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Four keys to the Blue Jays reaching another level in May

By Chris Henderson

May 7, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder George Springer (4) celebrates with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) after the Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
May 7, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder George Springer (4) celebrates with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) after the Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 4, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays left fielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (13) hits a double against the New York Yankees in the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Hitting with runners in scoring position

We can blame the injuries, the tough schedule, or whatever else we want for the Blue Jays not reaching their full potential over the first 30 games, but there’s one thing that stands out more than anything else to me.

This team just can’t hit with runners in scoring position

On the season they’re slashing a putrid .187/.267/.307 with runners on scoring position, which is dead last in the American League. When you look at that statistic, it’s amazing that they’re above .500. They’re in the middle of the pack in the AL at .231/.301/.373 with runners on base in general, but so far there has been a team-wide freeze when they’re getting close to putting more runs on the board.

While it’s an issue that the Blue Jays should be aware of, and even actively working on, I’m guessing it’s a problem that will mostly take care of itself over time. This team has way too many good to great hitters on the roster to keep floundering like that all season long. They were projected to have one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball before the season began, and even if they don’t end up living up to that billing, there’s no way they’ll live in the basement of the American League.

It’s been a strange problem to see the Blue Jays struggle to score runs early in the year, and thankfully the pitching staff has been even better than we expected, at least as a whole. That said, it won’t take a huge correction in their performance with runners in scoring position to make a huge difference, and a few extra runs here and there will earn additional victories.

Next. Never too early to dream on the next big trade. dark

With all of that said, the Blue Jays have been a fun team to watch so far this season, and I can’t imagine the excitement that’s going to build once they start firing on all cylinders. I don’t think it’s that far away, and with a few things going their way in the coming weeks, I expect we’ll soon be talking about how unstoppable they look again rather than worrying about a 17-13 start.

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