4 Blue Jays that need to step up for Toronto to stand a chance in 2023

With us now at the business end of the 2023 regular season, it's a nerve-racking time for the Blue Jays and their fans. While they're currently in a wild card spot, the Mariners and divisional rival Red Sox and Yankees are lurking.

This is not to say a 65-51 record is shabby - for context, last year the Blue Jays were 61-54 at the same point. Regardless, this is a ballclub still regarded as underachieving, which speaks to the talent on the roster.

Along these lines, it's time for certain individuals to raise their game. Here are four players who need to step up, to help the Blue Jays in their quest for a playoff spot.

NB - All statistics up to and including August 9.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

As much as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the Blue Jays in home runs and RBI, he's still not performing at a satisfactory level. This alludes to how high the ceiling is for him.

If the Blue Jays' bats are collectively underachieving up to this point of the season -- and they are -- then Guerroro Jr. serves as the figurehead. He has generational-level offensive talent, but still isn't fulfilling his potential.

Last year theoretically represented a step back for Guerrero Jr., although in fairness his 2021 campaign was always going to be a tough act to follow. In its own right though, 2022 was another excellent year highlighted by 32 homers and 97 RBI, with him seemingly well on the road to superstardom.

Unfortunately for everyone concerned, this season has seen the 24-year-old take another step back. He's currently projected to have his least-productive season since his rookie campaign, specifically in slugging percentage, home run percentage and OPS.

Further causing concern, Guerrero Jr. is currently on course to have his worst month yet in 2023. While we're only one-third of the way through August, his .214/.267/.393 slash line and .660 OPS are not good enough, especially at this juncture of the regular season

Having said all this, it's not a case where anyone should give up on the 2021 Silver Slugger. (Although there are certain members of the local media wondering out aloud if he is just another decent bat, with his 2021 season being the outlier rather than the norm.)

In terms of what Guerrero Jr. is capable of, there is one big difference between him and the other names on this list. As much as the others can collectively help improve results, he's the one player capable of lifting and galvanizing the entire team on his own, if he plays closer to his ability.

Alek Manoah

The rotation has been -- for the most part -- a source of stability this season for the Blue Jays, thanks to a combination of consistency but also durability. As a result, they are fourth in the Majors in ERA, third in strikeouts and 10th in batting average.

Making all of this more impressive, is the reality the Blue Jays have achieved this without a steady fifth option. This is where Alek Manoah comes in.

Manoah entered this season as the staff ace, following a sensational 2022 campaign. He was selected to the All-Star Game, finished third in AL Cy Young voting and named to the All-MLB first team.

The world seemed to be at the feet of the 25-year-old, but then it all started to break apart beneath him. He got a shock right out of the gate, allowing nine hits, two walks and five runs on opening day, in an outing which lasted just 3.1 innings.

April offered glimpses of what Manoah was capable of, including allowing just two hits and no runs in 7.0 innings versus the Yankees in New York. However, he also pitched another disaster, giving up nine hits and seven runs in 4.2 innings against the Rays.

In May, the bad starts were becoming more frequent, with all areas of the Homestead, Florida native's game failing him, highlighted by significant issues with his location. Enough was finally enough, after he allowed seven hits and six runs in just 0.1 innings early in June, versus the Astros.

In a move Manoah wasn't happy about, the Blue Jays optioned him to the rookie-level Florida Complex League. You further wondered just how bad things were, when he subsequently gave up 11 runs in just 2.2 innings during an outing with the affiliate.

However, following a promising outing for Double-A New Hampshire, the righty was recalled to the Blue Jays somewhat earlier than anticipated. Since his return results have still been mixed in five starts, with a 4.26 ERA and 1.382 WHIP.

For some context, prior to being optioned to Florida, Manoah recorded a 6.36 ERA and 1.897 WHIP. In other words, however you choose to base you assessment of him, there has been reason for some encouragement since he rejoined the Blue Jays.

The next step is for the 2019 11th overall draft pick to continue showing some improvement, no matter how minor. As much as the Blue Jays would obviously love to see a return to last year's form, even being a reliable fifth option at this stage would help with the team's overall results.

Everyone with RISP

Okay, we're 'cheating' a bit here, while also appreciating we've already touched on this recently, but there is no denying the collective production has to improve. The Blue Jays' struggles with runners in scoring position are exasperating, especially considering the talent in the lineup.

The Blue Jays are tied-fifth in plate appearances and third in at-bats with runners in scoring position. And yet, they are also just tied-24th when it comes to batting average in this scenario.

Breaking it down further, the Blue Jays are just tied-26th in OBP, as well as 28th in both slugging percentage and OPS. For some context, overall they are fifth, 11th and ninth respectively. (They are also tied-fourth in batting average.)

Making the situation more confounding, is the Blue Jays' success by comparison with runners in scoring position last year. They were 13th in batting average and ninth in OBP, while also eighth in both slugging percentage and OPS.

Unsurprisingly, this lack of success with runners in scoring position is reflected in the Blue Jays' overall scoring. In fact the contrast in startling, with them ranked fourth last year and just 15th so far this season.

As much as this is about pointing out a team-wide issue, a couple of the Blue Jays' worst 'offenders' epitomize the struggles. More specifically, Santiago Espinal and Brandon Belt.

In the case of Espinal, his .178 batting average and .475 OPS with runners in scoring position both rank worst among all Blue Jays regular players. However, this is indicative of an overall drop in his production with the bat, following last year's breakout All-Star campaign.

As for Belt, he is third-lowest among all regular contributors with a .194 batting average and fourth-lowest with a .571 OPS, when runners are in scoring position. As one of the best hitters on the ballclub overall, more should (and must) be expected when he's presented with scoring opportunities.

Overall, this all alludes to the potential being there to be one of the most potent offences in the Majors. However, if they can't overcome their collective mental block in clutch situations, it's going to prove to be their downfall whether they make the playoffs or not.