The Blue Jays Hitters In April

Though the Blue Jays finished below .500 in the month of April, the position players were not to blame. Toronto led the majors in runs scored, while also displaying a much-improved team defensively. Despite a .248 team batting average, strong plate discipline and power has been a recipe for success thus far.

As expected, the Blue Jays have been an absolute force against left-handed pitching. Danny Valencia is on a major-league roster to crush lefties, a nice complement to an already right-handed heavy starting nine. Against right-handed pitching, the Jays 99 wRC+ is nothing special, though the number should improve in the near future. Given that Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes have gotten off to slow starts, having a top offence is a pleasant surprise. Finally, the Jays ranked 5^th in defensive runs saved throughout the month of April, after finishing 23^rd in the majors in that category last season.

Individually:

The Good:

When Fangraphs posted its 2015 positional power rankings, the Blue Jays ranked dead last in the majors at second base. Apparently Devon Travis did not receive the memo, as he produced an outstanding 179 wRC+ in the first month of his major league career. As an early rookie-of-the-year candidate, Travis led the team offensively and was the Blue Jays' biggest surprise.

Josh Donaldson has performed as advertised, providing a terrific level of offensive production after a slow start. Hitting second in the batting order has helped him lead the team in plate appearances. Though the defensive metrics have not given him much credit so far, he has made several strong plays in the field.

Despite low batting averages, both Russell Martin and Justin Smoak posted strong offensive numbers. Above-average power and very strong walk rates more than compensated for their low batting averages, while both players posted a positive Defensive Runs Saved total. Though Smoak did strike out in 30.2% of his plate appearances, it seems he was extremely under-utilized throughout the month.

Kevin Pillar posted a respectable 90 wRC+ combined with stellar defence. His 7 defensive runs saved trail only Andrelton Simmons and Lorenzo Cain, making Pillar one of baseball's best defenders thus far. Though he has shown signs of improved plate discipline, such a low walk rate will make it difficult for him to produce strong offensive numbers going forward. I would still try to spell him from the lineup against tough right-handed starters.

Finally, Danny Valencia and Ryan Goins have exceeded expectations thus far. Valencia leads the team in wRC+, though that it largely due to a sky-high .579 BABIP. Ryan Goins also posted a very high BABIP, but any type of offensive production from him is a pleasant surprise.

The Bad:

Jose Bautista was an above-average major league hitter in April, but he did not perform up to his usual standards. A very low BABIP may be the main reason behind this, but a 24.7 K% certainly did not help either. Bautista did walk at an elite rate while hitting 5 home runs, so it is difficult to be overly concerned.

Dalton Pompey did not have a strong month of April, as a 75 wRC+ indicates. With such limited experience in the upper minors, it does seem that Pompey may have been rushed to the majors a bit too soon. It is easy to forget that he is still only twenty-two, plus a low BABIP certainly did not help his case. Do not be fooled by a slow start to his career, the future is still extremely bright for the young outfielder.

The Ugly:

Edwin Encarnacion has been a huge disappointment thus far, yet the Blue Jays still somehow lead all of baseball in runs scored. As one of the best hitters in baseball, it seems like only a matter of time until there are more parrot sightings around the Rogers Centre.

Jose Reyes is now on the 15-day disabled list, after an extremely ineffective start to the season. Reyes' injury forced him to hit exclusively from the right side, which must be very difficult for a switch-hitter to adjust to. The Jays simply waited too long to place him on the disabled list.

Dioner Navarro was also rather ineffective prior to an injury. The Jays tried to give him more playing time than a traditional backup catcher, which just took away at bats from Justin Smoak. At this point, it seems the Jays may have been better off to trade him this past offseason.

Putting it all Together

Even with slow starts from Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, the Blue Jays have posted strong offensive numbers thus far. The Blue Jays big additions have lived up to the hype, while the Devon Travis trade is looking better and better by the day. The defence looks to be much improved, led by the emergence of Kevin Pillar. If the pitching can even be league average, the Blue Jays could be in for a very strong season.