There’s no denying that Maicer Izturis’s first season in Toronto was a disappointment, but he was running better, fielding better and hitting better in 2014. Then, just as the Blue Jays were starting to get used to his improved production, he slipped on the dugout steps in Baltimore.
Izturis now needs surgery after tearing his lateral collateral ligament. The operation, which is pending a second opinion, typically requires a four to six month recovery period. In his absence the Blue Jays need someone to step up and ensure that Jose Reyes isn’t the only middle infielder generating offence. Yet that looks like a big ask for a light-hitting group of bench players.
Losing a backup infielder would be a blow for any team. For the Blue Jays, it’s especially tough. Their current middle infield consists of Ryan Goins, Jonathan Diaz and Munenori Kawasaki, three players who have combined to hit .216/.281/.280 in approximately one season’s worth of MLB plate appearances. They have struggled to reach base, with a combined 47 walks against 104 strikeouts and they don’t hit for power, with three total home runs and 14 doubles in 587 trips to the plate.
Once Reyes returns from the disabled list, only one of Goins, Diaz and Kawasaki will start, with one player coming off of the bench and one presumably being optioned to triple-A. Still, having Izturis around meant that the Blue Jays didn’t have to rely too much on the likes of Diaz and Kawasaki.
The 33-year-old switch-hitter opened the season with a respectable .286 batting average and .324 on-base percentage, thresholds that may be out of reach for the Blue Jays’ current group of infielders. None of the three has ever finished a season with an OPS above .750, either in the big leagues or in the minors.
The Blue Jays’ current predicament relates to their quiet off-season. They brought in minor league free agents including Diaz and Kawasaki over the winter but stayed quiet otherwise, choosing to rely on the infielders they had. Now their confidence in those internal options will be tested, as some combination of Goins, Diaz and Kawasaki must cover second base and one bench job once Reyes returns.
Maybe the defensive skills of Goins and Diaz will make up for their bats. But while defence matters a great deal, position players must also put runs on the board. Conventional wisdom suggests getting offence from the middle infield will be even more of a challenge with Izturis sidelined. He may have been an afterthought in 2013, but the Blue Jays will miss him now.
