Toronto Blue Jays: Time to start winning
During the 2012 Major League Baseball regular season, the Toronto Blue Jays had a dismal win-loss record of 81-81. The team found themselves finishing the season fourth in the American League East Division, just ahead of the Baltimore Orioles.
For the fans, it was a disappointing performance all around. The Blue Jays are stacked with very talented players like Jose Bautista, J. P. Arencibia, Rajai Davis and a host of others. There is no doubt that the team can win. The club also has some considerable
depth to their pitching rotation. So if the team has the players, then the question as to why the team had a lukewarm season is up for grabs.
The Blue Jays seemed to struggle throughout the season as it became evident early on that they were not going to make it to the postseason. Although individual performances by players like Jose Bautista were phenomenal. Bautista managed to hit an amazing
43 home-runs during the 2011 regular season. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, it was not enough to carry them into a winning position.
Somewhere along the way, the Blue Jays have lost their spark. Many critics feel that the AL East is filled with highly competitive teams like the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. These teams know how to win and during the last season
they managed to dominate the Blue Jays. Although the Blue Jays have a new uniform with upgraded logos, it will take more than just a few cosmetic changes to get them back on track.
The Blue Jays were relatively quite during the offseason, as they did not sign on any big name players to mega-million dollar contracts. Instead the team acquired Darren Oliver, Francisco Cordero, Sergio Santos, Jason Frasor and a few others. Although these
players are talented in their own right, they are not the big name players that the fans wanted the Blue Jays to sign.
As Spring Training is just around the corner, the Blue Jays will be desperate to put in a good performance. It will be crucial that the players stay healthy and that the team works out their line-up and rotation. All of the moves made during the offseason
will now come down to some exhibition games against some of the top tier teams in the League. The Blue Jays will be looking to work as a team and improve on their fielding as well.
Having a player like Jose Bautista on the team is tremendous asset, however, everyone knows that the even the most talented player needs support from time to time. Baseball is a team sport, where individual performances enhance the outcomes, but not dominate
them. The Blue Jays will be hoping to find that spark that can get them going if they want to taste some success during the 2012 MLB regular season.
I feel that the key to the Blue Jays success sits entirely with their offence. Players like J. P. Arencibia, Brett Lawrie, Adam Lind, Yunel Escobar and Jose Bautista will need to pick it up a notch. These are tremendous players like will be looking to get
it together and put in some good performances. As the 2012 MLB regular season is getting close, the Blue Jays could make an impression on the AL East, once they pull themselves together and start winning.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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