A LOOK AT THE BLUE JAYS PROJECTED INFIELDERS
RUSSELL MARTIN
Catcher: The 33-year-old Montrealer is entering his second year as a Blue Jay and 11th season in the big leagues. He hit 23 homers last season, second-most among catchers, while earning his fourth all-star nod.
He also shepherded the Jays’ pitching staff, was a Gold Glove finalist and — most impressively — made the playoffs for the fifth straight season and for the eighth time in his 10-year career.
EDWIN ENCARNACION
DH/1B: Since 2012, exactly two players have hit more than 150 home runs: the Orioles’ Chris Davis and Encarnacion. The Jays’ soft-spoken designated hitter has eight fewer home runs than Davis in that time and has 413 fewer strikeouts.
Encarnacion, who is potentially playing his final season in Toronto, is the rare disciplined slugger and quietly among the game’s elite power hitters.
CHRIS COLABELLO
First base: The Blue Jays took a flyer on Colabello last season and it certainly paid off. The long-suffering, minor-league journeyman was among the biggest surprises for the Jays last season, hitting .321 with 15 homers.
But Colabello had the league’s highest batting average on balls in play by a mile — his .411 BABIP last season is the highest by any player with his number of plate appearances in more than 90 years! — so he’s likely due for some regression.
RYAN GOINS
Second base: The slick-playing infielder will hold down the keystone corner at least until Devon Travis is healthy enough to take it back. Goins’ 19 defensive runs saved at second base since 2013 are tied for fifth-most in the majors and the most by anyone with fewer than 1,200 innings at the position. He also dramatically improved his plate discipline in the second half of last season, drawing walks at four times the rate he had in his career up to that point.
JOSH DONALDSON
Third base: The reigning American League MVP is coming off arguably the greatest season by a position player in Blue Jays’ history. He was the Jays’ most consistent hitter, dynamic on defence and the team’s big beating heart all season long. Of all his eye-popping stats, the most remarkable might be the fact he led the majors with three walk-off homers and four walk-off hits.
TROY TULOWITZKI
Shortstop: The Jays were 50-51 when they made the stunning trade for Tulowitzki midway through last season.
Upon his arrival, they won 30 of their next 39 games, which is the greatest testament to his impact. Even still, the five-time all-star never really got settled in Toronto. While he stabilized the infield defence, he hit well below his career norms. His 11 post-season RBI — tied with Bautista for the team lead — offered a glimpse of his game-breaking potential.
DARWIN BARNEY
Utility infielder: A perfectly fine backup infielder, Barney is a capable glove man who won’t hurt the team if he’s called upon to step in to give Goins or Tulowitzki the odd day off.
The 30-year-old, who was acquired from the Dodgers in a waiver trade last September, won the National League Gold Glove in 2012 as the Chicago Cubs’ everyday second baseman.
JUSTIN SMOAK
First base: The switch-hitting slugger’s 18 home runs last season were the second-most of any player with fewer than 330 plate appearances, behind only Marlins’ masher Giancarlo Stanton. Largely supplanted by Colabello as the everyday first baseman, Smoak could be used as a defensive replacement late in games and also a pinch-hitter with power off the bench.
JOSH THOLE
Backup catcher: The affable 29-yearold is on the roster to do one thing: catch R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball. Thole may be typecast by his niche skill, but his .541 on-base-plus-slugging percentage since arriving in Toronto suggests he wouldn’t be here if not for Dickey, who has described their battery bond as brotherly. Thole also protects Martin from the physical and mental grind of catching Dickey’s unpredictable pitch.
DEVON TRAVIS (DL)
Second base: Making his majorleague debut last season, Travis busted out of the gate, hitting seven home runs in his first 24 games while playing solid defence. He was well on his way to contending for the American League Rookie of the Year when he suffered a shoulder injury that never went away. It was eventually diagnosed as an aggravation of a congenital condition, which was surgically repaired in mid-November. Travis will likely be out at least until May at the earliest and potentially until the all-star break. Brendan Kennedy