UNSUNG HEROES TAKE FLIGHT
Blue Jays soar on surprising wings
During the off-season, the arrival of Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin pleasantly surprised Blue Jays fans. At the end of July, David Price and Troy Tulowitzki were bolts from the blue.
Stars and leaders on the field and in the clubhouse, those four players are obvious keystones in the team’s success story. But a series of subtle and serendipitous events also have buoyed the Blue Jays.
OUTFIELD EVOLUTION
“I think my jumps have always been good,” centre-fielder Kevin Pillar says, but he wanted to improve his speed, so he worked with a running coach last winter. In spring training, he was earmarked as the fourth outfielder. But when Michael Saunders tore up his knee, Pillar stepped into left field, and when Dalton Pompey earned a demotion to the minors, Pillar took over in centre, wowing fans with spectacular catches. Entering Wednesday’s action, he had 18 defensive runs saved and ranked as the fifth-best centre-fielder in the majors.
THE RISE OF COLABELLO
Signed as a Triple-A depth piece, Chris Colabello says he saw something special in the Jays during spring training and hoped he could somehow be a part of it. That’s what he told GM Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons when they sent him to Buffalo on Feb. 15. After batting .337 at Triple-A, he earned a call-up on May 5 shortly after Pompey was demoted. Since then, Colabello has batted .332 with 13 homers. After the 2013 season, Colabello rejected an offer to play in South Korea for an incentive-laden contract worth up to US$1 million. On June 7, after his two-run walkoff single lifted the Jays past Houston, he was asked why he had turned down that offer. “It was about having opportunities to have days like today,” said Colabello, 31, who spent seven years in independent ball before making it to the majors.
THE ESTRADA FACTOR
After a suspect season for Milwaukee last year, Marco Estrada came to the Jays even-up for Adam Lind in a deal that many saw as a tad lopsided. He opened the season in the bullpen, but when rookie starter Daniel Norris was sent down in early May, the Jays shrugged and said, “Let’s try Estrada.” In his past 12 starts, his ERA is 2.50. He takes an 11-7 record and 3.27 ERA into Thursday’s start in Texas. And after allowing 29 homers last year — nobody allowed more — he has yielded 15 so far as a Blue Jay.
OSUNA MATATA
At the start of spring training, Roberto Osuna said he felt like a guest, and he was, destined to start the season in Class A ball. Just turned 20, he had appeared in only 43 minor-league games, including 13 back home in the Mexican League, where he pitched against men when he was 16. His goal for 2015? “Try to get to the big leagues, and stay healthy.” Surprisingly, Osuna and fellow rookie Miguel Castro made the team as relievers. By mid-May, Osuna was the seventh-inning man. What about closing? On June 22 he logged his first save. Now he has 15, including nine this month, and a 1.91 ERA, thanks to a steely disposition and a high-90s fastball.
What he’s got also includes a line of T-shirts with “Osuna Matata” on the front. The rest of the inscription reads: “Means no worries for the rest of the game.”
GOINS STEPS UP
In April, the Jays appeared to have found the second baseman they had long awaited. Devon Travis had never played above Double-A but batted .325 with six homers in the first month and was solid on defence. Then, on April 30, a sharply hit ball caromed off his collarbone. He kept playing for two weeks before finally landing on the DL. But Ryan Goins, a career .220 hitter long known as a superb defender, stepped in admirably, and slowly began to contribute at the plate. He has batted .250 over the past two months. This month Goins has a .417 on-base percentage and 13 walks. He also has two August homers, including a threerun shot in a 4-2 win over Oakland.
MOVING REYES
For all he contributed, both offensively and through his leadership, shortstop Jose Reyes had become a defensive millstone by mid-season. Given his US$22-million contract and stature among his teammates, there seemed no obvious solution. But shortly before the trade deadline, Colorado took Reyes and three pitching prospects for star shortstop Tulowitzki and reliever LaTroy Hawkins. Overnight, the Jays’ infield defence became one of baseball’s best.