Toronto Blue Jays: 2023 First-Half Review at the All-Star Break

Blue Jays

The All-Star game is a chance for a few easy days for most players. The 162-game schedule starts to hit hard in the second half of the season, leaving some teams with very little to play for even with plenty of time to run.

For the Toronto Blue Jays, the opening half of the season has not been plain sailing. In a division where the Tampa Bay Rays looked almost unbeatable in the opening weeks, the pride of Canada have dug deep to record a 50-41 record, just 7 games back for the lead in the American League East. More importantly, it’s enough for a wildcard playoff berth at this stage.

Since back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, the cupboard has been bare with just a single AL East title in 2015. A wild card berth in 2022 has the potential to be the start of something special with a team full of young talent. Can they hit the jackpot this season?

They will be hoping that they achieve more than Toronto’s other very talented team in the Maple Leafs have done, boasting a similar level of dynasty potential without the end result. So far at least! Let’s use the All-Star break to look back at the first half of the season for the Blue Jays and what we can expect in the second

Batting

The length of the batting lineup was a huge strength in 2022 with home runs the order of the day. The Blue Jays hit 200 bombs last season to finish seventh in the majors. As we hit the All-Star Game in 2023, they are below the league average with Bo Bichette leading the way with 15. 

Bichette has been the high point of the offensive output in the first half, with a .317 average to sit 2nd in the American League. On track for more than 200 hits this season having smashed 191 in 2021 and 189 2022, he would be a strong MVP candidate if not for some player in Los Angeles called Shohei Ohtani.  

Vladimir Guerrero Jnr has yet to have his home run stroke working in the first half but he has still enjoyed plenty of success, leading the team in RBI. With 31 extra base hits and a .274 average, he has produced but perhaps not at the level that Blue Jays fans expect. With 48 home runs in 2021 and 32 in 2022, it is entirely plausible that he will turn things on in the second half.

28 doubles this season means that Matt Chapman sits 2nd in the entire league in two basers as we hit the All-Star Game. He hit 27 all of last year and while he has shaped as if in need of the break to recharge the batteries, he has been a key component of the first half.

Veteran Whit Merrifield has given the Blue Jays a solid presence, leading the team in stolen bases. Kevin Kiermaier has picked up five trebles so far this year as well as producing his usual solid defence in centre field. He is another veteran presence in the clubhouse to give some stability to the team. 

Despite the lack of home runs, the team have found a way to score the 13th most runs in the majors at the break. One of the deepest lineups, if they find their stroke, they have the potential to put up some serious numbers through the dog days of summer.

Starting Rotation

Barring the hugely disappointing Alek Manoah, the pitching has been a plus for the Blue Jays in the first half. A 3.97 ERA from their rotation has been solid given that Manoah alone has a 5.91 to his credit.

Kevin Gausman has led the way with a 3.03 ERA across more than 115 innings. Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt have been close behind with the three combining for more than six innings a start.

Blue Jays fans will be delighted to see Berrios finally getting back to the form he showed for the Twins. An ERA north of 5.20 in 2022 made him look like a weak link in the rotation for all that the team scored runs for him. 3.50 this time around is much more what was expected when he was picked up in 2021.

A single year in New York with the Mets was solid for Bassitt, picking up where he left off. The only Blue Jay with a complete game shutout this season (against the Braves no less) the 34yo will be looking to find his May form again.    

 2022 was a rough first year in Toronto for Yusei Kikuchi. He is giving up far too many home runs this season but that has been about the only thing to burn him. An ERA almost a full point lower than last season has been a massive improvement, if he can keep the ball in the yard in the second half, he could easily trim that from 4.24 down to closer to 3.50.

Bullpen

At the start of the season, the bullpen was considered by many to be the Blue Jay’s weakness. A collective ERA of 3.63 is good enough for fifth in the majors while a 1.21 WHIP is third behind just the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves. 

Jordan Romano has proved to be a strong closer once more. Romano’s 26 saves is tied for the lead in the majors with Alexis Diaz of the Cincinnati Reds and Camilo Doval of the San Francisco Giants. His 2.87 ERA is a little higher than the last couple of seasons but that level was always going to be a tough one to maintain and it’s not as if that figure is bad. 

Tim Myaza has proven to be a solid piece again this season. In 63 starts in 2022 he produced an 8-1 record with a 3.14 ERA in 63 appearances. He is well on track to blow that out of the water in 2023. A minuscule 1.17 ERA in 30 2 ⁄ 3 innings is eye-popping with no earned run given up since May 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers. That is 15 straight appearances without giving up an earned run!

The most used reliever so far this season has been Erik Swanson. In 42 appearances, he has a  3.16 ERA. It is a solid mark for him having been exceptional in 2022 for the Seattle Mariners. He has given up more home runs than the team would like but they have been rare mistakes, batters hitting just .181 off him. 

Long relief has been the domain of Trevor Richards. Filling in for Alek Manoah with three spot starts as well, he has a 3.02 mark over 44 ⅔ innings. That becomes a 1.82 ERA in the Rogers Centre so home cooking has been the way to get the best out of Richards in the first half.

