

The Second Letdown: 2014 Season

The 2014 offseason was much less eventful than the one the previous year. Coming off of a horrific season, Anthopolous pretty much stood pat, hoping the team he assembled would be able to pull it together with some better luck in 2014. As usual, the Jays got off to a pretty mediocre start in April, but thanks to a record breaking 19 home run month by Edwin Encarnacion and the emergence of young ace Marcus Stroman, the Jays put up a 21-9 record — and a nine game winning streak — in May which skyrocketed them into first place in the AL East.

The Jays cooled off again in June and July, but were still in contention for the Wild Card heading out of the All Star break. A common theme this season was inconsistent pitching. As the Trade Deadline approached, team leaders like Jose Bautista publicly mentioned in the media how they hoped Anthopolous would be active in trades to improve the team. The deadline came and went and Anthopolous stood pat, weary of ponying up any more top prospects to improve his team for a playoff run. Whether it was because of the inactivity or not, the Jays went into a tailspin in August, putting up a 9-17 record in the month that put what appeared to be a promising season to rest.

A New Hope: 2015 Season

The 2015 season came with a brand new sense of optimism as the Jays had signed free agent catcher Russell Martin — already a Canadian baseball legend — to a five year deal. They also sent enigmatic, underachieving third baseman Brett Lawrie and a few prospects to the Oakland Athletics for former MVP candidate Josh Donaldson. The moves were meant to bring a new, winning attitude to the Jays, as Donaldson and Martin were two players known for their gritty work ethic, strong defensive play, and playoff experience. Of course, since it’s the Jays, disaster struck at the beginning of Spring Training. During a fielding practice drill, Marcus Stroman — the prized young ace who had an incredible breakout season in 2014 — tore his ACL and his season was over before it began.

The Jays were forced to go into the season with a ragtag starting rotation featuring rookies Daniel Norris and Aaron Sanchez, resulting in them also having to dig even deeper into their system for relief pitchers. Speaking of Spring Training injuries, Michael Saunders, who was supposed to be the starting day Left Fielder, tore his knee because he stepped on a sprinkler hidden in the grass on the field. The Jays had a rough start to the season, but managed to rebound and pull themselves into playoff contention thanks to an 11 game winning streak in June. The Jays had underachieved all season. Their record was never as good as their league leading +100 run differential suggested the team was. It was a combination of poor defence, poor relief pitching, and anything else imaginable that resulted in the Jays continually losing games and heavily underachieving. Everything changed at the Trade Deadline.

The 2015 Trade Deadline

Heading into the Trade Deadline, the team had many needs to address, including generally weak starting and relief pitching and defensive upgrades for the bench. Anthopolous shocked the baseball world by trading Jose Reyes and a few top prospects to the Colorado Rockies for arguably the best shortstop in baseball, Troy Tulowitzki. After that, he sent top prospect Daniel Norris to the Detroit Tigers for ace pitcher David Price, and suddenly, the Jays looked like contenders. He also made a few low key moves, adding a solid relief pitcher in Mark Lowe from the Seattle Mariners, and Ben Revere from the Philadelphia Phillies, who had lead the National League in hits the year before.

It was a tough pill to swallow. Over the past couple years, Anthopolous and his scouts had done an admirable job restocking the farm system after blowing it up in 2013. Jeff Hoffman, who was traded in the Tulowitzki deal, likely would have been the first overall pick in the 2014 draft had he not been injured. Norris had become a fan favourite because of his laid back, down to earth personality and the fact he spent the entire offseason living in a van. After that, everything seemed to click. The starting pitchers calmed down and started going deep into every single game, the relievers became un-hittable, and the lineup went from the best in the league to being better than the best in the league. The Jays went on yet another 11 game winning streak, pulling themselves right up with the Yankees for the AL East Division lead.

Meet the batters

Much of the hype surrounding the 2015 Jays has to do with their historic (and I don’t use that word flippantly) offence. As of Aug. 15, the Jays have scored 618 runs, outscoring the second highest run scoring team by 72 runs. Let us introduce you to the lineup that has led to this season long offensive onslaught.

