Blue Jays: Ranking and Dissecting the First Half

Coaching Staff: C

The coaching staff has been criticized a fair amount this year, and in some ways they’re deserving of just that. In their defence, the team has dealt with a ton of injuries, and I think the pitching staff in particular deserves some credit for piecing things together.

John Gibbons continues to be a divisive figure among Blue Jays’ fans, but you have to give him credit for the way he has stuck up for his players throughout the season. He’s loyal, maybe even to a fault, but it appears that he has the respect of his clubhouse, and the front office as well.

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His entire supporting staff was rewarded with an extension a few days ago, in an unexpected move given the team’s recent struggles. Gibbons’ contract had been guaranteed until the end of 2019, and the front office choose to extend the rest of the staff to the same timeline. Given the timing of the move, it would be surprising to see them make changes to the staff this season, but stranger things have happened.

Fan base: A

As far as the fan base is concerned, they (you) likely deserve the most credit of anyone involved in the first half of the 2017 season. Fans have come out to the Rogers Centre in droves, with the Jays ranking first in the AL and 4th in baseball with 39,489 as their average home attendance. The fan interest on social media continues to be strong as well, and the front office will have to take that into consideration as they near the trade deadline.

Fan interest hasn’t been this rampant in Toronto since the early 90’s and Rogers knows how much better their books look when the team is winning. Doing a complete rebuild seems unlikely, and it would also be a disservice to a fan base who has supported the team in great numbers over the last two and a half years.

It’ll be interesting to see if things wane as the season wears on, especially if the front office does trade a few key pieces, but overall I believe the Blue Jays’ fan base is deserving of as much or more credit than any other facet of the organization.

Next: Jays Journal Podcast with guest, Jackie Redmond

How would you assess the first half? Let’s be honest, I could have turned this into a novel here, but all in all this is a talented team that has greatly underperformed, however you stack things up.