Welcome Matz

 

My 'Spring Training customs' Blue Jay was Vlad Jr. last year, so I wanted to pick someone different. That's why I didn't do a Vlad. I know, he's hitting like mad, but...let's see how that translates to the regular season.

One of the most surprising factors of this upcoming Blue Jays team is the near-pristine quality of the pitching. Like...yes, it's only limited innings, but everybody's doing pretty well so far. Steven Matz, the shakiest of all of the starting batch, hasn't allowed a run yet. Tanner Roark and Robbie Ray, both coming off of disappointing seasons, have 2 wins apiece. Ray has 18 strikeouts. And yes, Hyun-Jin Ryu is also looking hot as hell, but we knew that. 

So, if this five-man rotation is looking this impressive out of camp...does this mean the Blue Jays are gonna be really damned good this year?

Welllllllll....looking at the lineup, I see some areas of concern. Right now, George Springer and Marcus Semien aren't hitting very well. The team signed them for a lot of money as a way of boosting the lineup with veteran status to counteract the youth movement. And while members of said movement, like Vlad, Cavan Biggio, Alejandro Kirk and Jonathan Davis [!] are hitting well, Springer and Semien are only doing modestly. Springer's hitting .250, but he's still sort of figuring things out in Dunedin [where he will be playing home games as well]. 

Most concerningly, Bo Bichette isn't hitting either. Mr. 5-Tool only has 1 RBI in 23 at bats. And a year after an injury as well. It should be alarming, even if it is pre-season. 

So while the pitching in Toronto is looking like it could be a nice step up, the lineup isn't as strong as it was last year right now. I know it's early, I know they could figure it out as they go, but this isn't the greatest first impression. They're still winning games right now, but the people they were really counting on haven't especially come through yet. 

Coming Tomorrow- Get out your flutes everybody!