Blue Jays: Five Players Who Need to Have Career Years

There is no questioning the Toronto Blue Jays will be in tough in the American League East this season however if these five players can put it all together the Jays postseason prognosis will become much clearer.

Throughout the course of 162 games players always step up that weren’t necessarily expected to do so at that particular time in their respective careers. The last two seasons Blue Jays fans have witnessed the unexpected outburst or resurgence from a number of players.

The first base tandem of Justin Smoak and Chris Colabello in 2015 took everyone by surprise as the duo combined for 33 home runs and 113 runs batted in as both players enjoyed career years. Unfortunately, both players hit low points in 2016 and were not able to build on their career years.

Last season the emergence of Aaron Sanchez as one of the league’s premier hurlers was somewhat of a surprise due to the timing. Not sure many prognosticators predicted Sanchez would dominate the baseball world with that type of authority at that stage in his career.

So what players will step up in 2017 and lead the Blue Jays to the postseason?

Here are five candidates who need to have career years for their own personal reasons. Perhaps to shake their injury-prone status, others may be entering final years of their contracts or some may need to prove they belong in the majors.

Have a look at the five and let me know in the comments who you think is on the cusp of a career year in 2017.

Devon Travis

It is no surprise that second baseman Devon Travis would make the list of candidates who need to have a career year in 2017. Travis has missed 161 games to injury over the past two seasons and might need a breakout campaign more than any other Blue Jays players.

Travis needs to not only prove the doubters but also himself that he is capable of handling the rigors of a complete baseball season. Furthermore, the Blue Jays offence needs him to be in John Gibbons lineup every day.

The upstart Travis has already been anointed the leadoff hitter if healthy and is an integral cog in the Blue Jays offence setting the table for the big bats that follow him in the lineup. When in the lineup Travis is a career .301 hitter with an .811 OPS, 19 home runs, 85 runs batted in and 7 stolen bases in 163 major league games.

If Travis can put his shoulder and knee injuries behind him the Blue Jays playoff chances increase ten-fold. The 26-year-old has a knack for battling opposition pitchers and consistently stringing together quality at-bats and hitting to all fields.

There is a significant dropoff offensively with Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney who are the replacements for Travis should he no be ready to go or suffers a setback in 2017.

Steve Pearce

The former Baltimore Oriole Steve Pearce underwent forearm surgery to repair a flexor mass on his right forearm near the conclusion of last season. Pearce inked a two-year deal with the Jays during the offseason and just made his debut in left field yesterday during Grapefruit League action play.

Pearce has put up intriguing numbers in previous campaigns but has never surpassed 102 games in a season. The utility player’s best season to date was in 2014 with the Orioles where Pearce hit .293 with 21 home runs in only 383 plate appearances.

The importance of Pearce being healthy and productive is the Blue Jays not only need his bat but also need him to cover first base or left field. This, in turn, reverts Justin Smoak or Melvin Upton back into a bench role which is beneficial if the Blue Jays are going to be beasts in the east.

The 33-year old has the chance to be the steal of the offseason free agent class as the Blue Jays signed him for a very affordable $12.5 million for two seasons. Pearce who was drafted by the Twins, Red Sox and Pirates owns a career slash line of .254/.333/.441 with 66 home runs in 569 career games.

Pearce has a real opportunity to be the x-factor in the Blue Jays lineup if he finds every day at bats under new manager John Gibbons.

Dalton Pompey

Dalton Pompey needed a successful preseason to really prove to the Blue Jays brain trust his true value and that he could handle the next level of competition on a regular basis. Unfortunately for Pompey he suffered a concussion representing Team Canada at the World Baseball Classic.

The speedy outfielder injured himself sliding into second base when he did a face plant in what appeared to be a harmless play. The injury has all but derailed the Canadians chances of making the squad out of camp now.

In a year where the left field position was open for the taking as Melvin Upton struggles and Ezequiel Carrera profiles as a fourth outfielder, Pompey had a real chance with a strong spring. The 24-year old has spent parts of three seasons and 170 games at the Triple-A level and needs an opportunity sooner than later on a full-time basis.

Defence and speed are the not the issue for Pompey who needs to prove he can hit major league pitching on a regular basis. His speed is breathtaking as we have all witnessed in the postseason and he would add an element to the roster that not many players can replicate.

Pompey is a career .222 hitter with a .291 on-base percentage and 8 stolen bases in 59 games at the major league level with the Blue Jays.

Hopefully, he gets the chance to prove what he can do north of the border in 2017.

Kevin Pillar

Kevin Pillar came to camp possessed to make amends for a season where he regressed at the dish. Pillar worked with hitting coach Brook Jacoby during the offseason and identified problem areas in his approach and swing at the plate in 2016. In a recent interview Pillar mentioned recognizing that he had a terrible soft contact rate at pitches out of the strike zone and is working to negate that.

If his spring results are any indication of what lies ahead in 2017, he should be poised for a career year. Pillar is batting .340 with more walks than strikeouts in 47 spring at bats thus far. In Pillar’s defence, he did play most of the second half of last season with a torn thumb that required offseason surgery. His thumb is 100 percent now and he is locked and loaded for 2017.

Pillar had a slash line of .266/.303/.376 with 90 strikeouts and only 24 walks in 584 plate appearances in 2016. The outfielder who is affectionately known as “Superman” did swipe 14 bags in 20 attempts down from the 25 he stole the previous season.

The one thing about Pillar is he will not accept mediocrity and won’t stop until he achieves his goals. The guy is a gamer through and through and is my bet to have a huge breakout campaign. This will be the season that Pillar’s proves he is just not a defensive master. Bank on it.

Next: Blue Jays: Five Surprise Pitchers in Spring Training