Donaldson dominates Blue Jays' first half
TORONTO -- There's no denying that the Blue Jays got off to a slow start this season. But things sure have changed since then.Toronto entered the All-Star break tied for second place in the American League East and two games back of first-place Baltimore as the Blue Jays look to
TORONTO -- There's no denying that the Blue Jays got off to a slow start this season. But things sure have changed since then.
Toronto entered the All-Star break tied for second place in the American League East and two games back of first-place Baltimore as the Blue Jays look to win back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1992-93.
This might not be the exact position the Blue Jays wanted to be in at the All-Star break, but it's also not far off. Unlike some previous seasons, Toronto did enough to survive in the first half and did not get buried in the standings. Now it's time to finish the job.
:: Midterm Report: Complete coverage ::
"It has been a little bit of a roller coaster at times, but for the most part, we've been playing pretty well," said Blue Jays third baseman
"It starts with our starting pitching. They've been pretty phenomenal up to this point. Hopefully we get
Here's a look back at Toronto's first half. What went right, what went wrong and how the club managed to bounce back from a disappointing April.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
The hope going into this season was that Toronto's starting rotation would pitch well enough to contend. With a high-powered offense, the theory was that the Blue Jays' starters just needed to keep their club in the game and the offense would do the rest. Fast-forward nearly four months, and the rotation has done a lot more than that.
Toronto starters lead the AL with a 3.64 ERA, 579 1/3 innings and a .236 opponents' batting average, and they are second with a 1.20 WHIP.
WHAT WENT WRONG
Toronto's offense got off to a surprisingly slow start this season.
The Blue Jays' bullpen also was a problem early in the year, but unlike the offense, there are still some concerns about how that group will fare in the second half. Closer
WHAT WE LEARNED
The AL East is up for grabs. Toronto managed to survive its slow start and now enters the break within striking distance of Baltimore. The second half appears to be a three-horse race between the Orioles, Blue Jays and Red Sox, while the Rays have completely fallen out of contention and the Yankees might not be too far behind.
Toronto has the offense, it has the starting pitching -- especially if Sanchez somehow remains in his current role -- but what we haven't learned yet is whether it has enough depth in the bullpen.
FIRST HALF TOP PLAYER (NON-PITCHER)
Donaldson picked up the first AL MVP Award of his career last season, and he'll be in the discussion once again in 2016. He became just the sixth player in AL history to enter the All-Star break with at least 20 home runs and 80 runs scored. The list he joined is an impressive one: Lou Gehrig (1934), Ted Williams ('44), Reggie Jackson ('69), Frank Thomas ('94) and
FIRST HALF TOP PITCHER
Estrada and Sanchez both made the All-Star team, and while Sanchez was an injury replacement, he was deserving of an original selection. They have ERAs below 3.00, but they each do it in a very different way. Estrada is the classic finesse pitcher that keeps hitters off balance, while Sanchez can overpower hitters with his upper-90s velocity and a wipeout curve that leads to a lot of strikeouts.
FIRST HALF TOP ROOKIE
The Blue Jays have a roster filled with veterans, so there are not too many candidates that fit this category, but Biagini is the obvious choice. He entered Spring Training as a Rule 5 Draft pick via the Giants, and he wasn't originally expected to make the team, but a strong camp changed all of that. Biagini earned a spot as the club's long reliever, but his success this season also earned him some high-leverage innings. He enters the break with a very respectable 2.91 ERA in 34 innings.
Gregor Chisholm has covered the Blue Jays for MLB.com since 2011. Follow him on Twitter @gregorMLB and Facebook, and listen to his podcast.