Toronto Blue Jays Bats Lead The Way Through First 34 Games

Heading into their first series against the Yankees tonight, the Jays’ (22-12) success has been tied to their offence. Through the first thirty-four games they rank first in team batting average (.294) and runs scored (204), second in on-base percentage (.361) and OPS (.829), and third in slugging (.467).

The lineup’s success is led by the return of Aaron Hill—with a vengeance—from concussions related injuries as well as the emergence of Adam Lind, who finally given the chance to play everyday, has been incredible.

Hill leads the league in hits (54) and has 8 home runs, 29 RBIs with a .353 batting average and .394 OBP. Though he may not be able to sustain his torrid pace for the long haul, this should be a career year for him and a sign of things to come.

Lind has totaled 6 home runs and his 31 RBIs lead the team. He is batting .333 with a .405 on-base percentage. Lind has yet to hit a rough patch this season and should continue his strong play for the season.

This will easily be a breakout year for the 25 year old that will serve as a notice of what he is capable. Hill and Lind have been crucial to the Jays success this early and will have to continue providing the spark for the long haul.

Following these two are Marco Scutaro, Vernon Wells, Scott Rolen, and Rod Barajas. Scutaro’s career numbers (.262 BA, .330 OBP) suggest that this year is abnormal for the super utility infielder. Although the improvements he’s made to his BB/K ratio seem permanent, he should cool down as the season goes on.

Still, his OBP should remain higher than his career average and it is this ability to get on base—mostly by walking though he’s managed 37 hits—that have him as an unconventional lead off man whose importance to the Jays offensive success cannot be understated.

Vernon Wells had a strong start to the season but slumped around mid to late April. In the first ten days of May he’s hit the ball well and has shown signs of heating up a bit.

His .335 on-base percentage is near his career average (.332), though he’ll need to raise it if we’re to see Wells return to his elusive All-Star form from 2003 and 2006. Going forward, he’ll need to put up better numbers to help keep the Jays success going.

Scott Rolen is off to a great start this season indicating that he may have finally recovered from his should injuries. He’s made some adjustments to his swing and the results have been a .304 batting average with a .363 on-base percentage to go along with 3 home runs and 12 RBIs.

He’s been a strong contributor at the plate and in the field. Consistency and health will be key as the season continues.

After a frustrating start to the season in which he hit the ball hard and kept watching fielders make great defensive plays, Barajas has finally been getting good breaks. He’s maintained an aggressive approach at the plate and it’s payed off.

He’s way above his career numbers and will definitely cool down, but he’s been an important part of the Jays offence, generating important runs in a few games. He won’t maintain his .319 batting average and .350 on-base percentage but this should turn out to be a career year for him.

Now the other three: Alex Rios, Lyle Overbay, and Travis Snider. Rios is off to a terrible start at the plate this season. Though his numbers seem to be very slowly improving (at a snail’s pace), he’s still hitting terribly. His mechanics seem off and he doesn’t look very comfortable at the plate. Here’s hoping he turns it around soon.

Overbay has been alright this season. His on-base percentage is a strong .370 but he needs to bring his batting average up from its current .256. April was alright for him but May has not treated him nicely so far (.269 BA, .286 OBP). Still he looks more comfortable at the plate than he has since before the hand injury.

Snider’s season started off on a series of high notes but as the later half of April and the first ten days of May have shown, he is not immune to struggling. He still looks very comfortable at the plate but pitchers seem to have him figured out and he’s been slow to adapt. Still the season is a long one and he should start improving.

Key bench players: Bautista and Millar. Both are performing really well with Millar putting in time at first and DH and Bautista manning third, left and the DH slot. They’ve shown a knack for getting clutch hits and getting on base.

They’ve been vital for more than a few Jays wins to date and their presence on the bench gives the Jays good depth and Cito Gaston good options for various situations.