Catcher – Russell Martin/Dioner Navarro

A good old Canadian boy playing perhaps the most high stress position in the game, Russell Martin, who signed a five year, 82 million dollar contract in the offseason, provides much needed grit and defensive ability behind the plate, along with excellent game calling skills. Martin has thrown out the second most base stealers in the league this year, and has also carried a sparkling 0.995 fielding percentage throughout the season. While his 0.249 batting average is a little low for his career average, his 15 home runs and 51 RBIs are more than acceptable for a premium position like catcher.

First Base – Chris Colabello/Justin Smoak

If you put these two players together, you’d probably get an all star first basemen, as they each bring a different set of skills to the table. Colabello, a Twins castoff who came out of nowhere in May, hitting over 0.350 for a large portion of May and June, while also rattling off a 17 game hitting streak in that time. His bat was good enough to make up for his deficiency in the field – the 33 games he started in left field were 33 more than he should’ve started in left field, but when you’re batting over 0.300, these things tend to get overlooked. Justin Smoak represents the yin to Colobello’s yang, a slick fielding first baseman who probably will never hit over .250, but can hit the ball a mile if a pitcher grooves one, also adds the versatility of being a switch hitter.

Second Base – Devon Travis/Ryan Goins/Cliff Pennington

Devon Travis, the oft injured rookie has made quite a name for himself in his limited playing time this year – clubbing eight homrs and driving in 35 runs in 62 games while providing fair defence. However, a balky shoulder has landed him on the disabled list twice so far this year, and he’s currently not expected to return until September. In the meantime, Ryan Goins has been filling in admirably in his absence. While not nearly as explosive with the bat, his glove has been good enough to keep him in a consistent role until Travis returns.

Third Base – Josh Donaldson

MVP, MVP, MVP! Sorry, that’s me writing as a less than impartial Jays fan. But in all seriousness, Donaldson probably will garner some serious MVP attention in lieu of Mike Trout inevitably winning – because Mike Trout is Mike Trout. Currently, Donaldson is currently second in the MLB in RBIs with 86, fourth in homeruns with 31, and leads the majors in extra base hits with 61. All this comes without mentioning his defense, which has been a constant all year. Donaldson has quickly established himself as a leader on the Jays, both on and off the field.

Shortstop – Troy Tulowitzki

I never thought I’d be writing this at the beginning of the season, that’s for sure. With Jose Reyes continuing his slide into mediocrity, Alex Anthopolous decided that he didn’t want to watch any more throws skip in front of the first baseman, or any more routine grounders find their way into left field. On a day Jays fans will probably never forget, Anthopolous sent top pitching prospects Jeff Hoffman and Miguel Castro along with Reyes to Colorado for Tulowitzki and reliever LaTroy Hawkins. In terms of Tulowitzki, there isn’t much to say, he’s one of the best shortstops in baseball, and represents a huge upgrade over Reyes both offensively and defensively – and he’s under team control until 2020, so Jays fans should start getting used to him.

Left Field – Ben Revere

Another trade deadline acquisition, Revere shores up the only hole the Jays had in their lineup. Left field was supposed to be Michael Saunders’ job to lose going into the season, but a rogue sprinkler head put an end to that plan – so the Jays had operated with a platoon largely up until Revere’s acquisition, with Chris Colobello, Eziquiel Carrera, and Danny Valencia all seeing time in left. Revere gives the jays a true steals threat, something else their lineup had been lacking, and is an above average defender in left as well.

Centre Field – Kevin Pillar

Essentially the second coming of Reed Johnson — except better defensively and not as prone to getting beaned by opposing pitchers — Pillar is one of those gritty players who you want to have on your team. While both his average and on base percentage leave something to be desired, one look at a highlight reel will make you forget that he’s probably going to be a lifetime 0.250 hitter. Seriously, search up these clips on YouTube, you’ll be glad you did.

Right Field – Jose Bautista

Pretty much the best rags to riches story in baseball history. The Jays picked up Bautista in 2009 and he figured to be a bench player who could play multiple positions, although he wouldn’t provide much more than a replacement level player. A year later, he hit 54 home runs, far and away the most in the league, and became known as an elite power hitter. While he’s battled shoulder issues this year, he’s still put up excellent numbers, hitting 27 home runs and driving in 80 runs. He’s signed to a really team friendly contract for another year, so winning it for him this year would be huge.

