SPORTS
16 Obiter Dicta
Which Edition of the Toronto Blue Jays is Better?
A comparison of the 2015 Team with its 1992 predecessor
part two: examining the outfield
kenneth cheak kwan lam ›
sports editor
E
arlier in part one, I compared the makeup of the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays infield with
its 1992 counterpart and concluded that
the former is stronger than the latter. Here
in Part Two, I will look into the two teams’ outfield
composition.
L e f t F i e l d: Ben Revere (201 5) versus Candy
Maldonado (1992)
Analysis: Both Revere and Maldonado are solid players but have different strengths; Revere hits for a
higher average and possesses higher speed while
Maldonado hits for more power. However, I am
inclined to give the edge to Revere. Even though
Revere has only played forty-three games for Toronto
as of 18 September 2015, he has been the undisputed
starting left fielder and a significant upgrade for the
Blue Jays since 31 July 2015. Prior to his arrival at the
trading deadline, the position of left field had been a
“rotating door” as Toronto used four different players—Chris Colabello started thirty-three games, the
now-departed Danny Valencia started twenty-seven
games, Ezequiel Carrera started nineteen games, and
Kevin Pillar started thirteen games before becoming the full-time centre fielder—to man the position.
As a Blue Jay, Revere has put up impressive offensive
numbers (.313BA, 1HR, 13RBIs, 5SB) in limited at bats
(166), provided stellar defense, and has been a strong
table setter as the leadoff hitter—replacing the speed
element that was lost in the departure of José Reyes.
While Candy Maldonado—who interestingly, much
like Revere, was also a mid-season acquisition by GM
Pat Gillick in 1991 designed to stabilize the volatile left
field position—
had an all-around
strong season in
1992 offensively
(.272BA, 20HRs,
6 6R BIs in 1 3 7
games) and had a decent glove, Revere has clearly been
more of an impact player for Toronto. Of note, Revere’s
impressive showing with the Blue Jays is by no means
a fluke as he is a lifetime .294 hitter (in 632 games)
who has already hit over .300 twice (.305 in 2013 and
.306 in 2014) and stolen more 40 bases twice (40SB in
2012 and 49SBs in 2014) while leading the National
League in hits (184) in 2014.
ê The 2015 Toronto Blue Jays Outfield: (From Left to Right) Left Fielder Ben Revere, Right Fielder José Bautista, and
Centre Fielder Kevin Pillar. Photo credit: citynews.ca
Verdict: Revere over Maldonado by a step
Centre Field: Kevin Pillar (2015) versus Devon
White (1992)
Analysis: Initially penciled in to be Toronto’s fourth
outfielder—behind projected starting centre fielder
Dalton Pompey, projected starting left fielder Michael
Saunders, and starting right fielder José Bautista—
Pillar rose to the occasion and quickly moved up in
Toronto’s outfield depth chart. He first became the
Blue Jays’ starting left fielder
after Saunders tore
his meniscus in a
freak accident in
which the latter
stepped on a sprinkler while shagging fly balls on
25 February 2015. Pillar then took over the starting
centre fielder position from Pompey after the latter
struggled offensively (batting .193 through 23 games)
and defensively before being sent down to the minors
(optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo) for further development on 2 May 2015. Since assuming the starting
centre fielder, Pillar has provided Toronto with highlight-reel-defense while contributing offensively as
“...Revere has put up impressive
offensive numbers...”
t humbs down
solid bat (.261BA, 10HRs, 47RBIs, 19SBs in 145 games
so far) despite being slotted to hit in the bottom of the
Blue Jays’ high-octane line-up. Still, I give the edge
to White here, as he is equally brilliant and steady
with the glove—he won five consecutive gold glove
awards from 1991–1995 at the centre field position as
a member of Toronto—while giving the team better
offensive output with the exception of batting average
(.248BA, 17HRs, 60RBIs, 37SBs in 153 games).
Verdict: White over Pillar by a step
Right Field: José Bautista (2015) versus Joe Carter
(1992)
Analysis: Tough call here. On one hand, Bautista, a
six-time All Star from 2010–2015, has been the face
and leader of Toronto since establishing a franchise
record fifty-four home runs in the 2010 season. On
the other hand, Carter, a five-time All Star (1991–1994
and 1996), has been an iconic figure since hitting his
famous 1993 World Series clinching three-run homer.
However, while both Bautista and Carter are proven
sluggers who can consistently hit home runs and drive
in runs, we are comparing the 2015 version of Bautista
(.251BA, 35HRs, 102RBIs in 140 games so far) with the
1992 version of Carter (.264BA, 34HRs, 119RBIS in
158 games). If we project Bautista’s 2015 numbers to a
full season, MLB predicts (using the Player Empirical
Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm) that
his final line would be .253BA, 39HRs, 113RBIs in 155
games. All in all, the differences between Bautista and
Carter are so negligible so I hereby declare a tie.
Tulo’s shoulder injury.
» see blue jays, page 23