2 positive trends for the Blue Jays one week into the season and 2 negative trends

The first week of the 2026 season has wrapped up, and the Toronto Blue Jays came out with a 4-2 record. The Blue Jays took care of business in the form of a sweep against the Athletics, but then struggled to take the series against the lowly Colorado Rockies.

Regardless, a 4-2 record is how you want to see your first week go before you take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in your second week of play. While it's early, it doesn't hurt to look at some positive and negative trends about the Blue Jays.

2 positive trends for the Blue Jays one week into the season and 2 negative trends

Positive: Strikeout machines

Good luck facing the Blue Jays' pitching staff. A week in, and the pitching staff has become one of the league's biggest threats.

Before the start of Thursday's (Apr. 2) games, the Blue Jays ranked second in most strikeouts at 83, one shy of the league-leading Houston Astros. That's mainly thanks to the starting pitching, who account for 49 of those 83 strikeouts. You can't even exclude the likes of Jeff Hoffman, who sits third on the Blue Jays with 10.

The pitching staff is making batters look foolish, and if they keep this trend up, it'll be a strength that proves valuable in the coming months.

Positive: Long ball emerging

The bats may have been quiet in the final game of their three-run series against the Colorado Rockies, but that doesn't mean the offense isn't waking up.

By Thursday (Apr. 2), the Blue Jays are tied for fifth in the league with eight home runs. There's still a long way to go, but Jays Journal predicted a much better finish in the home runs category for the Blue Jays in 2026 compared to 2025. George Springer quickly picked up where he left off with two homers and emerging fan favorite Kazuma Okamoto also crushed his first two big league home runs.

The power has come from many different sources as well, like Andrés Giménez, Davis Schneider, and the newest Blue Jay, Jesús Sánchez. To see different parts of the lineup contribute with power is a great start for Toronto, and a big reason why they're 4-2 after week one.

Negative: ABS blunders

It's not the best of starts with MLB's latest challenge system in ABS. A week in, and the Blue Jays have a 46% success rate (6-7 record) when challenging the calls of umpires, which is good for 19th in the league.

To get even more specific, Blue Jays batters can't seem to get a grip on balls and strikes, with only a 38% success rate when tapping their helmets. However, from the perspective of Alejandro Kirk or Tyler Heineman, they've combined to be 60% successful.

Surprisingly, framing is still an art that has not been lost with ABS, which may make it tough to find a consistent rhythm. However, with many calls being confirmed strikes and challenged early (like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. asking for a challenge in the first inning on a 2-1 count), there is a need to time the challenges and make them count. Losing a challenge in the early-to-mid-game window will be costly.

Negative: Brendon Little

Yes, it must be spoken about. Brendon Little has drawn the ire of Blue Jays fans, a situation that unfortunately dates back to the All-Star break last year. After six games, Little has posted a 0-1 record with a 27.00 ERA. How bad is that? Heineman has a 22.50 ERA. It's not great.

Each of his three appearances this season has gone south for the Blue Jays. His first appearance of the season saw him give up a go-ahead grand slam to Shea Langeliers. His second appearance? Allowed four earned runs before the Blue Jays were routed 14-5. The third? Gave up the winning run to Tyler Freeman in the 10th inning, which led to a Rockies series win.

Interestingly enough, Little has one option remaining on the 40-man roster. It's clear there is a lack of confidence in Little, whether it's admitted or not. The 2025 jitters have carried over into 2026, and you don't want to let them affect you this early in the season (or ever). Is it such a bad idea to send Little down to Triple-A Buffalo and work on the confidence and mechanics? Probably not.