The Blue Jays: Yes We Can

April of 2009 was exactly what every Blue Jays fan had hoped for.

15-9. 

First place for most of the month, finishing with more wins than any other team in the American League, 142 runs scored, nine more than any other team in baseball, and averaging nearly six runs per game.  A slight surprise to the world of baseball to say the least. 

But how did this come about?  What allowed the team from the north to explode with such offensive numbers?  In my estimation, there were a few key contributions that made this possible.

1. A Winning Mindset

Every good team has a driver at the wheel who knows how to win.  With Cito Gaston’s return late in ‘08, the Blue Jays became a team that looked nothing like the one that had been failing to live up to expectations the last couple of years. 

Sure, blame it on lousy bats and too many injuries. The Jays had the best pitching staff in all of baseball last year and still fell 10 plus games out of a wild card. 

Now, with a new coach, even a loss of last year’s Nos. 2-4 starters in the rotation (Burnett to the Yanks, Marcum and McGowan to injuries), and Litsch going down after only two starts, the Jays have found themself sitting atop the American League.

Gaston brings a winning attitude, two championships, and a knowledge of the game and its players not often found in baseball today.

2. Patience 

Sure, Marco Scutaro isn’t batting .300 as your leadoff hitter. Sure, Rios and Wells have not been putting up the offensive numbers that your three and four spots should be putting up. But the Jays have thrived off of having a good eye and timely swings.

What Scutaro has done is trail only Jason Bay in walks in the entire league, leading him to an on-base percentage of over .400. And the lineup has followed suit, trailing only the Red Sox in that department. Combined with a team average floating near .300, the Jays had closed out April with the best on-base percentage in the AL.

3. It’s All About the Young Guns 

As I sat at the Rogers’ Centre watching the Opening Day game against the Tigers, I saw something that excited me more than any other season in recent years.  Adam Lind (second year) and Travis Snider (rookie) both went deep with home runs, with Lind compiling six RBI in Toronto’s route.

Forget bringing in Frank Thomas and Matt Stairs (whom I love as a home-grown Canadian boy), it’s time to start training a new team.  Look at the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox.  Yes they have veterans, but young talent stole the show in recent years in giving their team success. 

Oh, and let’s not forget about a guy named Aaron Hill. Not only did he lead the MLB in hits, but he scorched five home runs, drove in 20, and had a .365 average in the number two spot.

Combined with Lind’s continued hot start (4 HRs, 20 RBI, .315 in April), the Jays have the young talent they need to put runs on the board.

And just think, if Wells and Rios decide to actually turn it on and get hot with the bats like they are capable of, the Toronto Blue Jays will be the last team opposing pitchers want to face. 

Depth from start to finish (a catcher batting .319 and a 21-year-old oozing with potential, filling spots eight and nine) and a “so far, so healthy” lineup, the Jays might just be able to overcome the loss of numerous pitchers (Ryan, Romero, Litsch, plus last year’s losses), and be a team that brings October to Canada once again.