The rise and fall of 10 former Blue Jays

May 23, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Adam Lind (24) congratulates center fielder Carlos Gomez (27) after scoring a run against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Almost a third of the 2015 season is completed and the Toronto Blue Jays aren’t finding the best success as a team with their offseason acquisitions. Although individually, the team has seen MVP-caliber numbers from the likes of Josh Donaldson, the defensive prowess of Russell Martin, and the surprise of Devon Travis have been encouraging, the overall team results have been far from desired and the win-loss column reflects that.

Likewise, there are many former Blue Jays out there either exceeding expectations or falling heavily under the burden of new contracts. From guys we let get away to others that were shipped out in subsequent deals, former Blue Jays dot the baseball landscape with a mixed bag of results, some helping their new clubs and others, not so much.

So let’s take a look at how 10 former Jays are doing this season. Eight of these players donned Toronto’s uniform in 2014, so they are of particular interest.

May 23, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett (34) pitches against the New York Mets during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

9. A. J. Burnett – Pittsburgh Pirates

Admittedly, it’s been awhile since Burnett was a Blue Jay, but it’s his final season in the majors and I can’t remember the last guy to win 18 games for the Jays, so he makes the list.

Coming off a season where he lost 18 games for Philadelphia, Burnett has been great for the Pirates, rolling out a line of 5-1, 1.81 ERA, 59 SO. Even now, the fire-thrower is maintaining a rate of nearly a strikeout per inning.

Burnett’s 2.3 WAR puts him on pace for the best in that category since 2009 and currently ranks fifth in the NL. He also is on the leaderboard in several other pitching categories.

Also, upon further research, I discovered Roy Halladay won 20 games the same year Burnett won 18.

May 13, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers center fielder Anthony Gose (12) bats during the game against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

8. Anthony Gose – Detroit Tigers

Gose, once a top prospect of Toronto’s, is having a solid start to his first season in Detroit. The Jays traded Gose to the Tigers for second baseman Devon Travis over the winter. So far, neither team is complaining too much.

Gose is hitting .314, with a .355 on-base average and a .791 OPS (on-base average plus slugging percentage), all of which would make for a breakout year if maintained.

His weaknesses remain the same. Gose has always struck out a lot, which the Blue Jays had hoped he would adjust. But he’s still striking out at a 26.4 per cent this year. The other weakness also carries over from Toronto. Gose has incredible speed, but his actual base-running skills need improvement. He’s been caught stealing five times this season, which leads the AL.

Defensively, Gose is doing what Gose does. He’s posted a 2.93 range factor in centre field, which ranks him fourth in the American League.

Overall, it’s an improvement year for Gose and the Tigers should be happy with the value they’re getting.

May 21, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher J.A. Happ (33) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

7. J. A. Happ – Seattle Mariners

The Jays chose youth instead of average veterans this year and it’s possible they’re regretting it. Happ was a good fifth starter last year and he’s having an even better season in Seattle.

He has a 3-1 record in 10 starts, with a 3.70 ERA and 1.26 WHIP (walks + hits divided by innings pitched).

Happ has a 3:1 strikeout ratio and while his strikeout rate is down, so are his walks. He is giving up over nine hits per nine innings, but as he always has, he’s grinding out decent starts.

Granted, Safeco Field is a pitcher-friendly park, while the Rogers Centre is anything but that, but add all that together and Happ is having another solid year for the Mariners.

May 2, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Brandon Morrow (21) pitches during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

6. Brandon Morrow – San Diego Padres

I’m not ashamed to say that I loved Morrow while he was in Toronto. He had some of the best pure stuff I’ve ever seen. When that guy was on, no hitter could touch him. I remember his start against Tampa Bay in August 2010, when he was one out away from a no-hitter before Evan Longoria singled. Instead, he settled for an incredible performance of a complete game shutout with 17 (!!??) strikeouts. That start was a candidate for MLB.com’s ‘Performance of the Year’. I’m not sure what performance won, but this one was pretty amazing.

Anyway, I supported Toronto’s decision to let Morrow walk because the risk was too much. He was hurt way too often. Sure enough, five good starts into the year, he went down with a shoulder injury and has been on the disabled list since May 3.

But his five starts were quite good:

Morrow is set to make a rehab start Tuesday so hopefully he can be back on track soon but with a month lost to injury already, it’s probably a good thing the Jays didn’t take the risk of signing him again.

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May 23, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Casey Janssen (44) throws to the Philadelphia Phillies during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. The Philadelphia Phillies won 8 – 1. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

5. Casey Janssen – Washington Nationals

Janssen was a long-time fan favorite in Toronto, but he seemed to fall out of favour with the club after a second-half collapse last season. Aaron Sanchez became John Gibbon’s man for the end of games instead. So Janssen, who spent eight seasons with the Jays, signed with the Nationals.

