May 04 2009
Why the High-Flying Blue Jays Top the AL
Before the start of the season, a number of people weighed their thoughts and opinions on who would win the tough American League East division. With perennial powerhouses in the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and last year’s Cinderella-story Tampa Bay Rays, few had any hope for the two birds in the division, the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays.
After a month (and a weekend) of play, it is those Blue Jays who sit with the best record in not just the east division, but the entire American League, and are just a half-game back of the best record. Not bad for a team that many thought would finish the season in last.
Of course, one month isn’t very long, and things may change as time goes on, but outside of the organization, I bet you’d have a tough time finding anybody who legitimately thought the Jays would be 18-9 after May 3rd, which also ties the club record for best start to a season after 27 games. The last time that happened was in 1992 – the first time the Blue Jays won the World Series.
Why did the Jays get such a bad vibe? It all started with the decimation of their AL-best pitching staff. Third and fourth starters Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan both went down in the second half of ’08 and will be gone for most of the 2009 campaign, while number two opted out of his five-year contract to sign with the rival Yankees for more money.
That in itself was enough to push the Blue Jays into proverbial last place at the beginning of the season, but for the Jays, last place wouldn’t last long. Sure, the Jays lost three-fifths of their starting rotation, but their top bullpen was exactly the same, and healthy returns from offensive stars Aaron Hill, Lyle Overbay, and Scott Rolen certainly boosted the offense, as well as gigantic months from youngsters Adam Lind and Travis Snider. With their re-vamped lineup, the Blue Jays find themselves at the top of the majors in several offensive categories.
As for the starting rotation, pitching has been one thing the Blue Jays have never been short on. They’ve already used eight different starters, as already three of this year’s starters have gone down, as well as closer B.J. Ryan. Nevertheless, the Jays have won two-thirds of their games and are two games up on Boston early on.
So don’t count the Jays out yet. The predictions of 90 losses for the team means they’ll have to go 54-81, which is .400 ball. Even the worst teams can manage that, and the Jays have proven that they are definitely not among the worst teams.
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