Blue Jays: Biggest surprises of the 2017 season

The 2017 season hasn’t gone according to plan for the Blue Jays, and there were several surprising factors that contributed to the disappointing outcome.

There aren’t many guarantees in the game of baseball, and the Blue Jays were harshly reminded of that this season. After having reached the ALCS in back to back seasons, hopes and expectations were high for this group, as it was largely made up of the same winning formula. Sure, Edwin Encarnacion moved on to Cleveland, but the front office brought in some reasonable talent in free agency, and the young stars were another year older.

Unfortunately, it’s been a comedy of errors in many ways, and despite a roster with all kinds of talent, the Blue Jays are in the cellar of the AL East, where they’ve been for the entire season. Turning a legitimate contender into a basement dweller usually doesn’t happen this quickly, and many of us believe that this team could have a different year in 2018 with largely the same group. Some tweaks will most certainly take place, but there are some things you can’t predict.

And there were many surprises for the Blue Jays this year. Some were of the pleasant variety, but many more were unfortunate disappointments.