Jays Journal
FanSided

Blue Jays are well set up for a big second half of the season

By Chris Henderson

Jul 3, 2021; Buffalo, New York, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center Charlie Montoyo (25) makes a pitching change to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Adam Cinder (90) during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Sahlen Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 3, 2021; Buffalo, New York, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center Charlie Montoyo (25) makes a pitching change to Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Adam Cinder (90) during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Sahlen Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 25: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a 2-run home run against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Yankee Stadium on May 25, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 25: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a 2-run home run against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Yankee Stadium on May 25, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) /

The best offence in baseball

As I alluded to already, the Blue Jays have an incredibly dangerous offence, and I’d argue that it’s the best lineup in baseball both at present, and looking ahead to the future.

When everyone is healthy, there really is no break whatsoever for opposing pitchers. Charlie Montoyo has the luxury of having potent 7th or 8th hitters on his card that would be good enough to hit in the middle of several team’s lineups. For the sake of a visual, just look at this nightmare for pitchers that have to square off against the Jays.

1- Semien- .289/.353/.548, 21 HR, 54 RBI, 81 games
2- Bichette- .287/.338/.479, 15 HR, 54 RBI, 81 games
3- Guerrero Jr.- .337/.440/.673, 27 HR, 69 RBI, 81 games
4- Hernandez- .299/.340/.482, 11 HR, 46 RBI, 62 games
5- Springer- .245/.383/.571, 5 HR, 10 RBI, *just 14 games*
6- Biggio- .236/.345/.382, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 59 games
7- Grichuk- .262/.291/.456, 21 HR, 54 RBI, 80 games
8- Gurriel Jr.- .259/.278/.416, 9 HR, 33 RBI, 73 games
9- McGuire- .293/.340/.394, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 37 games

I obviously didn’t highlight everything good that’s been happening with this lineup, but just looking at that 1-9 has to be intimidating for most pitchers to think about. In particular the top four have been absolutely devastating, hitting for power, average, and Semien and Bichette have both contributed double-digit stolen bases to boot.

Throw in the likes of the newly acquired Corey Dickerson and the Jays will have a strong left-handed hitter to compliment the bench, and if they decide to carry Alejandro Kirk on the MLB roster again then that gives them some right-handed punch too. Santiago Espinal continues to improve as a hitter as the utility man as well, and when this team is rolling the hitting gets contagious pretty much all around.

When you consider that the Jays haven’t had Springer around for very long at all, and that they could get more from guys like Biggio and Gurriel Jr. than they did in the first half, there’s a ton to like about this group. They are tied with the San Francisco Giants for 123 home runs as a team to lead the league, and with a team OPS of .784 they are behind only the Houston Astros who carry a .797 mark. Now that the Blue Jays have a healthy lineup, I don’t expect it to take long before they sit at the top of those rankings.

Home/Toronto Blue Jays News