Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders is in the midst of a career-best season at the plate, but he acknowledged Wednesday that his numbers could be even better.
“I started to hit cleanup and it’s not as good as it sounds because (Edwin Encarnacion) is stealing all my RBIs,” Saunders said in a guest appearance on Baseball Central. “That guy is an RBI machine. I’m just kidding. (Troy Tulowitzki) is swinging a hot bat and we need him to keep going. He’s a main reason we’ve started this explosion of runs. Russell (Martin) is also swinging a great bat right now. One through nine, we’re very deep and it seems like we’re always on base and putting pressure on the starting pitcher.”
Encarnacion, 33, leads all of baseball this season with 77 RBI and has been batting especially well since June 1, hitting .314/.434/.817 with 12 home runs over his last 137 plate appearances.
Saunders, meanwhile, has put up impressive totals in terms of batting average, OPS, and home runs, but his RBI total (38) remains low in comparison.
The two Blue Jays could play together at the All-Star Game next week, as Encarnacion was named to the AL team for the third time in his career Tuesday while Saunders was named one of five candidates for the final spot on the AL roster.
“My phone has been blowing off the hook,” Saunders told co-hosts Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker. “Just a lot of proud family members and friends. They’ve been on the website voting. This isn’t Toronto’s team. It’s Canada’s team. I really feel like I’d be representing Canada. This is a team I grew up watching and loving. It’s national pride for me, growing up in Victoria and British Columbia.”
The breakout season has been especially meaningful for Saunders after he missed the majority of the 2015 season due to a knee injury suffered in spring training.
“To be in the position I am today, to be recognized as a possibility for the American League All-Star team, is an incredible honour for me and my family,” Saunders said. “It would mean a lot for me and be a dream come true… It would just be an honour to put on an AL All-Star jersey. Dating back to the days of Babe Ruth and all the historic names that influence this game and influenced the lives of fans. To me to be recognized among some of the greats of the game would be a huge honour.”
Saunders is hitting .293/.367/.547 with 15 home runs in 77 games this year.
