A WINNING START
Toronto enjoys its first winning April in six years despite a late tailspin
The Blue Jays managed to avoid many of the potholes of past springs. A look at the highs and lows of April,
Over the last few years, April losses for the Blue Jays have been almost as frequent as April showers. But the first full month of this baseball season was uncharacteristically successful for Toronto.
The Jays had their first winning April (15-10) since 2012 and entered May with a 16-12 record. Their winning percentage in March and April over the last five years had been .409, the lowest in the big leagues. The Jays also entered May with a plus-29 run differential, a turnaround of 50 runs from last year, when they started 8-17.
That’s not to say everything has gone perfectly for the Jays. They lost seven of nine games from April19 on before winning their last two games of the month. Some highs and lows from their start: á Most valuable pitcher: J.A. Happ. Ever touted for his consistency, the left-hander is making it count at the beginning of his contract year. Happ is 4-1 with a 3.50 earned-run average through 36 innings, with his four wins tying him for second in the American League. He also second in strikeouts (50), behind Houston’s Gerritt Cole. Happ struck out nine batters without a walk over seven innings in each his final two starts in April. The only other Jays pitcher to accomplish such a feat was Roger Clemens in May 1997. Toronto’s rotation, regarded as its strong suit heading into the season, has struggled for the most part, making Happ’s solid appearances once every five days that much more important.
Best position player. Kevin Pillar. There’s an argument to be made for Teoscar Hernandez here, hitting .306 with four home runs and 11 RBIs since being called up from Triple-A Buffalo two weeks into the season.
But Pillar is similarly hot — he’s hitting .305 with four home runs and 14 RBIs and leads the team in doubles (10), triples (2) and stolen bases (4). He also continues to be solid defensively while leading Toronto’s newlook outfield. There have been some bumps along the way — a ball that dropped between Pillar and Granderson during the Rangers series comes to mind — but it’s an area where the Blue Jays have improved since last year.
Pillar also had a good start in 2017, hitting .301 with an .844 on-base plus slugging mark, before stalling in May.
Comeback player: Curtis Granderson. After being left off the Dodgers’ World Series roster in the fall, Granderson, who signed a one-year, $5-million (U.S.) deal with the Blue Jays in January, has come back with a vengeance. His .306 average is tied with Hernandez for best on the team and he is second behind Justin Smoak in walks.
Granderson has established himself as a useful leadoff man, hitting .311 with a 1.069 OPS, three homers, 12 RBIs and 11 walks when batting first. He has shown versatility on defence, playing both left and right field.
The 37-year-old’s early success has wiped away a poor first impression, a clank in and out of his glove off a line drive by the first batter the Blue Jays saw all season, the Yankees’ Brett Gardner.
Most concerning: Josh Donaldson. A lot of the talk surrounding the possibility of a return to the playoffs revolved around the Jays’ star slugger. So far, it’s not good for the third baseman.
Donaldson was put on the dis- abled list on April 11 with right shoulder inflammation, a problem that popped up in spring training and affected his throwing. Donaldson still managed to do some damage at the plate, with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 12 games, but he played just seven games at third.
Donaldson is playing in rehab games in Florida, but his return date is still uncertain.
Most exasperating: Randal Grichuk. He was one of the bigger signings the Jays made over the off-season, but the starting right fielder has yet to make his mark in Toronto.
Grichuk finished a woeful first full month (.106, two homers, seven RBIs) on the disabled list after suffering a Grade 1 sprain in his right knee in the finale of the Rangers series this past weekend. The diving catch he made while spraining his knee was one of Grichuk’s few highlights.
Most disappointing: Devon Travis. Travis finished the month healthy — a plus for a young player all too familiar with injuries — but there’s not much else to celebrate yet. He hit .148 average, with a .458 OPS, while playing two of every three days, and his April ended on a sour note as he was optioned to Buffalo on Sunday.