Blue Jays mid-season report card: Hitters

Scott Mitchell

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As the Toronto Blue Jays take some time off for the All-Star break, TSN's baseball reporter Scott Mitchell hands out his mid-season report card to the Jays' position players.

Grades

A—All-Star calibre

B—Solid season

C—Average

D—Below average

F—Fail

C Russell Martin — B+

Key Stat: .378 OBP

fWAR: 1.6

The Good: At the age of 34, Martin’s first half on-base percentage is the highest mark he’s posted since he rode a .402 mark to a 4.9 WAR season with the Pirates in 2014, leading to his big contract with the Blue Jays.

The Bad: He needed a DL stint in May and has been battling nerve issues in his neck that led to weakness in his left shoulder, causing him problems defensively early in the season.

C Luke Maile — F

Key Stat: .121 batting average

fWAR: -0.8

The Good: The pitching staff has been raving about his receiving and game-calling skills, which manager John Gibbons noticed.

The Bad: His .121/.154/.202 slash line in 104 plate appearances is putrid and it’s led to Blue Jays catchers producing the worst catcher Wins Above Replacement figure in the American League at just 0.1.

Incomplete: Miguel Montero, Mike Ohlman, Jarrod Saltalamacchia

1B Justin Smoak — A+

Key Stat: 23 home runs

fWAR: 2.2

The Good: It’s already a career year for the 30-year-old first baseman, and he only needed 87 games to do it. Smoak has cut his strikeout rate from 32.8 per cent to 19.2 per cent, and it’s led to a .294/.360/.575 slash line in the first half and a well-deserved starting assignment in the MLB All-Star Game.

The Bad: It’s not Smoak’s fault, but after watching Michael Saunders similarly light up the first half last year before falling on his face post all-star break, a carbon-copy second half is far from guaranteed.

2B Devon Travis — C+

Key Stat: 18 doubles

fWAR: 0.6

The Good: The 26-year-old raked in May, hitting 16 doubles in that month alone and producing a gaudy .364/.373/.646 slash line and an elite 166 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) before … 

The Bad: He got hurt. Again. And not only that, but it was the same knee he had surgery on in November, leaving many to wonder if Travis will ever be able to stay on the field for a full season.

3B Josh Donaldson — B-

Key Stat: 132 wRC+

fWAR: 1.5

The Good: Donaldson is their best player and an MVP candidate when he’s on the field and fully healthy. He carried the team offensively in early June and is still sporting a .383 OBP despite the fact no one has been able to drive him in.

The Bad: The six weeks he missed with a right calf injury didn’t help the Jays one bit, and they struggled big time without him. His .261 average isn’t anything to write home about, either, but Gibbons admitted he’s been “battling” it out health-wise.

SS Troy Tulowitzki — F

Key Stat: .398 slugging percentage

fWAR: 0.4

The Good: In nine games and 33 at-bats since the calendar has flipped to July, Tulowitzki is .344 with a .531 slugging percentage. Prior to that, however, the start to 2017 was nightmarish for the 32-year-old.

The Bad: He strained a hamstring in April and missed 35 days, which is never a good thing for a player with a history of leg injuries and DL stints. Tulowitzki has also already tied a career high with seven fielding errors in only 52 games.

SS/2B Ryan Goins — D

Key Stat: 4 home runs

fWAR: -0.6

The Good: Forced into more playing time than anyone could’ve expected, Goins has come up with a few key hits and already has four homers, one off the career high he needed 428 plate appearances to set in 2015.

The Bad: The 219 plate appearances have exposed Goins pretty quickly, as he’s posted a meagre .203/.265/.325 slash line in his time stepping in for Tulowitzki and Travis up the middle. More concerning, however, is his reputation as an elite defensive player isn’t being backed up by the numbers.

2B/3B Darwin Barney — D

Key Stat: 51 wRC+

fWAR: -0.4

The Good: Similar to Goins, Barney has been forced into too much playing time due to Travis and Donaldson spending a good portion of the season on the disabled list, but at least his defence at second base has been above average.

The Bad: Like many bench pieces, too many at-bats is never a good thing and Barney has produced a .231/.277/.295 slash line and a 51 wRC+ that’s well below league average.

RF Jose Bautista — C+

Key Stat: 14 home runs

fWAR: 0.3

The Good: Amazingly, through all the injuries this season, Bautista has been able to stay healthy, appearing in all 88 games up to this point. He’s also been rejuvenated since moving to the leadoff spot, slashing .284/.407/.388 in 18 games. His arm has also looked better in right field.

The Bad: While Joey Bats has 14 homers, the power dip has to be concerning. After seven straight seasons of an isolated slugging percentage above .200 — last year was the low water mark at .217 — Bautista is all the way down to .166 and he’s walking less and striking out more. Father Time is winning.

CF Kevin Pillar — C+

Key Stat: 10 home runs

fWAR: 1.0

The Good: Pillar looked like a changed player in the first six weeks of the season, slashing .313/.365/.509 through May 16. There’s an outside shot he has a 20/20 season, and he’s still one of the better defensive centre fielders in the game.

The Bad: Coincidence or not, Pillar’s hot start came to an end May 17 when he yelled a homophobic slur at Braves pitcher Jason Motte after striking out in Atlanta, earning him a two-game suspension. From that day on, Pillar has been flailing at pitches outside the zone again, leading to a .203/.250/.333 slash line in 189 plate appearances.

LF Ezequiel Carrera — B-

Key Stat: .351 OBP

fWAR: 0.6

The Good: He set a new career high with his seventh home run of the season in Sunday’s 19-1 drubbing at the hands of the Houston Astros in the final game before the all-star break. Quietly, he’s been one of the most productive bats in Gibbons’ lineup, posting a 107 wRC+, which is fourth amongst regulars.

The Bad: His defence. It’s an adventure every time Carrera goes after a ball, and it’s even more fun guessing which base he’s going to throw to.

LF Steve Pearce — D+

Key Stat: 150 plate appearances

fWAR: -0.4

The Good: Signed to a two-year, $12.5-million deal last winter, Pearce has been moderately productive (97 wRC+) in his first season in Toronto, but since June 16 he’s slashed .346/.417/.519 with two homers and nine RBI in 54 at-bats.

The Bad: Once again, Pearce has been unable to stay healthy, missing 33 days with a calf strain he suffered in mid-May. There’s a reason the 34-year-old has played in more than 100 games just once in his career. His defence in left field also leaves a lot to be desired.

Incomplete: Chris Coghlan, Darrell Ceciliani, Dwight Smith Jr., Anthony Alford, Ian Parmley

DH Kendrys Morales — C+

Key Stat: 16 home runs

fWAR: -0.5

The Good: Morales is second on the club with 16 homers, and many of them have been in big spots. The ability to hit from both sides of the plate has also been a positive, as he’s hit .320 with five bombs against lefties.

The Bad: The power is there, but like just about everyone else in the Blue Jays’ lineup, Morales is striking out more and walking less than he has in previous seasons. His .300 OBP and 96 wRC+ make him a league average hitter and he doesn’t bring much else to the table.