The Blue Jays bookended their 10-game opening road trip with the sort of dramatic wins that if you watched on TV, you definitely flipped away from (or were tempted to) at least twice out of frustration, stress or a little bit of both. Blue Jays baseball is back, baby!
The team returned to Toronto a winning ball club, after going 6-4 on the Midwest-to-West Coast swing. They’ll play their home opener on Tuesday in a refurbished Rogers Centre against the 2-7 Detroit Tigers. It’s been a long time coming — theirs is the latest scheduled on the MLB calendar — but before then, here are 10 thoughts on the Blue Jays’ first 10 games.
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Vintage Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Is it vintage if we’re only referring to two years ago? Probably not, but the catchy subhead wins out. More to the point, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is looking like the MVP-calibre, 2021 version of himself with a 1.120 OPS and two home runs so far. But beyond the exit velocity, power or hits — all good signs — perhaps the most encouraging aspect of his game has been his approach. He’s chasing pitches off the plate far less than last year, which was the primary area he was trying to improve. He only has three strikeouts in 49 plate appearances with five walks. Baseball is a funny sport. Guerrero talked about spending last year trying to “do too much” and searching for hits. Now that he’s relaxed and taking what the game gives him, the hits are coming. If Guerrero’s start is any indication, it’s going to be a big season.
Bo Bichette picks up where he left off
We all remember how locked in Bo Bichette was to end last season, hitting .406/.444/.662 in his final 32 regular season games. He carried that into spring training this year and it’s flowed straight into the regular season, where he’s hitting .362/.400/.596 with three home runs. Like Guerrero, there was more chase in his swing to begin last year. This season, he’s been more selectively aggressive — as has the entire team, really — and he’s making a ton of contact. He already has 17 hits — third in MLB behind his teammates Matt Chapman (19) and Guerrero (18).
Can’t contain Matt Chapman
For our season preview series, The Athletic asked beat writers to select, “Which MLB players have the most at stake in 2023?” I went with Matt Chapman, seeing as how he’s in a contract year. Yet even Aaron Sorkin couldn’t have scripted a better start to Chapman’s season. He’s hitting .475/.523/.800 with nine extra-base hits. As mentioned, his 19 hits lead MLB and his 11 hits through the first five games tied a franchise record (George Bell, 1984; Shannon Stewart, 2001). He even hit his first career grand slam on Sunday, which changed the tide of that eventual 12-11 win over the Angels. This season, Chapman was aiming to cut down on his strikeouts and put more balls in play. He’s done exactly that. His hot start has led him to move up from No. 7 to No. 4 in the batting order.
The Var Show
Daulton Varsho’s first hit as a member of the Blue Jays was a 112.5 mph double. It was the hardest-hit ball of his career. Talk about a good omen, eh? Hitting for power, speed on the base paths, finesse in bunting for singles and bull’s-eye accuracy from the outfield. (The ball lost in the sun on Sunday was surely a misplay he wanted back). The Blue Jays have seen Varsho’s wide-ranging skills and it’s no wonder why the front office paid a significant price in a trade with the Diamondbacks. The Blue Jays are trying to embody a more crafty, well-rounded and detail-oriented approach; Varsho’s playing style fits well with that identity.
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Kevin Kiermaier: Fan favourite?
After their Opening Day win over the Cardinals, in which Kevin Kiermaier’s heads-up baserunning on a bloop single from George Springer was the difference, manager John Schneider pointed out, “We’ve been seeing him do that against us for however many years.” The Blue Jays were on the wrong end of so many of Kiermaier’s spectacular defensive plays and hustle doubles over the nine years he spent with the Rays. But Kiermaier seems to perfectly embody the whole “love to play with him, hate to play against him” vibe. What’s also helped Kiermaier endear himself to Blue Jays fans is his strong start. After his impactful 3-for-5 performance against the Angels, he has a .933 OPS.
