Toronto Blue Jays: Grading the Performance of Every Player at the All-Star Break

As the 2012 MLB season breaks for the Summer Classic, the Toronto Blue Jays will take some rest and relaxation as a .500 ball club.

A 43-43 record at the break is not what fans were hoping for back in the spring, but no fan could have predicted the plague of injuries that has decimated the team's starting rotation this summer.

Given the hard luck the Blue Jays have been faced with in 2012, things could be far worse than .500.

Here, we will take a look at the performance of every member of the Jays roster that has made an impact on the team in 2012.

Note that players who are out for the season (Kyle Drabek and Drew Hutchison) are not on the list, nor are recent call-ups who have yet to make any notable contribution (Sam Dyson). Also, players not currently on the big league roster (Eric Thames and David Cooper) are not included either.

Also worth noting is that grades are given relative to a player's perceived capability. That is to say if two players, one a perennial All-Star the other an unheralded rookie, post the same exact line, the unheralded rookie would receive a better grade than the All-Star.

All-in-all I have graded the performance of 24 players and provided a brief justification for each grade. 

J.P Arencibia (C)

Grade: C+

JPA has failed to improve upon last year's rookie campaign. Across the board his statistics are very similar to the line he posted in 2011, though he is getting on base even less in 2012.

Defensively, Arencibia began the year playing very well, but has slipped back into mediocrity as the season has worn on.

There are a lot of things Arencibia could do better, but his ability to knock the ball over the wall is something catchers usually lack. 

Adam Lind (1B)

Grade: F

Never able to recapture his 2009 form, Lind has been progressively fallible since that time.

He has been better since returning from Triple A than he was to begin the year, but Lind's 2012 season has been a disastrous one.

Though he still shows solid power, Lind's inability to consistently make solid contact or get on base enough makes him one of Major League Baseball's least effective first basemen.

Kelly Johnson (2B)

Grade: C

The Blue Jays second baseman has experienced a tale of two seasons in the first half of the 2012 campaign.

Johnson began the season by exhibiting consistent extra-base power, a keen eye at the plate, speed on the bases and a sharp glove in the field. But in the latter portion of the first half of the season he has failed to do just about anything well.

His power has completely disappeared (he has one homerun since May 29), he has failed to move runners up due to an outrageous strikeout rate and has been a defensive liability of late. He also hasn't stolen a base since June 8.

Johnson could turn it around in the second half, but he enters the All-Star break in a complete free-fall.

Brett Lawrie (3B)

Grade: B+

He hasn't lived up to the expectations that were heaped upon him to begin the season, but those expectations were never very realistic.

Lawrie has yet to find the power he displayed in 2011, but he still has eight homeruns. He is also hitting an impressive .291.

But with the good comes some bad.

Lawrie has failed in three main ways this season: impatience at the dish, recklessness on the base paths and overthrowing first base like it's going out of style.

However, despite these shortcomings, Lawrie has put together a good season and has improved his approach at the plate as the season has worn on. 

Yunel Escobar (SS)

Grade: C-

Escobar's inability to make solid contact with the ball this year is apparent. What has garnered less attention is that he has stopped working counts at the dish.

Between hitting .255 and taking just 22 BB so far this season, Escobar currently owns a .299 OBP, down 70 points from 2011.

Across the board, Escobar's numbers are not horrible for a shortstop, but he is capable of producing more than he has in 2012.

Rajai Davis (LF)

Grade: B

Davis has done a solid job stepping into the starting vacancy in left field, but solid is all he has been.

Hitting just .253, Davis limits the chances he gets to exercise his plus speed by failing to get on base regularly. He also sabotages himself by getting picked off at first base too often.

Defensively, Davis has been sub-par. He covers a lot of ground in left, but has already amassed a ghastly five errors in just 67 games in the outfield.

Despite these issues, Davis is a legitimate game-changer because of his speed. Still, it would be ideal to have him on the bench rather than in the starting lineup. 

