Toronto Blue Jays: Grading the First Half

Columnist Written on July 04, 2009

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 09: Adam Lind #26 of the Toronto Blue Jays bats against the Oakland Athletics on May 9, 2009 at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Well, we are finally at the midway point of the 2009 regular season and it is very easy to describe the Toronto Blue Jays so far. The season has been up-and-down and the Jays are extremely inconsistent.

With the injuries and struggles this team has had, 11 different pitchers have started a game for this years team and 22 pitchers have appeared in a game this year.

After starting the season 27-14, the Jays have gone 15-27 since May 19, the beginning of a brutal nine-game losing streak. While this season turned from great to severely disappointing, there has still been many positives this year to look forward to.

Position Players

Rod Barajas- .267 AVG, .303 OBP, 8 HR, 39 RBI

Grade: B

Barajas has been better then expected this year and had an average above 300 not to long ago. He handles the pitching staff extremely well, as evidenced by the fact that the pitchers ERA is half a run better when Barajas catches then when Michael Barrett or Raul Chavez catch.

Lyle Overbay- .264 AVG, .384 OBP, 9 HR, 41 RBI

Grade: B-

He looked like he was finally starting to turn the corner after breaking his hand two years ago, but he has slowed down a bit in the last couple of weeks. He has given the Jays superb defense at first base and has been a lot better this year then last year.

Aaron Hill- .299 AVG, .340 OBP, 19 HR, 56 RBI

Grade: A

Hill was a mystery heading into this season due to the fact that he missed most of last year with a bad concussion after colliding with former Jays short stop David Eckstein. His play this season has answered all doubters as he has been the best hitting second basemen in the entire American League.

Marco Scutaro- .282 AVG, .382 OBP, 6 HR, 33 RBI

Grade: A

Many people doubted that Scutaro would be able to get the job done as the lead-off hitter and every day shortstop, but he has proved many people wrong. He is among the league leaders in walks and has even provided some pop in the leadoff position. He has also provided some good defense and speed on the base paths.

Scott Rolen- .332 AVG, .392 OBP, 6 HR, 30 RBI

Grade: A

Scott Rolen has been a pleasant surprise this season and has made trading Troy Glaus for him before the 2008 season easier to handle. While he doesn't have the power he used to, Rolen's high average and good defense is great to have. He just recently extended his hit streak to 21 games.

Adam Lind- .310 AVG, .385 OBP, 17 HR, 55 RBI

Grade: A-

Lind has emerged this season as a young slugger that will be a force to reckon with for years to come. Linds surge has been great for the Jays and if Snider can turn things around, they will have a nice one-two punch for an extremely long time.

Vernon Wells- .252 AVG, .303 OBP, 8 HR, 37 RBI

Grade: F

Wells season has been extremely disappointing this year as he has struggled to just keep his on-base percentage above 300. Despite being the highest paid player on the team, he has had the worst season of any starting position player so far this year.

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written on July 04, 2009 Opinion

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