As we approach mid-August with just a month and a half left in baseball's regular season, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to be headed to the playoffs for the first time since the 1993 season when they won the World Series. This would end the longest playoff drought in baseball. One could even argue that Toronto is currently the best team in majors.
Toronto is flying high right now winning 9 in a row and moving to within a half game of the division leading New York Yankees. If the last several years have not taught us anything, we should have learned that the teams that are hot going into the postseason are the teams that have the most success. Toronto certainly fits that description with the current run they are on.
At the trade, deadline Toronto was hovering around the .500 mark and decided that this year was going to be the year to go for it. They traded away shortstop Jose Reyes to Colorado for outstanding slugger Troy Tulowitzki, arguably one the best shortstops in the game. Toronto is 12-0 in games Tulowitzki has started since joining the team. In addition, they made a trade to acquire David Price from the Tigers instantly adding an ace to their staff. The addition of Price gives the Blue Jays a legitimate number one starter. The Blue Jays also added LaTroy Hawkins to shore up the middle portion of their bullpen that had been struggling.
Toronto has a formidable lineup that will put the fear into any opposing pitcher. Adding Tulowitzki to an already potent lineup featuring Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edward Encarnacion has easily given the Blue Jays the best lineup in the majors. Donaldson leads the team with 31 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 82 runs scored. Bautista has 27 homers, 79 RBIs, and 74 runs, while Encarnacion has punched 21 home runs, 64 RBIs, and scored 59 times. Add in Russell Martins 15 home runs and 50 RBIs from the catcher position and you can see why it is difficult to keep this lineup in check night in and night out.
David Price instantly improved a very average pitching staff. Prior to Price, Toronto did not have a true ace on their staff. Mark Buehrle has been solid with a 12-5 record and 3.34 ERA but he is getting up there in age. R.A. Dickey is 6-10 with a 3.93 era although he has given up three or fewer runs in 13 straight starts. Marco Estrada is 10-6 with a 3.21 era and for the most part has been very effective. Drew Hutchison might be 11-2, but he bolsters a whopping 5.26 era. He obviously has benefitted from plenty of run support.
The postseason is likely for Toronto with the additions they made. The biggest concern going into the playoffs will be the starting pitching after Price. Of the remaining four starters, who will come up big in the playoffs? It is possible with the lineup the Blue Jays present, all they need is mediocrity from their 2, 3 and 4 starters. The 1993 World Series team bolstered a powerful lineup similar to the one that Toronto has now. Led by Joe Carter and John Olerud, that 1993 team had a lot of power numbers. They also had the likes of Paul Molitor, Roberto Alomar, Ed Sprague, and Devon White.
This edition of the Toronto Blue Jays has the entire country of Canada hungry for the postseason. Something they have waited for over 20 years. Canada loves their Blue Jays and since the Expos left for Washington DC, they are Canada's team. In fact, the support is so great that across the country fans make the trip to cities like Seattle, Minnesota, and Detroit on a regular basis to cheer for their team. Recently, the Blue Jays were in Seattle for a three-game series and averaged 15,000 fans for each game. It was like a home game for the visiting team.
Whether you like the Cardinals, Dodgers, Giants, or Royals, there is one thing you cannot deny. The Blue Jays were definitely the biggest winner at this year's trade deadline and might just be the biggest story in Major League Baseball in 2015. If they do win the World Series this year, the celebration in Canada will go on for quite some time and be heard all through the United States, as well.
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