Youth movement, improved defence and new management: Five reasons to watch the 2019 Toronto Blue Jays

Jenn Smith

Youth movement, improved defence and new management: Five reasons to watch the 2019 Toronto Blue Jays image

Major League Baseball returns Thursday and, with it, a sense of hope renewed. For some fan bases, that hope is represented by a legitimate chance to cheer for a potentially playoff-bound team.

Let’s be completely honest – when it comes to the win-loss record, the 2019 Toronto Blue Jays are not going to be particularly good. As they were the previous two seasons, when the Jays were a collective 149-175, the 2019 Jays are predicted to finish well below .500 and not be in contention for a playoff spot (Fangraphs projects a 76-win season for the Jays, good for fourth overall in the AL East, with a 3.6 percent chance of making the postseason).

However, unlike the previous two seasons, the likelihood that the Jays will struggle their way through 162 games is by design. Ridding the team of aging stars in favour of a young talented core built around the top prospect in baseball is part of larger vision – purge the team of aging veterans while rebuilding the farm system – meant to re-open the window of contention that was shut after the 2016 season.

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Having acknowledged all that, there is a simple pleasure in beginning a baseball season with few expectations. Fans have the luxury of watching young exciting players develop the potential that ought to drive the Jays towards contention in the next few years. Ever since Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins took over the front office, fans have been hearing about how the vision is to build a younger, faster and stronger team.

That vision is finally coming to fruition.

Naturally, fans are most looking forward to the day Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is called up to make his big league debut. The 20-year-old slugger reignited the debate over service time manipulation this spring until the point became moot when he suffered an oblique injury that ought to see him sidelined until after the service time cut-off date. Fans have every reason to salivate over his arrival – both ZiPS and Steamer project Guerrero as the Jays’ most valuable player based on WAR, while MLB.com and several Sporting News experts predict the phenom will be named American League Rookie of the Year.

While Guerrero may be the primary focus of fans, the future success of the Blue Jays hinges on the team built around him. If you are invested in this team, you will be invested this year regardless of the win/loss record. Here are five good reasons not named Vlad to watch – and enjoy – Blue Jays baseball this season.

Randal Grichuk

The 27-year-old right fielder is known for three things: a good glove, pop in his bat and a penchant for striking out. In the small sample size that is spring training, Grichuk has struck out just five times in 33 plate appearances, with four home runs and seven walks – and an OPS of 1.193. ZiPS projects that he will have the second highest WAR on the team behind Guerrero. Perhaps more importantly is that Grichuk is projected to play in more games than he did last season – or any season, really – which suggests he may be healthy in 2019.

After seeing what he could do in 2018 after making some adjustments at the plate following a stint on the injured list, fans could very well be in for some excitement when Grichuk comes to the plate.

Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman

Knock on wood, but both Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman appear to be healthy and raring to go coming out of spring training. Both are projected to start more than 20 games in 2019, a benchmark barely reached by Sanchez last season. Both had excellent spring campaigns, and both purport to have put their injury woes behind them. If the two can pitch with any semblance of the brilliance of which they’ve shown flashes in the past, the Jays could have a very outside shot at being in the wild card mix. More importantly, however, good campaigns from either or both would allow the front office to evaluate Sanchez and Stroman and make decisions that will affect the team moving forward, be it via trades or contract extensions.

Improved Defence

During the broadcast of the Jays' game against the Brewers in Montreal on Monday night, new manager Charlie Montoyo discussed the focus on defence during spring training and in particular expressed praise for Teoscar Hernández (who won the starting left fielder position), Brandon Drury and Freddie Galvis, whom Montoyo have credited with shoring up the left side of the infield.

The Blue Jays made 100 fielding errors last season, 12 of which were made at short stop and 13 in left field (eight alone by Hernández) and 13 at third base. Montoyo is open about the fact that defensive fundamentals were a major focus this spring training, during which the Jays committed just 18 errors, down from 27 last spring. Improved defence should make this team less cringe-worthy to watch while also helping out the pitching staff.

A New Managerial Style

The focus on fundamentals is just one of several new philosophies being employed by Montoyo and Co. From utilizing a four-man outfield against Bryce Harper, to playing Tim Mayza at first base, to overall roster construction, this spring featured new-age baseball thinking that had yet to be seen in Toronto. Even the Joe Madden-esque attempts at building clubhouse culture, such as bringing in a hypnosis comedian, suggests that Montoyo is open to new ideas and isn’t afraid to get creative. Montoyo certainly appears to be the right man to lead the youth movement in Toronto, and fans ought to be treated to a more exciting brand of baseball this season.

The Trade Deadline

There are a number of likely trade candidates on this team – Kevin Pillar, Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales all spring to mind, as do the aforementioned Grichuk, Sanchez and Stroman. A good first half of the season for any of them could mean a trade at the deadline. Whatever it is that Shapiro and Atkins decide to do will further set out the direction of the team and could potentially provide big-league opportunity for even more young talent (Anthony Alford, anyone?).

Regardless of how this team fares overall, this season is all about building a sustainable future built around a solid core of young, talented and exciting players. They may stumble while getting their legs beneath them, but fans ought to enjoy it for what it is – player development as the team moves on to the next phase of its existence.

Any kind of baseball is certainly better than no baseball. The long dark is over. Sit back, relax and enjoy the youth movement.

Jenn Smith