Fielding

A .986 fielding percentage with 46 errors this season places the Blue Jays 17th in the league. It has not been a disaster by any means but tidying up the errors will help to make the team harder to beat as the season heads into the second half.

Santiago Espinal has been the worst culprit, committing six errors in just 40 games. A fielding percentage of just .933 at third base and .945 at second is something that the Blue Jays will have to manage. 

The other bulk offenders are Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman with eight and seven errors respectively for fielding percentages of .972 and .971. Those figures are a step up for Bichette who made 23 and 24 errors in 2021 and 2022 with a fielding percentage under .960 in both seasons.

For Chapman, it is a step backwards after a pair of seasons that have seen him produce .988 and .987. The hot corner is always a tough place to be but hopefully, Chapman can cut out the mistakes when the time comes to step up. 

Seven outfield assists from Daulton Varsho show up well on the stats sheet. The Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates only have seven outfield assists as a team. Just the Tampa Bay Rays have fewer outfield errors so the Blue Jays can feel very content with the way they are fielding in general.

Trade Deadline

The main weakness of the team has been the need for more productivity against left-handed pitching. This is a part of the game that Varsho, for all his outfield prowess, has been unable to step up with. It is going to be a fine balance that needs to be addressed.

The Blue Jays outfield has been a strong point for the team so upsetting the balance with another player who is signed to hit lefties needs to be done carefully. This is something they had with Teoscar Hernandez before they traded him. Bringing in a hitter for what will be a platoon situation will not be easy but with both George Springer and Kevin Kiermaier having a string of injuries in their career, a leftie-hitting outfielder looks the biggest hole to be filled.

Most teams will be looking for an extra arm or two for the stretch run. The bullpen has been solid this year, especially compared to recent seasons but if there is the opportunity to add a middle reliever to pick up work in the 5th and 6th innings then the Blue Jays should be looking to add.

That bullpen help will probably come in the form of a left-handed reliever. Kikuchi is the sole left-handed starter while Mayza is the only southpaw reliever. As discussed, Mayza is enjoying an outstanding season but with the pressure ramping up, another leftie to take some of the load would be a big help.

Second Half Hopes

It is fair to say that an improvement is needed against their own division if the Blue Jays are to make the postseason for a second consecutive year. They have beaten up against the AL Central, by far the weakest division in the American League but they have just a 5-15 record against the East. If they are to gain rather than lose ground in a typically tough AL East, that has to be turned around.

There is a strong case for believing that there is more to come from the likes of Vlad Jnr in the second half given the numbers that he has put up so far in his career. The Blue Jays are a long way from a one-man team but his importance to the lineup must be recognized. 

Alek Manoah pitched well in his final start before the break. It was against the Detroit Tigers so perhaps it is not the strongest team to be rating him being back to something like his best against but at the same time, it would be hard to see him playing worse in the second half than he did in the first. 

The Blue Jays can make the playoffs again in 2023, there is no doubt about that given the strength of the team on both sides of the ball. If they all click in the second half, they can provide those above them in the American League with a real scare.

World Series?

LeoVegas Free Bet

That would be quite something wouldn’t it? Thirty seasons since Joe Carter hit his infamous walk-off home run in game six against the Phillies, that seems a lifetime ago now. This current Blue Jays incarnation has certainly given hope to the city that a third ring is more than just a pipedream.

There is the quality in the roster to make a run at a World Series but they have to hit form at the same time. Nine games over .500 at the All-Star break is a solid start and the league in general are all in a similar position. 

The Rays, the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers are the only three teams with a better record than the Blue Jays at present in the American League. The Blue Jays are +2500 at some of the best betting sites in Canada the time of writing to win the 2023 World Series. That looks too big for a team with this much talent.

Latest Articles

The 1998 Nagano Olympics

Canada’s 1998 Nagano silver medal winners who made history

It is hard to think that it was only 26 years ago that women’s ice hockey was part of the Winter Olympics for the first time. The 1998 Nagano games in Japan saw it added for the first time with only six teams participating with the United States and Canada dominating the tournament which was played in February of that year.

Read More
Super Bowl

Super Bowl LIV Preview: 49ers V Chiefs, who lift the trophy?

Super Bowl LVIII will be played on February 11 at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas. The NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers will take on the AFC victors, the Kansas City Chiefs. This is the 4th Super Bowl appearance in the last five years for the Chiefs, arriving as the defending champions.

Read More
Boston Bruins

Halfway through the NHL season, we look at how things stand

The NHL season has reached the All-Star Game with the bye weeks on the horizon for the teams. Things are really starting to take shape now with about 60% of the regular season behind us.

Read More
Speed Skating World Cup

Who are Canada’s medal hopes at the Speed Skating World Cup?

Quebec City plays host to the final round of the ISU Speed Skating World Cup this weekend from February 2 until February 4. The event is almost 40 years old, with the Quebec event the final of the six rounds that make up the 2023-24 World Cup.

Read More
Paris 2024 Olympics

Paris 2024: Canadian hopes are high ahead of the Olympic Games

The countdown to the 2024 Olympics in Paris is under six months and the athletes will be praying that the rest of their preparation goes smoothly as even the smallest setback at this stage could be the difference between a gold medal and leaving the French capital empty-handed.

Read More

Most Played Today