Instead of looking at two weeks, let's look at the Jays' hitters for July. The Jays were 18-8 in July. Not bad, especially when you consider there was a four-game losing streak at the end of the month.
Our offense averaged 5.7 runs per game.
Hot
Joey Loperfido: Played in 19 games, starting 14. Hitting .396/.448/.585 with 1 double, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, 1 steal, 1 caught, 4 walks and 12 strikeouts.
Started 5 games in right, 9 in left. Small sample size and all, but he’s crushing it. He’s a likable guy. I was
hoping he would steal a bit more, but likely a couple of steals a month is all he’ll do. It would have been nice if they had brought him up earlier.
George Springer: Played in 23 games, started 21. Hit .372/,451/.640 with 3 doubles, 7 home runs, 17 RBI, 3 steals, 12 walks, and 14 strikeouts.
Started three games in right, one in left the rest at DH. There was also the one hit by pitch. I’m hoping he plays tonight. If not, he should be on the IL. He’s been an important part of the offense, they didn’t look the same without him.
Bo Bichette: Played in 24 games, starting 23 of 26 games. Hit .357/.400/.541 with 12 doubles, 2 home runs, 18 RBI, 6 walks, 14 strikeouts.
Couldn’t ask for better. He’s going along having a perfectly average season, and then he has a month like this. He’s done this sort of thing before. In 2022, he was having a very average season, then September came, and he was all-world. Until last year, he would always finish with an OPS of just above .800, but there would be that one month when he was the best around. I tend to think we are all streak hitters.
Vladimir Guerrero: Started all 25 of 26 games. Hit .333/.443/.500 with 7 doubles, 3 home runs, 13 RBI, 19 walks, 17 strikeouts and 2 steals.
5 starts were as DH. Still isn’t hitting with the power we would like to see, but getting on base 44% of the time is good. The last couple of weeks have been excellent: 1.167 OPS. When we see Clement or Wagner at first, we see that Vlad is the better defensive first baseman. I guess Ty France might see some time there. Vlad had a couple of errors this month. He leads the AL with 8 errors at first base, but his fielding average remains a solid .988.
Addison Barger: Played in 26 games, starting 22. Hit .284/.327/.468 with 7 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, 24 RBI, 5 walks, 27 strikeouts, 2 steals, with 1 caught.
.Starts 16 games in right. 6 at third. FanGraphs has him at a -1 outs above average at third, -5 in right. I think his defense will improve in right. He’s going to strike out a bunch, but he’s one of the few power bats we have in the lineup. He does have an all-or-nothing swing.
Tyler Heineman: Played in 12 games, starting 9. Hit .300/.417/.533 with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 4 RBI, 4 walks and 8 strikeouts
Also, two sac bunts. A guy hitting like he is should never bunt. It’s wrong. He’s thrown out 3 of 8 basestealers in the month, a good percentage. I don’t know where this hitting is coming from. Before this year, he had a .212/.298/.273 batting line. I don’t know how you get from that to what he’s doing this year. Is there a hitting coach who said just the right thing?
Will Wagner: played in 18 games, 17 starts. Hit .286/.397/.388 with 5 doubles, 5 RBI, 7 walks and 9 strikeouts.
Started ten games at third. Six at first. One at second. Now he’s a Padre. I hope he gets a bunch of playing time there.
Davis Schneider: Played 21 games, starting 16. Hit .229/.351/.500 with 1 double, 4 home runs, 8 RBI, 9 walks and 14 strikeouts.
11 hits, 4 of them home runs. Started 3 games at second, 12 in left, 1 as DH. I’m thinking this is who he is, a low-average, high-power guy who takes his share of walks. Defensively, he’s a -1 outs above average at second, 0 in left. After his slow start to the season, I thought he was done, but I’m glad to be shown I’m wrong. Like Clement he hits lefties (.228/.397/.439) so much better than right-handers (.195/.313/.341).
Cold
Ernie Clement: Played in all 26 games, starting 25. Hit .212/.229/.298 with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 9 RBI, 2 walks and 11 strikeouts.
Started at short in 5 games, second 15 games, third 4 games. And he had some innings at first base. Maybe a day, now and then, would be a good idea. On the season, his batting average is good, but he doesn’t draw walks and he isn’t hitting with any power. On the season, his OPS+ is 93, which isn’t good enough for a corner infielder. His defence, as always has been good, minus a couple of bad moments last week. He’s a +4 in outs above average at both second and third base.
Myles Straw: Played in all 24 games, starting 13. Hit .229/315/375 with 4 double, 1 home run, 6 RBI,2 steals, 5 walks and 11 strikeouts. And 2 sac bunts,
He’s been in a platoon in CF. I don’t know if that will change when Daulton Varsho returns. He might end up platooning in right field. He’s who he was advertised to be, a good glove/poor bat outfield. But his glove is very, very good.
Leo Jimenez: Played in 18 games, starting 9. Hit .069/.129/.172 with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts.
Likely, he will return to Buffalo when Gimenez is ready to play. One of his starts was at short, the rest at second base.
Inbetween
Alejandro Kirk: Played in 19 games, starting 17. Hit .279/.366/.344 with no homers, 4 doubles, 8 RBI, 9 walks and 7 strikeouts.
He’s going to make a rehab start tomorrow and then should be activated. Started at DH twice. The power disappeared in July. He was still getting on base, but we’d like to see better than a .350 slugging average. Ends the month on the concussion IL. I’m hoping he won’t be out too long. Teams stole 10 bases with just 1 caught stealing, so his arm didn’t have a good month. On the season, he’s thrown out 26.7% of base stealers, above the league average of 22.1% but not where it was earlier in the season.
Nathan Lukes: Played in 25 games, starting 17. Hit .247/.315/.494 with 5 doubles, 5 home runs, 16 RBI, 8 walks and 12 strikeouts 2 home runs.
His last three hits have been home runs (over his last 22 at-bats). Started 13 games in center, 1 game in left and 3 games in right. The month breaks up nicely in half; the first half was very good (.900 OPS), while the second half was a bit weaker (.715 OPS). He’s a good fourth outfielder, playing a little more than a fourth outfielder should. He’s 31 now, and getting pretty much full-time work in the majors for the first time. He can’t be a free agent until 2031, when he’s 37.
Also Played
Alan Roden: Played in one game, 2 PA, 1 walk. He’s now a Twin.
Ali Sanchez: Played in 2 games, 8 PA, 2 hits, 1 double, 0 walks and 2 strikeouts.
IL
Andrés Giménez: Getting closer to being ready to play.
Daulton Varsho: Should be back soon. Maybe today.
Anthony Santander: There is no suggestion on when he might be back. Still not swinging a bat. I wonder if the injury caused his slow start?
More from bluebirdbanter.com:
- Smoak homers twice, Jays beat Red Sox
- Bluebird Banter Top 40 Update - July 13
- Blue Jays Roster Moves: Estrada DL, Dwight Smith up
- Blue Jays mid-term report card: Grade Teoscar Hernandez’ first half
- One bad inning costs the Blue Jays
- Around The Nest - Blue Jays Minor League Podcast - Week 14
- Blue Jays mid-term report card: Grade Yangervis Solarte’s first half
