Over the past two weeks the Jays are 6-5. The offense has scored 4.3 runs per game, a little better than the 4.1 they’ve averaged this year.
Hot
Andrés Giménez: Started 10 of 11. Hit .313/.343/.500 with 1 home runs, 3 doubles, with 3 RBI, 0 walk and 7 strikeouts.
His RISP numbers are continuing to drop .667 OPS now on the season, four weeks ago it was .973 and we were told how great he was with RISP. Now he’s hitting about the same with RISP or not. Still excellent defense. FanGraphs has him +8 outs above
average, which is 8th in the MLB. Now if he could hit like he has the last two weeks and play that defense, we’d really have something.
Kazuma Okamoto: Started 11 of the 11 games. Hit .289/.400/.684 with 3 double, 4 home runs, 11 RBI, 6 walks, and 12 strikeouts.
He’s been amazing. And his defense looks fine. Fangraphs has him at a -1 outs above average. I think it will come up some. The play last night was terrible. Apparently he expect the throw to come from the catchers, not from the pitcher. I don’t know if it was a language thing or just a misunderstanding. I hate pickoff plays at second or third. I don’t understand the point. Pickoffs at first have enough errors to make any value you get out of it a wash, but I’m sure that at second and third, it is a negative value to the defense.
Davis Schneider: Played in 9 games, starting 7. Hit .250/.280/.583 with 2 home runs, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.
Maybe the time in Buffalo did do him well. Not many walked in the last two weeks but 4 extra base hits. And the team likes his defense in the outfield more than Sanchez’s. I’m not sure, FanGraphs has him at a -2 outs above average in the outfield (limited inning), Sanchez at a -6, in three times the innings. I guess they have a point, but it is close. Neither will be getting a Gold Glove anytime soon. But I wouldn’t be against giving Davis more playing time against RHP.
Daulton Varsho: Started 4 games. Hit .389/.421/.833, with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 5 RBI, 1 walks, 5 strikeouts and 2 steals.
Just four games, but they have been four very good games.
George Springer: Started all 11 games,. Hit .302/.404/.535 with 1 double, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, 7 walks and 9 strikeouts, with 3 steals and 0 caught.
Nice to see him hitting. The problem, when you have started the season poorly, no one notices when you start hitting. They talk about having him play outfield, but I don’t really think that’s a great idea. Of course, we have several guys who should DH.
Nathan Lukes: He’s played in all 12 games, starting 10. Hit .270/.289/.486 with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 RBI, 3 walk and 8 strikeouts.
Not very hot, but hitting well. Good bat, good defense, not all that much to complain about. He isn’t hitting lefties at all, but that’s very limited at bats.
Yohendrick Pinango: Played in 6 games, starting 4. Hit .143/.294/.286 with 2 double, 0 RBI, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.
And now he’s in Buffalo. He’ll be back.
Cold
Ernie Clement: Played in 9 games, starting 7. Hit .188/.212/.219 with 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 walks and 4 strikeouts. And a caught stealing.
Started 6 games at second, 1 at short and played short in a couple of other games. He’s been dealing with a hip injury of some sort, which would make it tough to hit. Hopefully it will improve soon.
Brandon Valenzuela: Started 4 games. Hit .250/.333/.313 with 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts.
He threw out 1 of 2 base stealers. Cold is a little unfair, but his .646 OPS isn’t great, in very few at bats.
Vladimir Guerrero: Started 9 of 11. Hit .243/.256/.351 with 1 double, 1 home run, 6 RBI, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. And 1 steal.
He’s looked worse in the last couple of weeks, not even talking walks, which he’s always been able to do. He had one hard hit ball, yesterday 100.3 mph line out the opposite way that Baseball Savant had as a .700 expected BA, but that was his only hard hit ball on the day. And nothing hit hard the day before either.
Jesús Sánchez: Started 7 games. Hit .130/.259/.174 with 1 doubles, 0 RBI, 3 walks and 9 strikeouts.
He’s had a bad couple of weeks in all ways. Seems to have lost his starting job in the outfield, because his fielding is so bad. He should DH. The two weeks before these two, he hit great. I wonder if the defensive issues are following him to the plate. He hasn’t always been this bad defensively. We were told that they are working with him.
Myles Straw: Played in 10 games, 5 starts. Hit .158/.227/.211 with 1 double, 1 RBI, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts..
One of a number of guys not hitting well.
Alejandro Kirk: Played in 8 games, starting 7. Hit .222/.267/.259 with 1 double, 4 RBI, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.
14 steals against, no caught steal. He hasn’t been great since coming back.
Yohendrick Pinango: Played in 6 games, starting 4. Hit .143/.294/.286 with 2 double, 0 RBI, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.
And now he’s in Buffalo. He’ll be back.
IL
Anthony Santander: Might get into a game before the end of the season. Who knows..
Addison Barger: He is to meet with ‘Blue Jays staff’ because ‘some soreness has crept in. Hopefully it is nothing. If they decide he’s ok, he’ll start a rehab assignment.