Due to a shoulder injury, Janssen was on the DL until May 22. Upon his return, he had three clean appearances before he blew a three-run lead against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

Because of that one bad outing, Janssen’s line looks worse than it is: 0-1, 9.82 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 1 SO.

We’ll soon see whether the second half of last season was an aberration or the new norm for Washington’s setup man. We were lucky enough to see Janssen pitch against us tonight for the first time, throwing a scoreless inning.

May 31, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Chicago White Sox teammates celebrate after left fielder Melky Cabrera (53) scored against the Houston Astros in the third inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

4. Melky Cabrera – Chicago White Sox 

The Jays’ fan base was largely upset when Toronto didn’t actively pursue Melky in the offseason after his big year. In a way, their outcry was understandable. As a hitter, Melky posted a 3.1 WAR in a year where he hit .301, 16 HR, 73 RBI, .358 OBP and .808 OPS with 35 doubles and various other accomplishments.

But compare that to his numbers so far this year:

Not pretty. Of course, left field has been a revolving door for the Jays with Michael Saunders being gone most of the year so far. But still, six different players have combined for better numbers than Melky this year: .284, 3 HR, 27 RBI, .314 OBP, .717 OPS.

At this point, looks like Alex Anthopolous is lucky he couldn’t afford a bidding war.

May 20, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Colby Rasmus (28) drives in a run with a sacrifice fly against the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the eighth inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

3. Colby Rasmus – Houston Astros

Rasmus is a different story. I’m pretty sure fans rejoiced when he left town. I don’t think either he or the Blue Jays were interested in a reunion.

After signing with Houston, Rasmus said Texas “better fit his lifestyle.” In other words, he can drive his truck in the city.

Rasmus is having a strange statistical season with the Astros. He’s on pace for a career high in doubles and homeruns and over half of his hits have gone for extra bases, but he’s hitting .239 with an OBA of .301.

His 0.6 WAR is the second lowest of his career, likely due to how little he gets on base and his incredible strikeout rate (36.5 per cent, also the highest of his career).

Regardless of the low value, it’s almost all better than his numbers with the Jays last year and certainly better than Toronto’s centre fielders’ stats this year.

May 29, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Brett Lawrie (15, left) is congratulated by third base coach Mike Gallego (2, right) after hitting a two-run home run during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at O.co Coliseum. The Athletics defeated the Yankees 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

2. Brett Lawrie – Oakland Athletics

The Brett Lawrie trade that brought over Donaldson was met with mixed feelings. Disappointment by many at losing a passionate fan favourite, but who can be unhappy with this trade, at least from a Blue Jays perspective? Let’s take a look for a second.

Here’s how Lawrie has fared thus far:

And then there’s Donaldson’s season:

I think that’s probably enough said. But in case it isn’t, Jays’ Journal Podcast talked about who won this trade in its’ latest episode, which you can check out here.

Some of Lawrie’s struggles this season aren’t surprising to those of us who knew him in Toronto, like consistency. But some are new, like his strikeout rate. Lawrie is currently striking out at a near-Colby Rasmus pace of 28.6 per cent. His career average is 17.9 per cent, so that’s a big jump.

He’s also walking a lot less, which combined have a lot to do with his awful on-base percentage.

Defensively, it also seems like Lawrie has taken a step back, posting a .954 fielding percentage and 2.67 range factor, both below his normal play.

It’s safe to say the Blue Jays have upgraded at third base.

May 16, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Adam Lind (24) against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

1. Adam Lind – Milwaukee Brewers

Lind is enjoying a good start to his National League career in Milwaukee. The 31-year-old slugger (some years) is on pace to post very similar numbers to his 2013 season:

He won’t set any career highs this year, but his best days are likely behind him. Well, 2009 was probably his career year and that’s when he was only making a little over $400K.

Lind’s most interesting differences in the NL are his increased strikeout and walk rates. Usually they don’t both go up.

The Jays replaced Lind with Smoak, although not directly, and he has played very little this season. It’s unclear whether the Jays got rid of Lind for salary reasons or otherwise. It’s been said the team wanted players with a little more enthusiasm and fire. If that’s true, Lind certainly didn’t fit the bill. But he’s off to a good start with a team even worse than Toronto and we wish him all the best.

Of the eight players on this list who played for the Jays last season, I would say the team is winning five (Gose, Morrow, Melky, Rasmus, Lawrie) and losing three (Happ, Janssen, Lind). Meaning, the replacements for those the team is ‘winning’ are an upgrade at least right now and the Jays are better off without them.

We’ll see how the season goes and check in on this list again later in the year to see if the score remains the same.

Next: Blue Jays Player of the Week: Josh Donaldson

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