The Blue Jays are currently on a three game win streak and have pulled to within 2.5 games of the Orioles for the AL East lead. With six games remaining before the All Star break they will look to keep their hot streak at the plate going, while also capitalizing on great pitching.
The Blue Jays have been smoking the ball as of late, scoring thirty-two runs over their three game win streak, which leads me to this weeks’ player Justin Smoak. With the suspension to Chris Colabello, Smoak has earned substantial playing time at first base. Edwin Encarnacion may play first from time to time, but he is best suited for the DH role. In 470.1 innings at first this season Smoak has committed only two errors and over 5739.2 in his career has a mere twenty-nine.
His physique would give you the impression that he would be an imposing power bat on any major league roster, but that has not been the case over his career. What he brings with his glove is the value he brings to a ball club, and with multiple power bats already on Toronto’s team, the production from Smoak at the plate becomes secondary.
Drafted 11th overall by the Texas Rangers in 2008, Smoak quickly rose through the minor league ranks and became an everyday MLB player by the 2011 season. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners in July of 2010 where he spent four seasons before signing as a free agent with Toronto before the 2015 season. His best season to date came back in 2013 where he batted .238 with 20 home runs and 50 RBI. He did have a career high 59 RBI last season with the Blue Jays playing in 132 games with 296 plate appearances.
Smoak has played nearly 800 career games and this past week hit his 100th home run. He is a free agent this off season and it will be interesting to see if the Blue Jays bring him back. Colabello is set to return from his suspension shortly after the All Star break and they also have an impressive prospect, Rowdy Tellez, who is playing very well in AA. He has shown to be a valuable asset to the team this season and if he’d consider another one-year deal at under five million, I’d expect him to be back playing north of the border in 2017.
Remember to follow me on Twitter @GHam614 and I hope you have enjoyed this weeks’ edition of the Blue Jays player profile. Next week I’ll look into the stellar play of utility infielder Darwin Barney who has taken full advantage of extra playing time this season.
