2015 Toronto Blue Jays: Top 5 Sweet Surprises

#5 – Liam Hendriks, RP

(4-0, 2.62 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 59K, 10 BB)

Betsided

Liam Hendriks has somehow become a dominant weapon out of the Toronto bullpen.  A bit of a journeyman before joining the Jays, and a fringe reliever on last year’s team, Hendriks has become one of Gibby’s go-to guys and he hasn’t disappointed.  His increased fastball velocity and movement has had AL batters confused, and with the new additions to the pen, it’s quickly turned from a weakness to a strength.

The tall Aussie was the forgotten man in the bullpen, with those “in the know” wondering why Gibby has forgotten about the fire throwing righty.  And he was definitely shifted down the reliver totum pole with the deadline additions of LaTroy Hawkins, Mark Lowe and the return of fireballer Aaron Sanchez.  But the depth of the bullpen is due in large contribution to Liam, and the combination of a depe bullpen and an ace-lead starting rotation has this team winning at a record pace.

Next: Keystone Surprise

#4 – Ryan Goins, 2B

(.248/.322/.362 5 HR)

Toronto Blue Jays

Coming into this season, a popular Blue Jays fan refrain was “if he could only hit .240, with that defense he’s our every day 2B”.    Well ladies and gentleman, meet the new and improved Ryan Goins.  His glove work in the field is legendary, and he’s the type of player that Jays fans have a long history of falling in love with.  It his offensive limitations that have kept him relegated to the depth of a John MacDonald type utility player.

Somewhere along the way, Ryan Goins learned to hit a little bit.  He worked closely with hitting coach Brook Jacoby to address a flaw in his swing that was making him slow to good fastballs.  With an apparently different swing approach, he’s not being overpowered by fastballs, and is hitting the ball well to all fields.

In fact, the impetus for this post was a stat that Mr. Goins lead the AL in August with a .441 OBP! Folks are starting to ask what happens when Devon Travis comes back from injury, but that will likely be a decision for spring training (although I think Devon Travis is safe).

Next: Cola-Hello!

#3 – Chris Colabello, OF

(.330/.372/.525, 13 HR)

Betsided

I think it’s safe to say that expectations were pretty low on Chris Colabello coming in to this season.  He hadn’t experienced much success in the majors prior, with the exception of a single torrid month with the Minnesota Twins where he set a bunch of their monthly records.

He came over to the Blue Jays, which always seemed to be one outfielder short throughout the year.  When Michael Saunders went down, he was expected to shoulder the load in a platoon with Carrera, so Colabello took the ball and ran with it.  And he really hasn’t looked back.

Now this potent Blue Jays offense needs to find a spot in their lineup for him several times a week, with his bat too hot to leave on the bench.  He has fit into a 1B/DH rotation with Encarnacion and Navarro, and has played a better 1B than he did LF.

Colabello stats, assumed to be a BABIP aided, flash in the pan by many, have continued to rise.  He’s 1st in average at .330, 1st in OBP at .372, 3rd in SLG behind Edwin and Josh at .525 and  2nd in OPS behind Donaldson at .897.  Enough to turn you into a Colabeliever.

Next: Closing Games and Taking Names

#2 – Roberto Osuna, RP

(1.99 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 16 SV, 66 K, 12 BB)

Toronto Blue Jays

Only 20 years old and dominating a tough hitters league at a premium position, Roberto Osuna could easily have been the #1 sweetest surprise for the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays.  It’s not often you see a 20 year old come in to the closer position and dominate with his fastball movement, but that probably has something to do with the fact that he’s been pitching against adults since he was 13 years old in the Mexican pro league.

When his father asked him if he really wanted to become a pro baseball player (like his old man was), he said yes.  So his father took him out of school, home-schooled him and taught him how to be a professional pitcher.  7 years later, his maturity, poise and experience are on display every time Gibby calls his number, and with few exceptions, he’s answered the bell.

I would expect Roberto Osuna to be named the AL Rookie of the Year, although it’s always hard for Canadian based players to bring home the silverware.  I would also expect the Jays to give him ample oppotunity in spring training to emerge as a starter.

Next: A Surprise for the Rotation

#1 – Marco Estrada, SP

(11-8, 3.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 107 K, 44 BB)

When Alex Anthopoulos traded Adam Lind for Marco Estrada, fans were underwhelmed. The big narrative was Estrada’s struggles as a starting pitcher, in particular his propensity to let up the homerun in a homerun friendy ballpark.  Most fans projected Estrada to be a reliever and spot starter, the Todd Redmond of 2015.

Estrada won the 5th starters job and was s=OK but not spectacular in his first run of starts.  Then he had a near no-hitter on June 19th vs the Rays and followed it up with another one on June 24 vs Baltimore, striking out 10.  Ever since then, he has built on this confidence and consistently given the Jays tremendous starts.

With an offense like the one the Jays possess, your 5th starter needs to manage 6 innings and keep the team in the game.  However, Estrada has been such a valuable starter that many fans are thinking that he deserves some post-season starts.

Jays Journal wrote this week about whether the Blue Jays should be looking to resign Marco long term.  It’s been that good of a season.

Time will tell, but it’s clear that the trade has worked out really well for the Blue Jays, and is yet another example of AA’s ability to identify talent and make a deal.

Next: Are We Seeing a New Brand of Blue Jays Baseball?

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