Blue Jays lineup looks as advertised despite early hiccups

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The baseball season is a marathon. It’s hard to make judgements in the first mile of the race, but it is what we do in this game we love. In a snapshot of any one week, a player or team can look like the best or the worst depending upon when the picture is taken. I believe in the back of the baseball card. That means that once the sample size gets appropriately large enough, players tend to perform to who they are and the numbers on the back of the baseball card tells their story.   

Early returns on the Blue Jays have reinforced that they will likely live up to offensive expectations, despite being shut out twice by the Yankees this week. They have hit the most home runs, which isn’t a surprise as they led all of baseball in that category last season. One area where they have been deficient is in on-base percentage. They have the second fewest base-on-balls. 

All players want to start strong, so they get a bit swingy. They forget the surest way to hit well is to take well. Remembering that the first strike they see in an at bat may not be the best strike they are going to see. Be patient and swing at a good pitch. 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Danny Jansen and Teoscar Hernandez all started the season red hot. Unfortunately, Jansen and Hernandez are on the injured list with strained obliques. The Jays have depth behind the plate and in the outfield to protect them while they wait for the players to return. Matt Chapman, Alejandro Kirk, Bo Bichette, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Raimel Tapia haven’t started hitting much yet. But they will.

The injury to Teoscar Hernandez is particularly significant as he is the protection in the lineup for Guerrero. It will be interesting to see how