The 5 most interesting Toronto Blue Jays in 2017

What a time to be alive! The Toronto Blue Jays pitchers and catchers have reported to Dunedin to begin Spring Training. In a year where many Blue Jays fans are still dealing with the loss of Edwin Encarnacion, there is still plenty to be excited about. The rotation is back, the bullpen and bench are revamped, and the 2017 edition of the Blue Jays are among the favorites among many to be a wild card team again.

There are other departures to look at and see how the losses affect the team, but General Manager Ross Atkins and President Mark Shapiro have done a good job replacing the losses of Encarnacion, Brett Cecil, Joaquin Benoit, and R.A. Dickey. There are plenty of new faces going into the season and these additions each are exciting in their own right.

With spring training about to go into high gear, the staff at Jays Journal has put together a piece inspired by Toronto media personality Jeff Blair. Each staff writer has submitted their list of 5 players and wrote a paragraph on one player of their choosing they wish to highlight, whether the player is ranked #1 on their list of #5.

Enjoy!

Contributor: Sam Bruce 

5. Dalton Pompey
4. Troy Tulowitzki
3. Marcus Stroman
2. Jose Bautista
1. Kendrys Morales

Morales has the most to prove this Spring and all year. He needs to prove that he can hit on a level that will ease EE’s departure. Furthermore, he needs to prove that he can be at least capable of occasional first base duties so Joey, Tulo, Josh, and Russ can rest their arms. He netted one of the best contracts for a big bat, time to prove he deserves it.

Contributor: Craig Borden

5. Troy Tulowitzki
4. Jason Grilli
3. Marcus Stroman
2. Jose Bautista
1. Aaron Sanchez

I think Sanchez is the most interesting because he has all the potential to be the Jays ace after last season.  After last season, what does he do for an encore?  Is it CY young award or bust?  I think he has a solid outing and continues to become a true ace, much like Halladay did in running up his 2003 CY young award.  He will anchor the Jays staff this season.

Contributor: Patrick Allen

5. Troy Tulowitzki

4. Dalton Pompey

3. Kendrys Morales

2. Devon Travis

1. Jose Bautista

Devon Travis’ honeymoon period with the Blue Jays is over. Entering his third full season with the team, Travis’ production to date has featured plenty of peaks and valleys. The highs have been outstanding, but the lows, especially on the defensive side of the ball, have been equally as noticeable. The time is now for Travis to take his game to the next level and develop into a prominent figure on this Toronto Blue Jays team.

Contributor: Michael Scott

5. Devon Travis

4. Jose Bautista

3. Marcus Stroman

2. Kevin Pillar

1. Roberto Osuna

It will be very interesting to see if Pillar can progress offensively. He was a pure hitter coming into the draft out of college, but now that the focus is on his defense it might allow him a low-pressure platform to transform into a better hitter. Historically a hard worker, I look forward to seeing his approach and if it works. Defense seems to be more consistent in carrying over season to season than the bat, so his value last year looks like more of a floor than a ceiling.

Contributor: Ari Shapiro

5. Steve Pearce

4. Jose Bautista

3. Kendrys Morales

2. Melvin Upton, Jr.

1. Troy Tulowitzki

Tulowitzki remains an enigma to most fans of the Blue Jays – the consensus is that he’s injury prone, regressing headlong into the harsh reality that is his biological age, and that he no longer has the killer instinct since his undesirable flight from Colorado. My humble opinion is that we take a more sincere look at what this player has accomplished throughout his National League career and consider the expectations which he likely places on himself. Troy’s not just an elite brand of athlete; he’s got his own meta-cheer and a burgeoning desire to win before it’s too late, thus making him the most fascinating and somewhat prophetic player on this team. As he takes flight, so too will the Jays in 2017.

Contributor: Nick Raponi

5. Troy Tulowitzki
4. Steve Pearce
3. Marcus Stroman
2. Joe Biagini
1. Dalton Pompey

The reason Pompey is my most interesting Blue Jays player heading into 2017 is because he can very easily win the left field job and run away with it. Ezequiel Carrera and Melvin Upton Jr. are a solid platoon, but their ceilings are not all that high. Pompey, on the other hand, has sky-high potential. The Canadian outfielder possesses many tools, and if he can put it all together on a consistent basis, watch for him to not only win the starting job in left but also maintain his position over the duration of the season.

Contributor: Jason Lee

5. Joe Biagini
4. Devon Travis
3. Jose Bautista
2. Dalton Pompey
1. Francisco Liriano

The Blue Jays’ rotation heads into spring training looking like the team’s greatest strength. However, it is unrealistic to anticipate the amazing run of health that the Jays’ staff enjoyed in 2016. Arguably one of the most underrated players to watch out for is Francisco Liriano. He is notorious for following up disappointing seasons with equally stellar numbers the next year (evidenced by his multiple “comeback player of the year” awards). Expect Liriano to surprisingly emerge as the Blue Jays’ ace in the upcoming 2017 season.

Contributor: Chris Henderson

5. Joe Biagini
4. Marco Estrada
3. Marcus Stroman
2. Devon Travis
1. Jose Bautista

The Blue Jays enter 2017 with many questions about the upcoming season, and the direction of the franchise going forward. President Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins inherited a strong core from the previous front office and will have to decide how they want to shape roster going forward, now two years into their respective roles.

In the rotation, it’ll be an important year for Marco Estrada. After coming to the Blue Jays in a trade from the Brewers for Adam Lind, Estrada has quietly transformed himself into a high-quality starter. He will be a free agent after the 2017 season, and he’ll have to work very hard to keep his balky back in check if he wants to maximize his free agent potential. In keeping with the rotation, Joe Biagini will be stretched out this spring, and could potentially provide the Blue Jays with starting pitching depth, if the need arises.

I’m also intrigued with Jose Bautista as he enters a 1-year deal with something to prove, and I’m excited to see how big the chip on his shoulder may. Bautista’s stock has taken a significant hit over the last year, but it may be largely unwarranted, as he battled injuries for most of 2016. Look for the slugger to have a strong season, using the energy of being “snubbed” in free agency as his primary motivation.

Final Verdicts

Thank you all for reading this far and a big thanks to my colleagues at Jays Journal for helping me put this piece together. As you will be able to tell, there were some similarities between a lot of the contributors but there were also some differences. Below are the number of times said player appeared on a list.

16. J.P Howell – 1

15. Marco Estrada – 1

14. Roberto Osuna – 1

13. Kevin Pillar – 1

12. Aaron Sanchez – 1

11. Jason Grilli – 1

10. Francisco Liriano – 2

9. Melvin Upton Jr. – 2

8. Joe Biagini – 3

7. Steve Pearce – 3

6. Dalton Pompey – 4

5. Devon Travis – 5

4. Kendrys Morales – 5

3. Marcus Stroman – 6

2. Troy Tulowitzki – 6

1. Jose Bautista – 8

After polling my colleagues, there are a few interesting omissions from this list. Keep in mind, it was purely at the discretion of the writers and their own personal opinions. I am surprised to see Ezequiel Carrera and J.A. Happ not on any of the writer’s list. It comes as little surprise to me that Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin were not on people’s list.

Jose Bautista was voted among the most interesting Toronto Blue Jay heading into 2017 and I think it’s safe to say that many would agree with the way the contributors voted.

Thank you again for reading and we hope you enjoyed the piece. Comment with your top 5 most interesting Toronto Blue Jays!