Blue Jays searching for balance, answers with bench bats

Toronto Blue Jays’ pinch-hitters are 3-for-21 (.143) in 2016

The Toronto Blue Jays’ near-.500 start has left a fan base anxious for action. Big action. Irrational action. Heck, any action.

This often-misguided panic has focused primarily on the headlining names like Troy Tulowitzki, Drew Storen, or R.A. Dickey, but at this stage in a season, roster improvements will be far more easily accomplished from the bottom up.

Toronto’s claim of Jimmy Paredes, who was activated from the disabled list and added to the 25-man roster last night, represents the start of this. John Gibbons‘ bench is often leaving him without a power threat, or traditional “bench bat”, late in games.

Paredes could be just that, of course, but the inconsistencies in his offensive game make this difficult to bank on. After producing an .807 OPS in the first half of last season with Baltimore, his bat disapeared with a .517 OPS in the second half.

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On a typical day under this roster construction, Toronto’s bench will consist of Paredes, Josh Thole, Ezequiel Carrera, and one of Ryan Goins or Darwin Barney. Granted, an off-day for one of the Jays’ regulars will give Gibbons a stronger option on some days, but with the struggles of Tulowitzki and Russell Martin, they haven’t always been first up for a late-game at-bat.

To their credit, Barney and Carrera have performed extremely well at the plate. Barney has taken the inside track on Ryan Goins for the majority of starts at second  while Carrera is 16-for-45 (.356) on the young season.

Projecting those numbers across an entire season when their career’s would suggest we do the opposite, though, is unwise. Given that both Goins and Thole are non-factors offensively in a substitute role, the Jays are missing a valuable piece from last season: the bench pop of Chris Colabello or Justin Smoak.

Ideally for the Blue Jays, someone like Jesus Montero, Junior Lake, Domonic Brown, or Casey Kotchman catches fire at the triple-A level if they are needed. The return of Devon Travis should help to improve the situation, too. On a bench sometimes heavy on lefty bats, a right-handed option would perhaps be welcome (which could be good news for Barney upon Travis’ return).

Toronto would even have the ability to carry a half-player, too. Danny Valencia was an example of this in his time with the Blue Jays recently: a player that, on the field, can be excellent against one type of pitcher and give the Jays a niche value.

It’s shown in the Jays’ (miniscule sample size of) pinch-hitting, where they’re just 3-for-21 (.143 AVG) this season. That number was slightly better in 2015 at 18-for-79 (.228).

Next: Suspensions dealt: Gibbons gets three, Bautista one

Assesing a need at such a micro level can be taken as nit-picking, but in all likelihood, this is the level of roster moves that will be seen. Bench bats are not a terribly expensive asset, with some legitimate options becoming available through trade (Paredes) or via free agency, like Justin Morneau.

These bottom spots on the roster, like the fourth bench player or seventh bullpen arm, seem replaceable and unimportant. Bleeding one extra win of these players over the course of a season, however, can hold significant value.