MLB POSTSEASON RACE/TORONTO BLUE JAYS
An Exciting Race for the Wild Card at the End of the MLB Season for the Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays are currently in the second spot with an 80–63 record but it’s been up and down all season due to a number of factors
The Toronto Blue Jays are on a hot streak as of late. They enter tonight’s game against the Texas Rangers in a crucial four-game series that could set the contenders apart from the pretenders two games ahead of Texas in the wild-card race. Texas would currently be out in the race as the Seattle Mariners are one game ahead of them for the final wild-card spot at the moment.
The point is, that the race to the finish line is going to be a wild one and should be competitive to the end. Anything could still happen. I think that’s why I’ve been hesitant to write about my favorite team for a large portion of the season until now. We’ve had a ton of disappointment this year.
We could’ve been a contender to win the division but the emergence of the Baltimore Orioles and their amazing run this year squashed any hopes of that. In fact, in the most recent series against Baltimore, Toronto more or less laid down to them. It’s clear that Baltimore is for real and the superior team at this point in time.
The Jays have no more games against the presumed division winner at this point. They do, however, still have important games against the Red Sox (3 games), Yankees (6 games), and Rays (6 games) and those teams are all division rivals. If they can manage a winning record in that regard, then they have a great shot at one of the three wild-card spots in the American League.
I’m worried still, honestly. Alek Manoah, who was our supposed ace going into the year has forgotten how to pitch and was sent down to the minors yet again recently and will probably be out for the rest of the season.
Injuries have bitten the team more than I’d care to watch. Bo Bichette is just coming back from his injury, a right quad strain, and before that patellar tendinitis. He’s been one of their most productive players even in limited games.
Starting catcher, Danny Jansen, is currently out with a broken finger that just required surgery. The Jays will have to lean into Alejandro Kirk more now than they did earlier in the year. That might not be a bad thing but Jansen was having a good season.
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., aka Vladdy, has become a shell of himself, playing just above a replacement player in that position after nearly winning the MVP two seasons ago. He’s also got 21 GIDP (Grounded Into Double Plays) this season which is the most of his career and tied for third overall this season. He’s got a .267 batting average with 84 RBIs and 67 runs and while this still might be good for another player, it feels very pedestrian coming from him. In fact, the numbers bear it out. He’s got a 114 OPS+. His career average there is 130.
The additions of Daulton Varsho and Brandon Belt in the last offseason have definitely helped the team. Daulton Varsho, despite being mediocre offensively, has added value in the defensive categories for Toronto. Brandon Belt, even at age 35, has still put in a decent season, hitting .252 with 16 home runs and driving in 38 along with scoring 50 runs and having an OPS+ of 132. His career average is 124 so it’s definitely an above-average season for the slugger in 96 games.
The thing is, the Jays definitely have the firepower and the offensive prowess along with a good defense on their team to make a hot run at the end of the season. The thing that worries me is their pitching. As I stated before, Manoah is out and will be shut down for the rest of 2023 as he just forgot how to pitch and had a train wreck of a season. Other pitchers have stepped up and have done enough to put them in a position to win.
Their starting pitching has still been their weakness even though their bullpen has the best ERA (3.66) and most saves (49) in the Majors. Maybe there is some hope and I’m just being pessimistic. After all, I was so high on them last year that I actually predicted a postseason spot for them before the season even started and it came true.
The Jays are starting to play well and with heart, especially with career minor leaguer, Davis Schneider, getting called up and playing lights-out in the first part of his big league career. This team is starting to be healthy again. This team should actually be fun to watch going into the final stretch, whether they make the postseason or not.
Fine, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ll need to make another bold prediction for this to play out favorably. The Jays are going to do it again. They’re going to make the postseason after a great September. After all, they’re already 8–2 in their last 10 games after losing key series to the Orioles and the Guardians. And even though their final stretch isn’t a cakewalk, it’s not a disastrous one. Let’s go, Jays, we’re in this together.