Difference-making defence
While we’re on the topic, the front office placed an emphasis on improving run prevention this offseason. One way they did that was by adding elite defensive outfielders in Varsho and Kiermaier. Their presence allowed George Springer to move to right field, forming an all-centre-fielders outfield. It’s a little early in the season for a defensive stats check but the eye test has shown the revamped outfield is making a difference, whether it’s on catches, throws or hitting the correct cutoff man. It’s been helpful for the pitchers, too. After his first start, Yusei Kikuchi said he was confident he could pound the zone because he knew his defence could make plays behind him. Starter Alek Manoah said this after his second start: “They’re amazing. I think their first step is really a difference-maker. It kind of feels like they’re moving before the ball’s even hit, they’re really fast as well. … We got to utilize those guys. Got to get the ball on the ground (and) get the ball in the air or whatever. Let them go make some plays.”
Slow start
The first two times through Toronto’s rotation brought mixed results. Their 6.22 ERA is the fifth highest in MLB. Only Kevin Gausman has two quality starts. Manoah came back strong and one-hit the Royals in his second outing. After the worst start of his career in his Blue Jays debut, Chris Bassitt at least looked better against the Angels, holding them to two earned runs over six innings. There are still early-season snags to work through with the pitch clock and PitchCom but against the Angels, Bassitt’s wide pitch mix fooled batters. Kikuchi had a good outing in Kansas City but allowed six earned runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Angels. (He got unlucky when Varsho dropped a routine fly ball and three runs came in after what should have been the third out.) Kikuchi’s six strikeouts against the Angels were encouraging, the three home runs given up less so.
The José Berríos puzzle
A new season offers a fresh start. That had to be comforting for José Berríos coming off the worst year of his career. But, unfortunately, this season has looked familiar. Through two starts, Berríos is 0-2 and has allowed 12 earned runs on 15 hits (11.17 ERA) with three walks and 12 strikeouts. To hear both Berríos and Schneider explain it, the issue hasn’t been a lack of stuff — his velocity and spin have been in line with his norms — but a lack of execution. He’s missing his spots and getting punished. Berríos doesn’t need a mechanical overhaul. He has to limit his mistakes. It’s easy to imagine his runway will be lengthy, but if he can’t keep his team in games, the club may have to contemplate moving him to the bullpen for a time, like they did last year with Kikuchi.
A silver lining in Brandon Belt’s struggles
It has been a rough start for Brandon Belt. He’s teetering close to Jarrod Saltalamacchia territory, which is not where you want to be. The former catcher went 1-for-25 in his first 26 at-bats with 16 strikeouts. Belt is 1-for-23 with 15 strikeouts. His only hit — a double — came on Opening Day. Saltalamacchia’s time with the Blue Jays ended when he was DFA’d at the end of April. Belt is not in danger of that. He’s a two-time World Series winner brought in to be a complementary piece who offers intangibles along with on-field performance. He’s also 34 years old, coming off knee surgery and playing with a new team. And he’s being paid $9.3 million. The Blue Jays will have been prepared for an adjustment period. His slash line is ugly, but Belt is at least averaging 5.20 pitches per plate appearance, more than any other MLB batter. He’s seeing the ball well and his eye is one of the reasons Toronto signed him. The strikeouts need to come down and contact needs to go up, but he’s at least made pitchers work.
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Bullpen taking shape
Yimi García, Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano look poised to be the team’s seventh-, eighth- and ninth-inning guys, in that order. Aside from Romano’s blown save on Sunday, they’ve been a reliable trio. The rest of the bullpen roles are still taking shape. Schneider has gone to Zach Pop as the first man up a few times. Adam Cimber has been used all over but likely settles into a middle-inning role most often. Anthony Bass is off to a slow start, but if he gets his strikeout stuff going, he’ll be used in leverage. Tim Mayza is at his best against lefties, while Trevor Richards has been the long man. As always with a bullpen, it could look different a month from now.
(Top photo of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today)