The start of something so-so
Better one year later despite slow starters ... but not contenders
There is major fan concern surrounding the Blue Jays and the perceived subpar performances of several key players compared to what they did a year ago. Yet even with disappointing contributions from starters Marcus Stroman and Marco Estrada, and with little of significance from the bat of Kendrys Morales, these Jays have four more victories than a year ago.
Stroman, the World Baseball Classic MVP for Team USA in 2017, bounced into last season like he was intent on being a Cy Young candidate, while the veteran Estrada was providing win-capable efforts every five days through his first seven starts.
That Jays starting duo combined to post a 5-4 record and 3.23 ERA in 1001⁄ 3 innings (15 starts) after 38 games last season, with 29 walks and 93 strikeouts. This year, the same two pitchers, on a team that has a better overall record, are a combined 2-7 with a 6.45 ERA in 751⁄ 3 innings over 14 starts. Not good.
As for Morales, signed prior to 2017 to be the primary designated hitter replacing Edwin Encarnacion, he had 32 hits in 34 games, with seven homers and 21 RBIs, while the Jays struggled to a 17-21 record. Fast forward a year and, with yet another guaranteed season on his contract after this one, Morales is bat- ting .143 with 12 hits, three homers and 10 RBIs after Thursday night’s 9-3 loss to the Mariners.
This head-scratching three-man statistical fall-off while the team has managed a better record is being seen inside the clubhouse as a glass-half-full scenario that will correct itself.
Water usually finds its own level, they say.
“Kendrys is just too good of a hitter to stay where he’s at,” catcher Russell Martin said. “Marco is too good of a pitcher. Stroman is the same way. He’s going to come around, and when he does it’s going to be insane.
“I like where we’re at right now. I really don’t like comparing year to year. We have a different team this year. We have some younger players with some new additions to complement our team. I feel like overall we’re a better team: more versatile, more depth in a lot of areas, and we do have players that haven’t played up to their capabilities yet. That being said, that’s definitely all good stuff.”
One aspect of the new Jays that has excited manager John Gibbons is the young and athletic profile of his position players. It’s something that had been promised each of the past two off-seasons under GM Ross Atkins, but is mainly being realized now because of injuries that led to a current 25-man group that includes Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel, Anthony Alford, Dalton Pompey and Richard Urena, none of whom is older than 25 and all of whom are talented.
“I definitely like that,” Gibbons said of his younger, sleeker roster. “Youth is good when they’re good. It gives us a totally different look, and our bench is much better now than it’s been for a few years. That helps, too.”
And as far as the starting rotation is concerned, heading into Thursday’s game vs. the Mariners the original five — plus Joe Biagini, called up to make spot starts at the back end of a pair of doubleheaders — ranked 13th in the American League with a 5.31 ERA. So it’s not just Stroman and Estrada. Fifth starter Jaime Garcia, the only newcomer to the rotation, needs to get on a roll.
“We have faith in the group, for sure,” Atkins said. “I think at any given point individual performances are going to waver, and there’s going to be the ebb and flow of the season. Our hope is that this is a very, very low point for a couple of them and it will only be up from here. There’s a lot of reason to believe there’s a correction towards their track records that’s coming.”
The veteran catcher Martin — second-inning homer on Thursday night notwithstanding — has not been hitting up to his own standards. He knows that for a fact, but he also had a slow offensive start a year ago. What he believes could account for this year’s improvement by the club overall is the acquired depth and the youngsters from the minors.
“Definitely the additions have helped us a lot — (Yangervis) Solarte, Hernandez, just the depth,” Martin said. “How many guys have we had hurt already, and we have some guys that are still in the minors that can get it done, too. There’s some more depth there. Really, it’s having that depth, and all the guys that were a year younger last year have matured another year and are contributing.”
However, playing in one of the two toughest divisions in baseball (the AL East was a combined 11 games above .500), the Jays are not really contending but rather keeping their heads above water against the Yankees and Red Sox.
“It’s certainly not our goal to have our heads above water,” Atkins said. “But having weathered the injuries that we’ve had, that haven’t been as many as last year, and having weath- ered the performance that’s not to (some players’ own) standards, we’re in a decent spot. Really it comes down to depth.”
But to paraphrase Josh Donaldson from May of 2015 when the team was struggling, “This isn’t the try league. This is the get it done league.”