Blue Jays Grades by Position Pt 1

 Wow spring training has begun already? Summer is right around the corner and I love it! The Jays made some moves this offseason, there was once a time where the Jays were the #1 team in my heart, now they've taken a bit of a backburner but I still do follow along casually. I can already envision in the summer me watching a ton of games just to have something to write about here when the dog days roll around. With that in mind, why not start here and give a quick grade for each position group on the team? I feel like since I am such a casual, this is going to be the perfect thing to look back on to laugh about how much of an idiot I am, which will be fun! I think I am going to break this one into multiple parts, mostly because it's taken me a while to write as much as I did today and I am realizing I can't spend all day on these when I have a job, lol. Let's get into it:

Outfield: B

George Springer, Anthony Santander, Daulton Varsho, Myles Straw

This outfield is definitely not perfect, but I do think it can be a strength for the Jays this year. George Springer is coming off a down season, and although he's aging there's hope he can have a bit of a bounce back. While he was a below average hitter (by OPS+) last season, he was still a positive defender sliding over to right field and overall graded out as a 1.1 WAR player. I don't expect George to be the Springer of old, but if he can get back to being decent at the plate this season it will go a long way. 

Anthony Santander is a newcomer and someone I am nervous about. The Jays needed to address the offense this offseason and Santander is a guy coming off a 44 HR season in Baltimore. He's been an above average switch hitter with tons of pop for each of the last 3 seasons. The problem is he's 30 this season, only hits for power and is a negative defender even in left field. The Jays can probably expect Santander's offense to continue this season but the decline for guys who's only tool is hitting for power is usually swift and ugly. Still though, you can't hate it because the Jays needed guys who can hit and Santander can hit

Varsho is the baseball nerd's favorite player. He doesn't hit much but he does have some pop when he does connect. The real value in Varsho is his defensive acumen and IQ on the base paths. Despite hitting with a .214 average, Varsho had a WAR of 5, showing just how valuable he is on defense. There's a case to be made that Varsho is the best defensive centerfielder in baseball, at a premium position that's awesome to have. I think if Varsho was the 7th or 8th best hitter on your team you'd be thrilled with who he is, he's just been forced into roles where he has to be better than that. Hopefully he and Santander cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. 

Catcher: C

Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heineman 

This one is rough. Kirky is easy to love because he's round, short and playing a professional sport, how could you not love that? While he doesn't have the greatest arm behind the plate, he's done an awesome job framing pitches and overall has graded out as an above average defensive catcher. On the offensive side, Kirk frustrates me a little bit. He does hit for average and he does get on base a decent amount, but when he gets there he's one of the slowest players in the league. What we have here is basically a large man that hits singles, which I personally find counterproductive. Still though, he's a solid catcher in the MLB and so few teams have a catcher that can reasonably hit so that's a positive. 

The real reason they get a C here is because Tyler Heineman is going to need to play 50+ games unless they make an addition or a prospect pops off. Maybe it's wishful thinking to want an upgrade at backup catcher, but it is the 1 position in the MLB where the backup is guaranteed playing time even if there's no injury. Heineman has a career OPS+ of 63, meaning he's one of the worst hitters in all of baseball. He'll be all but a guaranteed out every time he trots to the plate, and that might be an issue. 

First Base: A+

Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Rotating Cast of Utility Guys

As long as he's committed and doesn't get traded, Vlad is the best player on the Jays. There's been a ton of drama recently surrounding Vlad after the team and him failed to come to terms on an extension. The trade talks are only going to get louder as the season rolls on, especially if the Jays struggle out of the gates. Putting all of that aside, Vlad is capable of being the absolute best hitter in baseball. After a slow start for the first 2 months last year, Vlad finished the season with a .940 OPS, by far the best on the team. His defense seems to come and go, but he both plays at a not very demanding position at first base and has won a gold glove there before so we know he's capable. Simply put, this is a superstar when he's at his best. The question is, will he be at his best? Vlad's OPS+ every season he's been in the league in order has been: 109, 118, 168, 133, 121, 166. He's always been an above average hitter, but when you have seasons with an OPS+ of 168 and 166, you get superstar expectations. Hopefully Vlad goes on a crazy stretch and gets himself paid!

That is all for now! Tomorrow is actually going to be my 100th post, I can't decide if I should do something special or just continue with part 2. We will decide in the morning, either way, all of these will be out before the season starts and we can have fun looking back at how silly I was! Go Jays? Yeah go Jays!