The Toronto Blue Jays have been a tough team to figure out.
They lead the American League East in run differential by a large margin, yet they remain five games under .500 and 4.5 games out of first place. The starting rotation has started to come along, but the club still has some personnel issues.
Speaking of personnel, we took a close look at how 10 prominent former Blue Jays were faring earlier in the season. Since then, many of them have struggled.
So in the third edition of the 2015 ex-files, we look back at the same group of players and how they have performed to this point.
Colby Rasmus, Houston Astros: 
The former Blue Jays outfielder is hitting .239 with eight home runs and 17 RBI. However his OPS dropped nearly 100 points in May and he has not homered since May 19. Blue Jays fans can get an up-close look at Rasmus when he returns to Toronto for a three-game series this weekend. Hopefully he can find a chicken hot dog or somewhere to park his truck.
Melky Cabrera, Chicago White Sox: 
– The acquisition of Michael Saunders has hardly helped the Blue Jays, but their former left fielder isn’t exactly raking with his new team. Cabrera, who excelled in his contract year in Toronto, is hitting a measly .236 with one home run, four doubles, and a .543 OPS. Odds are Cabrera will come around. He’s a career .284 hitter and plays in a hitters’ park, but the White Sox have to be disappointed with the early return on investment. They handed him a three-year contract worth $42 million this past winter.
Adam Lind, Milwaukee Brewers: 
Lind is one of the few on this list who is excelling with a new club. The Brewers first baseman has been mashing right-handed pitching, slashing .293/.371/.524 with eight home runs and 22 RBI. Once again Lind isn’t playing much against lefties, with just 26 plate appearances against southpaws. If the Brewers continue to stink (they have a MLB-worst 18 wins), Lind is a likely candidate to be dealt ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Brett Lawrie, Oakland Athletics: 
Oakland fans are still shaking their heads over the Josh Donaldson trade. Donaldson is putting together a MVP-calibre season in Toronto while Lawrie’s contributions have been minimal. Lawrie is averaging over a strikeout per game (58 in 51 games) and has already exceeded his entire total from last season — in 19 fewer games. He has just four home runs with a .697 OPS. However, he’s been a bit better lately, registering eight hits, two bombs and four runs in his last six games.
Brandon Morrow, San Diego Padres: 
Injuries were the story for Morrow in Toronto and they have popped up again this season. The right-hander has been out with shoulder inflammation since May 3. On Tuesday, he made a rehab start for double-A San Antonio, throwing four scoreless innings, so he’s expected to re-join the Padres after his next appearance. Prior to the injury, Morrow was solid for San Diego, posting a 2-0 record with a 2.73 ERA, 23 strikeouts and seven walks in 33 innings.
Casey Janssen, Washington Nationals: 
After missing the majority of the first two months battling a shoulder issue, the former Blue Jays reliever has not performed well early in his Nationals tenure. It’s a tiny sample, but Janssen has allowed four earned runs in 4.2 innings, good for a 7.71 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.
Anthony Gose, Detroit Tigers: 
Gose has been a polarizing player in Detroit. The 24-year-old is capable of making highlight-reel defensive plays in the outfield or blowing a routine bunt. On the season, he’s hitting .297 with a respectable .749 OPS and .337 on-base percentage, yet he is averaging more than a strikeout per game and not walking consistently enough — just 10 walks in 43 games. There’s a lot to work with, but it’s worth remembering that he’s still raw.
J.A. Happ, Seattle Mariners: 
The Blue Jays especially missed Happ early in the season when their starting rotation was in flux. In Seattle, the 32-year-old left-hander has been fairly consistent. He’s 3-1 with a 3.70 ERA, 43 strikeouts, 13 walks, six home runs allowed, and a 1.27 WHIP. Outside of one horrific outing in Baltimore, Happ has allowed three runs or fewer in four of his last five appearances.
Kendall Graveman, Oakland Athletics: The 24-year-old had a miserable start to the season that led to a demotion to triple-A. Since then, Graveman has rebounded, earning a second stint with the big club and making three straight serviceable starts. During that stretch, he has allowed a total of six earned runs with 11 strikeouts, six walks and one home run allowed in 17.2 innings. It’s a small sample for sure, but a major improvement from April.
Dustin McGowan, Philadelphia Phillies: 
It has been a tough year for McGowan. He didn’t make the Los Angeles Dodgers out of spring training and landed a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies before Opening Day. But after a rough stint that included a 5.79 ERA and 2.14 WHIP over 10 appearances, the Phillies felt they could no longer keep him and he was sent outright to triple-A Lehigh Valley on May 5. It appears time may be running out for the 33-year-old.
Honourable Mentions
Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets: In the minds of many Blue Jays fans, Syndergaard is the one that got away. The key piece of the R.A. Dickey acquisition was outstanding in his first four big-league appearances — he even drilled a massive home run — before getting lit up Tuesday in a 7-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. The 22-year-old has a 2-3 record with a 3.77 ERA, 32 strikeouts, five walks and two home runs allowed in 28.2 innings.
Jake Marisnick, Houston Astros: Marisnick has cooled off after an incredible start with the Astros. He finished the first month of the season with two triples, 10 RBI, eight stolen bases and a 1.043 OPS, but he has batted .187/.219/.253 over his last 30 games.
Anthony Desclafani, Cincinnati Reds: DeSclafani was a part of the blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins a few years back, and he has been a solid starter for the Reds this season. The 25-year-old righty is 3-4 with a 3.41 ERA, 41 strikeouts, 25 walks, and a 1.28 WHIP in 58.0 innings.
