Toronto Blue Jays: 5 biggest surprises so far this season
By Paul Taylor
1) Blue Jays’ record
A 20-18 record as of May 10 may not sound particularly impressive. For example, you already get the feeling the Blue Jays have little chance of challenging the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for the AL East this year.
However, the record still counts as a pleasant surprise. Consider that entering this season, many media analysts and fans gave Toronto little chance of having a winning record.
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The Blue Jays had finished the previous campaign with a 76-86 record. And the lack of optimism was compounded by the general consensus that Mark Shapiro, Ross Atkins and company had done little to improve the roster for a genuine challenge in 2018.
And yet, here Toronto sit, two games above .500 entering Friday’s slate of games. By comparison, this time last year, they had a record of 17-21.
Even at this stage, those three extra wins could mean all the difference in respect of making a realistic challenge for a wild card spot. For the sake of comparison, the Jays had a 19-19 record through 38 games when they made their last postseason appearance in 2016.
Of course, no one knows at this stage how realistic Toronto’s chances are of returning to the playoffs this year. However, every win counts, as we approach the quarter-way point of the regular season.
Next: Tough road ahead for Roberto Osuna
What’s your take on our five biggest surprises of the season so far for the Toronto Blue Jays? Are there any more you consider worth mentioning? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.