Toronto Blue Jays: The Justin Smoak Show

With the Toronto Blue Jays adding another player to the DL their luck just doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Despite the injuries, Justin Smoak has stepped up as the team tries to turn a corner.

With Troy Tulowitzki, Josh Donaldson, Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ, Russell Martin and now Francisco Liriano on the DL, things have gone from bad to worse for the Toronto Blue Jays. Luckily for the Blue Jays, others have shown success even without their best players on the field.

One of those players has been Justin Smoak.

Smoak Is On Fire

The series opener against the Seattle Mariners was inevitably the high moment of the Justin Smoak show. In three at bats, Smoak scored two runs on three hits and had four RBI’s, including a home run.

That’s quite a resume for one game. The 2008 11th overall pick is proving to be a secret weapon and disestablishing any negativity that has been bestowed upon him in the past.

If Smoak can continue this hot streak, he is on pace for a career year. So far he has hit a .274 average, with a team-high six home runs and 21 RBI’s.

New Hitter, Better Player

Smoak without a doubt has incorporated a new approach when hitting this season, and it has made him a saviour on the team. Yahoo Sports got the details from manager John Gibbons on Smoak’s new approach:

"“He’s a little bit more aggressive early in the count,” said Gibbons, of his current cleanup hitter. “And he’s laying off that bad breaking ball that borderline one, or the one on the ground — the tough one.”"

The 30-year old is a big part of the Jays’ success despite the team’s shaky start, and the Blue Jays can be thankful they have been able to rely on him, unlike in previous seasons. He carries a lot of power in his swing and plays well defensively at first base, which is a bonus.

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Smoak’s definitely improved from previous years, where he used to be the prime suspect of striking out and fan backlash every time he was at the plate. His depth and consistency as a player has been questioned, but now we can see he carries immense talent. It goes to show by making some adjustments at the plate, that it can make a huge difference.

Just to put his season in perspective, Smoak actually has more RBIs than former Blue Jays’ slugger Edwin Encarnacion – ironic considering his departure was a heartbreak for fans and the team. We might have a new Edwin on the team, and lets hope his plan of attack is contagious.

Blue Jays fans will definitely be expecting a lot more attention to be paid toward the newly created Smoak fever. Maybe all he needed was more playing time, as he is maintaining his strong pace in a more prominent role on the team.

Next: Kendrys Morales likely to avoid DL

It has forced Smoak to change his thought process at the plate where he has more confidence to not only swing for the fences, but to know he can be effective by getting on base with the small ball. Smoak’s adjustments and positive mindset are a major benefit for the team, considering they seem to be content with the two-year, $8.5 million contract extension they signed him to last season.