Colby Rasmus (CF)

Grade: A-

Defensively, Rasmus has given Toronto a gold glove caliber presence in center field all season long.

And he is starting to give the same level of performance at the plate.

Rasmus' production during the first quarter of the year was almost non-existent. The second quarter has been very different.

Everything has come together for Rasmus lately as both his power and contact numbers have skyrocketed. 

Rasmus is on pace to post his first 30 homerun season and could end up with a .270+ average for the second time in his career. He is also a legitimate threat to break the 100 RBI barrier in 2012.

Jose Bautista (RF)

Grade: A-

As for Rasmus, Bautista's horrid start to the season has taken some of the shine off of his statistics.

But despite the sub .250 AVG and an OBP that is almost down 100 points from last year, Bautista has only solidified his reputation as one of the game's most feared hitters. 

It is looking very possible that Bautista reaches the 120 RBI mark this season and collects another homerun title for his budding collection.

Bautista also leads the AL in outfield assists with 11.

Edwin Encarnacion (DH/1B)

Grade: A+

Encarnacion has been nothing short of spectacular for Toronto in 2012. He is on pace to set career highs in every offensive category out there and has become the bane of AL pitching.

Encarnacion has proved his worth in the field as well as at the dish, having played 37 games at first base, as well as two in left field and one at third base.

At 29 years of age Encarnacion is doing what Jose Bautista did during his breakout campaign in 2010. 

It is a true shame and injustice that Encarnacion has been left off of the AL All-Star roster—he deserves to be there more than over half of the representatives who did make the squad.

Jeff Mathis (C)

Grade: B+

Mathis has been terrific for the Jays this season—perhaps good enough to take a little bit more playing-time away from J.P. Arencibia in the second half of the summer.

Mathis is better than Arencibia defensively, has a stronger arm and is more capable of calling a game than the Blue Jays' starter. 

Offensively, he is hitting for a higher average, getting on base at a better clip and even hitting homeruns at a better pace than JPA.

Whether Mathis' production can be sustained long term remains to be seen, but he has come to Toronto better than advertised so far, and the deal that brought him over is beginning to look like another Alex Anthopoulos gem.

Omar Vizquel (INF)

Grade: B

Vizquel has done what he was brought in to do—he has provided solid defensive play at various positions and has been a positive influence in the dugout.

At the dish, Vizquel has failed to wow, but he handles the bat well. He rarely strikes out and is capable of laying down a sacrifice bunt when needed.

He has met, but not exceeded expectations in 2012.

Ben Francisco (OF)

Grade: D+ 

Part of Francisco's grade is the result of his inability to stay healthy. The other part is the result of his mediocre perform when he has been healthy.

He only has 45 at bats to his name this year, so this grade is based on a very minute sample size. But even so, a .244 AVG with zero homeruns and two RBI does not yield anything better than a D+. 

Ricky Romero (SP)

Grade: D

The grade may seem a bit harsh, but given that Romero is the team's ace, a 5.22 ERA deserves nothing better.

Romero does have a respectable 8-4 record this season, but that is more the product of strong run support, not efficient pitching.

In fact, the only thing saving Romero from a failing grade is that he has eaten 110.1 innings for a Jays pitching squad that has been decimated by injuries.

Brandon Morrow (SP)

Grade: A-

Morrow looked to have finally tapped into the deep well of potential the baseball world had been talking about for years, so it was a most unfortunate time for the team's de facto ace to go down with an injury.

Morrow exhibited excellent command on the mound before his injury, something he had never done before the 2012 campaign.

And though his strikeout rate is way down this season, Morrow has induced more ground balls than in years past and was doing a great job keeping the ball in the park this spring.

Henderson Alvarez (SP)

Grade: C+

After starting the season out horribly, Alvarez has struggled mightily for most of 2012.

The young right-hander has been victimized by the homerun ball, having given up 17 of them to this point in the summer.

He has also given up 124 hits over 107.1 innings in 2012, which has resulted in an inflated ERA and a mediocre 5-7 record.

