Seems Like a Distant Memory Now: Lack of Consistent Playing Time Cause of Jays' Hitting Woes?
ORIGINAL DAY PUBLISHED: Saturday, October 1, 2016
BOSTON-At the best of times, hitting Major League pitching at a clip of more than three times out of ten is challenging. Imagine how much more challenging it must be for Major League hitters, especially those who are used to playing everyday, to come through a consistent basis when their playing time has been limited: either by injury or through a lack of playing time? Such has been the case for such players as Melvin Upton Jr. and Justin Smoak, two Toronto Blue Jays' players who have received inconsistent playing time at best over their past thirty games or so. Not surprisingly, this is about the time that the Toronto Blue Jays' went into to their offensive tail spin, the main reason why the defending AL East Champions find themselves clinging to a playoff spot this year.
While such Jays' superstar players such as short stop Troy Tulowitzki and right fielder/designated hitter Jose Bautista experienced difficulties getting their seasons back on track offensively following stints on the disabled list, they have greatly complemented the offensive exploits of DH/first baseman Edwin Encarnacion and third baseman Josh Donaldson. Other notable offensive contributors include catcher Russell Martin, second baseman Devon Travis and outfielder Michael Saunders (though the latter's offensive numbers have dropped off significantly since the All-Star Break, perhaps due to the fact that he barely played at all last season due to injury).
That leaves us with first baseman Justin Smoak and outfielder Melvin Upton Jr., two players who were expected to contribute more for the Blue Jays this season. In the case of Smoak, the controversial PED suspension of Chris Colabello should, in theory, have paved the way for more playing time for the power hitting first baseman. Last year, Smoak managed to belt 18 homers while driving in 59 in just 296 at bats while batting .226. This year, Smoak has batted just .217 while hitting 14 homers and knocking in just 34 runs in 299 at bats. Over Smoak's last 30 games, he has received just 46 at bats. Twenty of these at bats have ended with Smoak striking out. As a result, he has batted just .196 with only two homers and seven runs batted in. While we've seen glimmers of Smoak's 2015 production this season, he just hasn't been able to get it going on a consistent basis. Even with more consistent playing time of late from manager John Gibbons, Smoak hasn't produced like he is capable of, leaving the Jays offence to rely almost exclusively on Donaldson, Encarnacion, Tulowitzki, Martin and Bautista (who came through last night with a big two-run home run in a losing effort against the Red Sox at Fenway Park).
As for Melvin Upton. Jr., whom the Jays acquired from the San Diego Padres around the 2016 MLB non-waiver trade deadline, he too has experienced his fair share of offensive woes over his past 30 games. During that time, Upton Jr. has gone 13 for 65 (.200) with just one home run and seven runs batted in. Over his last 22 games, Upton's numbers shrink to .091 with no home runs and just one run batted in. On the season, Melvin Upton Jr. has batted .238 with 20 homers, 61 runs batted in and 26 stolen bases. However, when his stats with the Toronto Blue Jays are isolated, he has batted just .194 with 4 homers, 16 runs batted in and six stolen bases in 55 games.
It is difficult to fault manager John Gibbons for use of such players as Smoak and Upton Jr. this season. While it its true that both players could have very well benefited from more consistent playing time, their inability to capitalize on the playing time that they have received has caused Gibbons to use the designated hitter spot on a rotational basis for much of the season. As for Upton Jr., his struggles at the plate have caused him to be passed over in favour of Ezequiel Carrera on days where outfielder Michael Saunders is not in the Jays' line-up. In spite of Upton's struggles, I would argue, especially at Fenway Park, that Gibbons should try to find a way to get his bat in the line-up this weekend at Fenway Park. Why? Because he is a right-handed power hitter who is more than capable of lifting a ball against, if not over, "The Green Monster" in left field. By giving Upton Jr. an opportunity (and with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound tonight, he should be playing), it may not only take the pressure off such Jays' players as Encarnacion (who went 0 for 5 last night against Boston), but it may also take the pressure off of an exhausted Jays' bullpen that had little, if any, room for error during the month of September due to the fact that there were been a lack of add on runs to give them some breathing room.
With just two games remaining this season, time is running for the Jays out on the number of times that they can waste yet another strong outing from one of their starters. More importantly, time is also running out for the Blue Jays to maintain their slim half game lead over the determined Detroit Tigers for the second AL Wild Card. With J.A. Happ on the mound tonight and Aaron Sanchez on the bump tomorrow, the Jays will get more than enough starting pitching (as they did last night from Estrada) to win both games. However, the jury is still out on whether on not they will get enough runs to give relievers Jason Grilli and Roberto Osuna some breathing room. In the absence of Smoak and Upton Jr.'s bats coming to life, the Jays need to deliver more with men on base. If the Jays are unable to do the latter, then the Toronto Blue Jays will find themselves out of a 2016 playoff berth.
