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.

Nate Pearson

As a collective, the Blue Jays bullpen is doing just fine. They're seventh in the Majors in ERA, tied sixth in WHIP and tied 11th in batting average.

However, as we recently wrote, the available talent alludes to the bullpen being capable of even more. And in some respects this is encapsulated by Nate Pearson.

Pearson's potential as a top prospect, led to the Blue Jays selecting him in the first round of the 2017 draft. However, it's been anything but plain sailing for him up to this point of his professional career.

In the end, it took a decision to move the 26-year-old from the rotation to the bullpen, for him to finally show what he was capable of. Along these lines, the 2023 campaign started off extremely well for him after he was called up on April. 24.

Through his first 13 appearances out of the bullpen Pearson was excellent, recording a 1.59 ERA and 0.941 WHIP in 17.0 combined innings. Then the cracks started to appear, beginning in New York versus the Mets.

Regardless, the breaking point came in Seattle, when the Odessa, Florida native allowed three hits and four earned runs, only registering one out in the process. The result was he blew the save and lost the game for the Blue Jays.

At this point, Pearson was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to work on some adjustments. He returned soon after and looked good for a couple of outings, before having another nightmare against the Orioles.

As a result, the righty was optioned back to Triple-A at the beginning of August. He figures to remain in Buffalo longer this time around, to work more on his mechanics and give him renewed confidence.

Understandably, you can make the case the Blue Jays bullpen is strong enough without Pearson. However, he has the ability that, if honed correctly, can enhance the unit and make them even more dificult to face.