Though the future remains bright for Alvarez, this year's struggles are concerning.

Aaron Laffey (SP)

Grade: B+

Laffey has spent the majority of 2012 in Las Vegas with the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, but since cracking the organization's big league roster, he has been a positive presence there.

Laffey's 2.67 ERA is fantastic, though it is unlikely to stay there. Still, Laffey has successfully appropriated a place in the team's starting rotation, and that alone has been a big help this year.

Brett Cecil (SP)

Grade: F

Cecil was all but guaranteed a place in the team's starting rotation to begin the season, but a putrid performance in Spring Training resulted in him missing the cut.

The soft throwing lefty struggled to find his stroke in minor league ball, but was recalled to Toronto anyway as the result of a rash of injuries devastating the team's rotation.

Since breaking the big league roster, Cecil has pitched very poorly. Over five starts he holds a 6.75 ERA, has allowed six homeruns and has not gone beyond the sixth inning in any of his outings.

Carlos Villanueva (SP/RP)

Grade: A-

Villanueva has been a solid reliever for the Jays this season and recently multiplied his own worth by transitioning to the team's starting rotation.

The squad's current injury situation makes Villanueva's versatility even more valuable than usual, and thus far he has performed as well starting as he had as a reliever. 

As a starter, Villanueva has gone 11 innings in two games, giving up just three earned runs.

Over the course of the season, Villanueva has maintained a 3.05 ERA over 44.1 innings and owns a 3-0 record.

Jesse Chavez (SP/RP)

Grade: F

It is difficult to disappoint when almost nothing is expected of you, but Chavez has done just that. The Blue Jays need all the pitching they can get right now, though what Chavez gives them is hardly helpful.

With a 7.08 ERA over 20.1 innings in 2012, Chavez is essentially unusable in close games. 

The 28-year-old does own an impressive strikeout rate, having fanned 26 batters this season, but the bloated ERA he carries makes it difficult to notice the sole positive aspect of his game.

Luis Perez (RP)

Grade: B+

For the most part, Perez is a solid and reliable pitcher. He does, however, have the occasional disastrous performance that can take the Jays right out of a ball game.

Still, Perez has been a versatile member of the Jays' bullpen, performing adequately in both long relief and lefty-lefty situations.

Perez has also given the team 42 innings this summer, which has helped the depleted pitching staff by no small measure.

Jason Frasor (RP)

Grade: B-

Frasor has done well enough for the Blue Jays this year, but there is certainly room for improvement.

Though he has the ability to halt inherited baserunners via the strikeout (42 SO in 33.2 IP), Frasor has been fairly hittable this season.

Darren Oliver (RP)

Grade: A+

As fine wine ages gracefully, so to does Darren Oliver.

Oliver is enjoying what is arguably the best season of his career at age 41. With a 1.42 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 31.2 innings pitched, Oliver has been a terror of left-handed American League batters.

The last time Oliver forfeited a run was June 25 in Boston.

Francisco Cordero (RP)

Grade: F

Cordero was brought to Toronto to the bridge the eighth inning gap between Blue Jays starters and relievers and closer Sergio Santos. 

He performed fairly poorly in that role.

When Santos went down with an injury, Cordero became the team's de facto closer.

He performed very poorly in that role.

Since being supplanted by Casey Janssen as team closer, Cordero has been used in a variety of game situations.

After briefly finding success in this role, Cordero has begun to perform quite poorly once again.

Casey Janssen (CP)

Grade: A

In 2011, Janssen became the Blue Jays' most consistent and reliable relief pitcher. This year, he has stepped it up a notch and nailed down the closer's role in the absence of Sergio Santos.

After getting off to somewhat of a rocky start this year, Janssen has been absolutely sensational. Since May 30, he has allowed just one run to score over 14.2 innings pitched.

Though Santos appeared to be the team's long term solution at closer when he was acquired last offseason, it may be hard to justify removing Janssen from the role as long as he is performing at an elite level.