MVN - Most Valuable Network

Improving Jays Will Be The Team To Watch In 2nd Half

This post comes with a double helping of optimism as the Jays currently sit in last place in the division, a full 2.5 games back of anyone. However, those who continue to sing the swan song, claiming the season is over, may have to hold their breath for a few weeks.

While we have not the mid-season classic, the traditional starting point for 2nd half predictions, the Jays have played 83 games, just over half a season, and things are definitely looking up. While a seat in last place is not at all what the Toronto faithful expected out of this bunch at the halfway point, they are improving, and to be semi-bold: this team will be over .500 by the All-Star break.

The main story has been the offense, for which there cannot be enough negative things said. They’ve been lackluster with runners in scoring position and their power numbers have been laughable. Do not even bother trying to extrapolate the Jays’ hitters mid season numbers to predict how they will finish, it will just depress you.

The offense has been steadily improving under Cito Gaston, however. While the return of Vernon Wells from a wrist injury has been nice, some of the guys the Jays have been depending on are really beginning to turn a corner. Alex Rios, for example, is hitting .395 over the last ten games and has benefited greatly from Gene Tenace’s aggressive hitting philosophy. Rios has also seen his homerun total SKYROCKET under Gaston, hitting his fourth of the year since the new skipper came aboard.

Another example of how infinitely more competent Cito Gaston & Co. have been than John Gibbons’ group of rag tag curmudgeons: Scott Rolen. The whiz had been hitting cleanup for no good reason under John Gibbons and has found his niche hitting either 5th or 6th under Cito. Rolen had a great first week with the Jays and was somehow deemed an offensive savior by Gibbons who placed him in the cleanup spot, creating far too high expectations that Rolen struggled to meet. Since dropping down in the order, Rolen has hit 3 homers in his last ten games, while his batting average shot up 6 points. Rolen’s season has been salvaged under Cito, as he has become a reliable hitter in the bottom half of the lineup and it will be a crime if he does not pick up his first AL Gold Glove this season.

The new management has gotten the best out of every player on the roster and the offense has improved substantially. They even gave another chance to Adam Lind, who was cast aside by Gibbons in favor of Kevin Mench and his painful mediocrity.

Since being brought back up, Lind notched 5 hits in his first three games, even knocking a homer in his first game back and it looks like he is with the big club to stay. Congrats to Cito and the gang for realizing that a young player with tons of potential is better to have in the lineup than an aging career underachiever who showed no signs that he was able to contribute whatsoever.

Marco Scutaro has been such a great sub that he has found an every day role, filling in for the injured Aaron Hill and even taking time away from David Eckstein. Joe Inglett has been making me miss Reed Johnson a little less, giving enough effort for the entire team and providing a decent bat off the bench.

Something has also clicked for AJ Burnett and whether its a desire to actually win or just score a huge payday this offseason, I don’t care. In his last two starts, the big righty has notched two wins and only one earned run.

The rest of the starting rotation has been great, as usual. The team even found a reliable spot starter in John Parrish who filled in for Shaun Marcum against the Braves this week and pitched solidly, earning the win. We knew that at some point or another, the Jays’ starting rotation would not remain in tact and whether or not David Purcey is awful or just not ready is a decision to be made next season.

With a bullpen that is dependable all of a sudden, the Jays are getting better in every facet of the game. Scott Downs has been sensational, and BJ Ryan has recovered from his nightmarish June to become a sure thing again. They have a 3 game series against Seattle starting tonight and a sweep is not out of the question.

The Jays’ new management has brought a completely new philosophy to the offense that has helped every player from Vernon Wells right on down to Marco Scutaro. With Gibbons out of town, its no longer an atmosphere for a rogue egotistical player like AJ Burnett to do whatever he wants. When many have thought their outstanding pitching was a fluke, they have not faltered in the least. They have an outside chance of having anywhere from 1 to 3 pitchers notching 10 wins before the All Star Break and they are not slowing down at all. This team is talented and disciplined and all signs lead to them being poised to make a serious run in the second half.

The jays will certainly be under-represented in the All Star Game, and rightfully so. No position player deserves a spot in the game and only Scott Rolen is remotely close, while Doc Halladay is as deserving as anyone to be selected. Whether or not a handful of Blue Jays play on All Star Weekend is irrelevant. The real issue is that if the Jays continue to improve, they could be playing in some much more meaningful games this fall. (I told you optimism would be oozing through this post)

This entry was posted on Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 2:42 pm and is filed under Matt Stairs, Dustin McGowan, John Gibbons, JP Ricciardi, BJ Ryan, Jesse Litsch, Marco Scutaro, Joe Inglett, Rod Barajas, Shaun Marcum, Cito Gaston, AJ Burnett, Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells, Aaron Hill, Scott Rolen, Kevin Mench, Lyle Overbay, Reed Johnson, David Eckstein, Gregg Zaun, John Parrish, Adam Lind, Alex Rios, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.