Struggling Blue Jay Hitters

In honor of the Blue Jays awful two hit performance on Monday, I will take a look at some of the Jays who have really struggled with the bat so far this season. Keep in mind of course, that the sample sizes being examined here are incredibly small- and cannot be accurately used to gauge future performance. Nevertheless, early season numbers tend to be scrutinized at length, and are fairly interesting.

Travis Snider:

2011: G 16/ AB 53 / AVG 151/ OBP 245/ SLG 250/ H 8/ 2B 8/ 3B 0/ HR 1/ RBI 10/ K 12/ BB  6

Travis Snider has not looked comfortable at the plate so far in 2011. He had a solid spring: 346/382/462, but the hot bat did not seem to make it up to Toronto. While Snider has been terrible in the batters box so far, he has been exceptional on the base paths. He has stolen 5 bases (1 CS), and will easily surpass his previous career high in that category (2010 SB 6). Along with the increase in speed, Snider has also looked more patient at the plate. Once his power comes around, he has the potential to put together a well-rounded offensive game this year.

Juan Rivera:

2011: G 12/ AB 39/ AVG 103/ OBP 239/ SLG 103/ H 4/ 2B 0/ 3B 0/ HR 0/ RBI 0/ K 6/ BB 7

It has been a horrendous start to Juan Rivera’s tenure as a Toronto Blue Jay. It’s only been 39 at bats, but his slash line is a joke. Not exactly the kind of numbers that a poor defensive corner outfielder (or DH), should be putting up. He has shown a decent BB rate, but it is simply not enough to justify regular playing time.

Rajai Davis:

2011: G 7/ AB 32/ AVG 156/ OBP 156/ SLG 188/ H 5/ 2B 1/ 3B 0/ HR 0/ RBI 2/ K 9/ BB 0

Rajai Davis has also had a tough start to his Blue Jay career. Like Snider, Davis had a blistering Grape Fruit League showing: 333/386/714 (4 HR). It looked as though Dwayne Murphy had found Davis’ power stroke (714 SLG), but it has not emerged so far since the games have counted. An ankle injury has limited Davis to just 32 AB’s, so it will be interesting to see how he bounces back once he returns from the DL.

Adam Lind:

2011: G 15/ AB 61/ AVG 230/ OBP 269/ SLG 328/ H 14/ 2B 3/ 3B 0/ HR 1/ RBI 9/ K 10/ BB 3

Adam Lind’s numbers are worse right now than they were in 2010- scary. If Lind is going to hit in the clean up spot, he is going to have to start cleaning up.

Aaron Hill:

2011: G 15/ AB 60/ AVG 233/ OBP 262/ SLG 283/ H 14/ 2B 3/ 3B 0/ HR 0/ RBI 8/ K 11/ BB 3

Like Lind, Hill is looking to bounce back in 2011, and unfortunately he too has got off to a rocky start. While his bat has been dormant, his legs have been lighting it up. Hill already has 5 stolen bases (0 CS), which is just 1 shy of his career best set in 2009.

Like what you read and want to stay informed on all updates here at Jays Journal? Follow Mat or Jared on Twitter (@JaysJournal and @bigja12), “Like” our Facebook page, or grab our RSS feed!