ARLINGTON -- Saturday’s hitters meeting should be simple.
Do what Danny Jansen is doing. Eat what he eats for breakfast. Stretch when he stretches. Make your coffee the way he makes his. Wear glasses, even if you don’t need them.
Jansen’s three home runs have accounted for all four runs the Blue Jays have scored over their past two games. Thanks to another classic performance from Kevin Gausman, who allowed just a solo homer across six innings, Jansen’s two-run shot Friday night at Globe Life Field was enough to beat the Rangers, 2-1. It was another massive day for “The Great Janbino," as manager John Schneider calls him.
“He’s holding us right there until we get rolling,” Schneider said. “Over the course of the year, numbers even out. We talked about that with the group today. The hits are coming, and I think the hits with runners in scoring position will come over time. What he’s done over the last few games is huge for us.”
Jansen’s hot streaks tend to be brief but brilliant. Fresh off another IL stint, Jansen has leaned right back into the identity of a pull-power hitter which fits him so well. On the pitch prior to his home run in the top of the fifth, Jansen ripped a long foul ball into the left-field bleachers that had enough distance. Then, like a golfer adjusting their shot on the driving range, he aimed a bit to the right and pressed the launch button.
“Chasing not just hits, but better at-bats is a big key for me,” Jansen said. “I’m going to try to continue to do that. I’m still trying to figure myself out a little bit with approach and stuff, and that’s never going to change. I’m always going to keep trying to get better at that, but I feel like the foundation for my swing is definitely where I want it. Going forward, I like where I’m at.”
On an individual level, Jansen’s performance is extremely encouraging, but the fact it’s coming with so little happening around him has to worry the Blue Jays. As the lineup searches for any form of offense, Toronto continues to ask that its pitching staff be nearly perfect. Someone like Gausman can pull that off most nights, but this simply is not a sustainable way to win baseball games.
Power is a crucial piece. The Blue Jays are tied for sixth in the American League with 82 home runs, but they’re capable of so much more. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could change this singlehandedly, stuck at just one home run over his past 36 games (not including his homer off Rays’ first baseman Luke Raley). It’s a stunning number for a player with Guerrero’s incredible talents.
Vladdy’s not alone, of course.
Matt Chapman’s search continues as April fades in the rearview mirror, and Daulton Varsho is still looking to put together his complete skill set. Alejandro Kirk hasn’t found his power, either, and for a player who ranks among the slowest in Major League Baseball, ground balls won’t get you far.
These names drip with talent, though. This isn’t a matter of “if,” but a matter of “when” and a test of patience. The realities of the AL East, which Toronto just got another harsh dose of in Baltimore, mean that the clock is always ticking. The concept of “early” just doesn’t exist in this division, and as the Orioles, Yankees and Rays each keep their foot on the gas, the Blue Jays are in a position where they need to catch up.
Just Jansen wouldn’t have been enough without Gausman and the bullpen, though, especially Jordan Romano, who got four outs for his 20th save of the season. If there’s ever been a season to take a run at Duane Ward’s club record of 45 set back in 1993, maybe this is it.
Gausman heaped praise on Kirk’s work behind the plate, but he always has some love for Jansen, too.
“He’s been a spark plug for us, especially the last couple of days,” Gausman said. “He’s just a guy that everybody is rooting for, and he has such a unique swing. The no batting gloves, everything about him is pretty unique. He’s bald, but he wears a headband. There’s a lot of weird things, but man, he can really hit.”
Maybe it’s headbands, then, that the Blue Jays need. Weird or not, the team will take whatever works. Right now, that’s Danny Jansen.