With the baseball season reaching the quarter pole, we’ve reached a point where things begin to come into focus.
It is unquestionably still early. But not so early that you can’t begin to have a little enthusiasm for the good things you’re seeing, and a bit of dread over the things that aren’t rolling out quite so well.
To start on a positive note, here are three things that are making me optimistic so far this season.
Vladdy’s Exit Velocity and Approach
In his first week in the majors, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looked out of sorts, which will happen when pitchers won’t throw you anything that you can hit and umpires don’t give you calls. But after a few noble 0-for’s with hard-hit outs, Vladito’s fortunes seemed to change after hitting a ball through White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson’s glove. From that point on, Guerrero began walking more than he struck out, and his barrelled balls were landing for solid hits.
It’s not as though we needed much more reason to be enthusiastic about Vladdy, but when you see him leave the outside pitch alone and crush balls too hard to be defended, it’s enough to make you sigh in relief for the future of the franchise.
The Stro Show
This year has seen a return to form for Stroman, after an injury-riddled 2018. With a sub-3.00 ERA, and a home run rate that is roughly half of last year’s, Stroman has re-established himself as a front-line starter.
Stroman’s name has been as likely to come up as a potential trade chip, even dating back to last season, but how you feel about his return to form shouldn’t depend on which side of the should they/shouldn’t they debate you fall. If Stroman is showing us something closer to his true talent and expected form, then the Blue Jays could have a very good arm for at least another year, and possibly more. If you’re fine with the Jays moving him, then his value increases with each start, as should the return they receive.
Biagini’s Pace and Results
Joe Biagini is now solidly ensconced in the bullpen, and out of nowhere, he began this season by speeding up what had previously been a maddeningly deliberate pace. Rather than pace around the mound and hold the ball for successive eternities, Biagini began dealing quickly and pounding the zone with strikes. Perhaps, as a result, he has elicited a much higher swinging strike percentage, at 12.3 per cent, up from 8.8 per cent last year.
Biagini is a reliable and controllable bullpen arm, and when you look around Major League Baseball, those are in short supply. If Biagini has really turned a corner this season, he could be a solid and valuable middle relief arm for the next several years.
Having pondered warmly some of the bright spots, let’s not overlook the things that aren’t quite so rosy. While there are a lot of things that aren’t going well this season, below are two issues that could make a fan worry for the fate of the club beyond this season.
Tepid Teoscar
He’s already been sent to triple-A Buffalo, so maybe it seems impolite to continue shoveling dirt on him at this point. But Teoscar Hernandez is supposed to be a key cog in the Blue Jays’ offence into their next competitive window. He certainly wasn’t being carried on the roster for his glove, even though that had improved somewhat this season.
Unfortunately, Hernandez never got going offensively this season, posting a .562 OPS through 127 plate appearances. His line drive rate was down, and his ground ball and infield fly ball rates were both up, perhaps suggesting that he was swinging at pitches he shouldn’t have.
Perhaps the time in Buffalo will allow Hernandez to rediscover his swing, but time is running out for him to firmly establish himself as part of the future before the future passes him on the depth chart.
Troubled Sanchize
It seems like the bad news continues to follow Aaron Sanchez around like a raincloud. On some level, the problems with his fingernails and blisters are likely related and may have even contributed to his elevated walk rate this season.
There was a brief moment or two this year when it seemed as though Sanchez was regaining his form, much like Stroman. But eventually, the walks returned, and his 2016 ERA title season began to drift further and further into the mists of foggy memories. And it is worth noting that while his walks per nine has exceed 5.0 over the past three seasons, it was a far more manageable 3.0 in 2016. His ERA still sits at a respectable 3.88, but there’s much to suggest that figure is not borne out by the peripherals.
As the flip side to Stroman, Sanchez’s scuffles and health issues will undermine his value, whether if it is on the field or on the trade market. And for the Blue Jays to succeed in the long term, they need to get something out of Sanchez, one way or another.
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