The 15 best numbers from the first half of the Blue Jays season

With a loss to the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays have completed Game 81 of their schedule and the 2019 season has officially hit the halfway point. The Blue Jays enter the second half of the year with a 29-52 record, a fairly grim projection that may see them lose 100 games or more for the first time in forty years.

Last week, I scoured the stat sites to pick out the 25 worst numbers from the start of the season. Today, in the interest of hearing both sides, I’ve searched even deeper to find the most optimistic numbers I can from a fairly dismal first half.

These were, admittedly, much harder to find, and to keep from stretching the content too thin, I capped it off at 15.

So here are the 15 most positive numbers from the season so far:

26.6 - Average age of hitters to have been in the Blue Jays lineup this season. Only Justin Smoak (32), Eric Sogard (33) are over 30 taking regular at-bats. Freddie Galvis, who has been touted as a crucial veteran piece, is just 29.

13 - Players with rookie status that have played this season. Things certainly haven’t gone the Jays’ way so far, but the team you see on the field every night is still a long way from a finished product.

.295/.352/.484 - Bo Bichette’s slash line in Triple-A Buffalo. There has already been a lot of youth to come through the team this season, and Bichette is still knocking on the door waiting to join them. It probably stands that he’ll have to wait until next season to jump all the way to the big club but he has followed his strong spring with a solid performance at the Triple-A level.

.791 - Rowdy Tellez’s OPS vs left-handed pitching. An injury to Smoak allowed Tellez to break free from a platoon-hitter mould and take his cuts against pitchers from both sides of the rubber. He has responded to the test with impressive concentration and is even sporting splits that suggest he is hitting lefties better than right-handed pitching. This sort of development is what rebuilding seasons are all about.

118.9 - mph exit velocity for a Vladimir Guerreo Jr. single, the second-hardest hit ball in all of MLB this season. Vladdy Jr. hasn’t quite lit the world on fire in his debut year, but few in the game hit the ball harder when they get a hold of it.

1.33 - ERA for Ken Giles. He has been the most reliable player on the roster this season, looking downright dominant for huge stretches and hasn’t really run into any extended spells of trouble. It’s a great bounce back for Giles after posting a 4.65 ERA last year, and it may make him the biggest trade chip the Jays have down the stretch.

43.9% - Giles’ strikeout percentage, second best in baseball behind Josh Hader. He is basically unhittable when he’s going, and has an absurd 47 strikeouts in 27 innings, good for a 15.7 K/9.

3.04 - Marcus Stroman’s ERA, 13th in MLB among qualified starters. Stro has carried his share of the load at the top of the rotation, especially as injuries and ineffectiveness have plagued the bottom two slots. He hasn’t gotten much run support from his lineup, but he’s looked every bit the player he said he would be coming into the season.

57.9% - Stroman’s ground ball rate, 2nd in MLB among qualified starters. He’s fourth in soft contact as well, explaining a lot of his success. Basically nobody gets hitters to put the ball on the ground more often and hit it softer.

9.5 - Trent Thornton’s K/9, good for 15th in the AL. Thornton has been a pleasant surprise so far, making the jump from possible fringe starter at the beginning of the year to an every-fifth-day arm that the team counts on to fill out the rotation. He’s taken lumps — as any rookie would — as he grows into the role, but his 4.60 ERA looks a lot better when you compare it to the rotation alternatives.

21 - Extra base hits Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has since being recalled from Buffalo, the most in the AL, including 12 homers. He has been one of the best hitters in all of baseball since returning to the major leagues, helping regain some of the prospect hype he gathered last year when he went on a similar tear in the back half of the year.

6 - Outfield assists for Gurriel Jr., tied for 5th in MLB. Considering he was sent down for an inability to make a short throw from second base, this showcase of an arm from left field is a welcome addition to the skill set. This may be inflated a bit by runners being happy to test him after the demotion, but he has piled up the assists in just 28 outfield appearances.

132 - OPS+ for Eric Sogard, who has been the happiest surprise among the veteran pieces the team brought in during the offseason to bridge the gap to the future in the meantime. He’s already hit a career high in home runs and has provided stability and a reliable good at-bat every time through at the top of the lineup.

12.8% - O-Zone swing percentage for Biggio, the best in baseball among players with at least 100 PA. Basically nobody in baseball swings at fewer pitches outside the zone than the Blue Jays rookie, which is a great sign for his future. Adjusting to big league pitching and having a knowledge of the strike zone can be something plenty of young hitters struggle with, and Biggio has shown an advanced command for that side of hitting right out of the gate.

5th - bWAR among AL teams from 2B. The Sogard and Biggio platoon has been one of the American League’s best. Both players have provided competent defence with similar patience-and-contact approaches at the plate, bringing a little spark to what is usually a fairly desolate offensive position.

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