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The Blue Jays achieved an uncommon feat in 2021: They managed to each overachieve and underachieve.
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That they received 91 video games is not any small feat. That they had received that many in a season solely as soon as because the World Sequence years, within the bonkers thrill trip of 2015. It’s numerous wins, in any season. On this specific season, with house video games first at a single-A park in Florida, after which at a AAA-park in Buffalo, earlier than lastly coming again to Toronto, it’s a win complete that borders on the absurd.
Because the Jays had been chasing that playoff spot that wasn’t to be, the Toronto Raptors had been opening their coaching camp, and so they had dropped all pretence about how tough their nomadic 2020 season had been. Residing out of momentary properties, taking part in and coaching in makeshift amenities, by no means getting any sort of a home-crowd enhance and sometimes taking part in in entrance of hostile “house” audiences, all of it was awful, the Raptors stated. It wasn’t the one motive their season fell aside, nevertheless it was a giant issue.
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The Jays needed to take care of all of that and nonetheless got here inside one win of forcing a Recreation 163, with their second-highest win complete of the previous 28 seasons. It’s most likely why, when supervisor Charlie Montoyo was requested on Sunday evening if there have been any moments he wished again on the season, he didn’t supply any. He stated he had held a crew assembly earlier than the ultimate collection in opposition to Baltimore, with the Jays’ playoff destiny now not of their palms, and instructed his gamers that he was pleased with the season they’d delivered, particularly with all of the obstacles that had been put of their approach.
And but, regardless of all that, Jays followers might be forgiven for surveying the Main League Baseball playoff subject and questioning how on the earth their crew didn’t handle to be part of it. Each Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. and Marcus Semien had MVP-type seasons. George Springer missed half the 12 months and nonetheless hit 22 house runs and had an OPS second solely to younger Vlad on the crew, which is one thing contemplating Teoscar Hernandez and Bo Bichette additionally had large offensive campaigns.
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That sort of firepower was anticipated of that lineup, though not essentially to that diploma, however coming into the season the beginning pitching seemed to be an issue. There was Hyun-Jin Ryu and a pile of query marks. As an alternative, Robbie Ray was a Cy Younger candidate and Steven Matz was an above-average starter. Collectively, the 2 reclamation tasks carried out much better than the Toronto entrance workplace would have dared hope. Nate Pearson was, once more, unable to step into the beginning position that was anticipated of him, however Alek Manoah did a tremendous job as soon as known as up. Throw within the late addition of Jose Berrios and the Jays had each a terrifying offence and a deep beginning rotation.
That was solely adequate for fourth within the division. It’s no nice thriller how that occurred. The bullpen was a multitude for a lot of the primary half of the season, and there have been too many video games by which Montoyo relied on guys like Rafael Dolis and Tyler Chatwood, who in the end pitched themselves off the crew. The Jays had been simply 15-15 in one-run video games, and 3-9 in further innings, and it’s in these tremendous margins that the season died. Would a special supervisor have managed to eke out a pair extra victories in these close-fought video games? Tactically, most followers might level to 1 or six video games the place Montoyo’s late-game bullpen calls didn’t work. The query for his bosses is whether or not the affable 55-year-old from Puerto Rico exerted sufficient of a optimistic affect on his crew in different methods. He got here to Toronto because the new-school supervisor to work with a younger roster of prospects, and a few of these gamers have changed into all-stars. Do his people-management expertise, in different phrases, offset some tactical deficiencies?
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The suspicion is that Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins will think about that query and resolve: No. The entrance workplace spent large on Ryu and spent larger on Springer in consecutive seasons. The younger core is particularly precious proper now, whereas it nonetheless stays underpaid. A playoff spot was there for the taking this season and the Blue Jays didn’t take it. They completed sturdy, with a 22-9 document over September and October that means that, lastly finished with minor-league stadiums dotted with Yankees caps, this crew was a lot better than their eventual win complete. However it is usually the case that the Jays wanted that unbelievable ultimate month simply to present themselves one thing to play for on the season’s ultimate day. That they had seemingly performed their approach out of competition, solely to make a livid late cost down the stretch. If nothing else, it’s going to give the president and normal supervisor one thing to have a critical take into consideration.
It may be very a lot true that Montoyo would have simply guided this crew into the post-season had it not needed to take care of three completely different properties and what was primarily a five-month street journey. However does the entrance workplace actually need to wait one other 12 months to seek out out?