Designated Hitter – Edwin Encarnacion

Bautista’s partner in crime in the middle of the Jays lineup, Edwin is the prototypical American League Designated Hitter – he hits a bunch of homers, he hits for a low average, and he drives in a ton of runs. This type of hitter wouldn’t be ideal in weaker lineups, but Encarnacion gets plenty of pitches to hit considering who’s batting before and after him. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his homerun trot as well, it’s easily the best in the league.

The Bench

Cliff Pennington adds more depth at middle infield, and he’s also a speedy switch hitter who can play both shortstop and second base. More versatility on the bench is always good. Dioner Navarro is a cagey veteran who knows the pitching staff, and can easily spell Russell Martin when he needs a day off. Backup outfielders are in short supply, as Chris Colabello is technically the fourth outfielder currently. This problem should be solved with the roster expansion at the beginning of September when Dalton Pompey finds his way back up to the big leagues.

Meet the Pitchers

Starter – David Price

The first true ace the Jays have had since Roy Halladay was traded to the Phillies, an absolute workhorse and the jewel is Alex Anthopolous’ trade deadline crown. Price has playoff experience, as he helped the Devil Rays to the World Series way back in his rookie season in 2008. He’s also won a Cy Young award and has cemented himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. Even though he’s a free agent at year’s end, if the Jays can make a run that includes playoff baseball, the price paid will be well worth it.

Starter – R.A. Dickey

He will forever be tied to Noah Syndegaard, the young stud starter who the Jays traded to get him before the 2013 season. Dickey has been pitching well after the all star break this year, and much like Price, if the Jays make a run in October, the talk of the potential lopsidedness of the trade will probably subside. Dickey remains the only remaining knuckleballer who starts with consistency in the majors, and given the strain (or lack thereof) on his body, it’s easy to see the 40 year old pitching another three or four years in the majors. It’ll be interesting to see if the Jays exercise his 12 million dollar club option in the offseason.

Starter – Mark Buehrle

Quite simply the model of consistency and the pitcher who defies every single piece of logic attached to the sport of baseball. He never throws any harder than 85 mph, but he still managed to confuse hitters with perfect pitch location and changing speeds. He’s on pace for his best career season at the age of 36, and has pitched 200 innings in 14 consecutive seasons, and he’s on pace for his 15th season this year. He’s also never been on the disabled list in his career, so to call him consistent might be a bit of an understatement. A former World Series winner with the Chicago White Sox, Buehrle has been an excellent calming influence on a Jays staff that has been a question mark all season.

Starter – Drew Hutchison

Where to start? Maligned doesn’t even begin to describe Hutchison’s season this year, as his 5.26 ERA and 1.48 WHIP would attest. At the very least he’s won games – his record currently sits at 11-2, but he also receives over eight runs of support a game, which has only happened to four pitchers in the modern era. If Hutchison doesn’t show marked improvement over the next few weeks, his spot in the rotation come September could be in jeopardy.

Starter – Marco Estrada

Acquired from the Brewers this past offseason in exchange for Adam Lind, Estrada has been a pleasant surprise for the Jays this year. While bringing in a fly ball pitcher to pitch in a bandbox like Rogers Centre may not seem like the best idea, Estrada has somewhat reigned in his penchant for giving up the long ball. Initially put into the rotation when Daniel Norris was sent down to AAA, Estrada has solidified his role as a solid middle of the rotation starter.

Starter – Marcus Stroman

Many Jays fans put their hopes on Stroman’s arm this year, but ironically, it was his legs that let him down. Stroman tore his ACL in Spring Training, and hasn’t pitched since. However, hope may be on the horizon, as he has begun throwing once again, and hopes to return to a big league mound by September. His presence would be a major boost heading into the playoffs, as it would give the Jays two aces to throw out down the stretch and possibly into the playoffs.

The Bullpen

The Jays have put closing duties into the hands of a 20 year old and he hasn’t disappointed. Roberto Osuna is the youngest player in the majors, but he shows poise in the 9th inning far beyond his years. So far this season, Osuna has amassed 12 saves in 13 opportunities, to go along with an excellent 2.05 ERA, he looks to be the closer of the future for the Jays. After beginning the season as a starter, Aaron Sanchez has been moved back to the setup roll that he dominated in last year. LaTroy Hawkins and Mark Lowe (both trade deadline acquisitions) solidify middle relief, and can both step into a closer or setup role if needed. Liam Hendriks, Bo Schultz, and Brett Cecil are all solid pieces as well. The less said about Aaron Loup’s season, the better.