The Toronto Blue Jays are having a lot of fun this season, and for good reason. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)
About a third of the MLB season, the Toronto Blue Jays record is 30-21. Through 51 games, Toronto’s total figures suggest that the club has been very competitive, which is true, but the win-loss ratio camouflages the complexity of this first leg.
A lot has happened this season. Here are three things we’ve learned so far about Blue Jays 2022.
The replacement core has been fantastic
It’s still not fair to crown the Blue Jays “the kings of the low season,” but the big moves at the reception have paid off. When Toronto replaced the group that left Robbie Ray, Steven Matz and Marcus Semien with Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi and Matt Chapman, there was great doubt as to whether the incoming trio could live up to expectations. These doubts have come out.
It all started with Gausman, who signed a five-year, $ 110 million free agency deal. The right-hander has been flawless in his first 10 starts with Toronto, with an effectiveness of 2.51, a FIP of 1.57 leading the league and a 70: 6 ratio of walks.
Chapman, whom Toronto acquired in exchange for Oakland Athletics, has not been fully effective on the plate (.648 OPS in 50 games). But along with Gausman, the impact of the couple’s clubhouse has been immeasurable. During some of Toronto’s toughest stretches, that leadership was put to the test, especially after the defeats.
“Chapman and Gausman will say something like, ‘Hey, we just have to keep moving, we have to keep fighting. Tomorrow is a new day to pick it up, “said Santiago Espinal. “Having these little messages, not every day, but like every now and then, they do is amazing.”
Kikuchi has also been solid, volatile, but nasty when things click. Overall, the 2022 talent injection has worked. And when you look at the struggles of Ray (4.93 ERA in 11 starts), Matz (6.03 ERA in nine starts) and Semien (.528 OPS in 50 games) elsewhere, the movements on the list feel even more sweets.
Improved defense and throwing complement the powerful bats
The story goes on
“Pitching and defense” is a motto that Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo preaches in almost every media meeting. Last season, Toronto executed the pitching part. This season, the Jays are nailing both.
“I know everyone talked about our offense all the time, but I know in the big leagues you have to throw and catch,” Montoyo said. “Because it’s not as easy to hit, as you can see.”
Montoyo alluded to the Blue Jays’ offensive struggles during the first three weeks of May, where his club scored just 56 runs, 28th in baseball during that period. During this ugly stretch, Toronto still struggled for an 8-10 record, largely because the defense was very reliable.
The Blue Jays’ four outs above average in defense is the ninth best in MLB. An old Chapman, a stellar Spinal and a Bo Bichette who gradually improved complete a group inside the field that has constantly performed routine plays and even made great ones.
Now that the offense is finally hooking up (Toronto has a .818 OPS since May 21), the Blue Jays have won eight of their last 10.
The fun factor is key to success
As the Blue Jays slowly won, Gausman noticed a change in the attitudes of his teammates.
“Obviously, it’s fun when you win,” Gausman said Tuesday. “Tan [we’re] having a lot more fun, but we’re playing loose. I think maybe we got a little tight at first. “
The fun factor has always been a lovely feature of this Toronto team. The young Jays team still wears an elegant home run jacket when a player goes to the court; teammates dune each other with seeds and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. the tradition of pouring a pitcher of ice water on the star of each game has begun.
When the Jays are winning, they’re vibrating, and usually the other way around: Guerrero’s putting display and Raimel Tapia’s push-ups on the home plate on Thursday talked about it.
However, if you remove a layer, there is a lot of structure inside the jovial clubhouse. All the winning teams are having a good time, but the way the Blue Jays have supported each other in the good and bad things this season is very rare.
“I think if you asked all the guys in this locker room, it’s like you’re completely behind the guy next to you; you are supporting him to succeed, “said Trent Thornton.” And I think that’s what makes this team so special.
“All the guys really love each other and we want to win; we are eager to win. And I think when you put all these ingredients together, you get a team that will go to places. And this team has a very special future ahead of them. “
The chances of winning a World Series do not often appear. It’s still early days, but with the way they’re sailing right now – and the fun they’re having while they’re doing it – the 2022 Blue Jays have a great chance of fighting for a championship.
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