The Blue Jays are on a heater. Here are the reasons why.
Photo credit: https://twitter.com/BlueJays
The Toronto Blue Jays (35-30) are still navigating questions at the back of the rotation and injuries to top hitters, but plenty is going right these days. Here are the six numbers that encapsulate the Blue Jays' success in this two-week hot streak.
The Blue Jays entered Sunday leading baseball in average, on-base percentage, OPS, runs scored and wRC+ over the last two weeks.
Team batting average and on base percentage
The Jays have seven players hitting over .300 since May 26.
To put this team mark in context, the Jays hit .239 from May 26 to June 8 last year. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the only Toronto hitter batting over .300 in that stretch - Isiah Kiner-Falefa was second at .283.
The 2024 Jays didn't have a single month with a team average over .255. They hit .268 this May and, before Sunday's loss, sat at .262 in June.
The Jays rattled off this 10-3 run despite one homer and six RBIs from Guerrero, the lineup's expected engine.
Team homeruns specifically Barger and Springer
Eight Toronto bats have a homer in the last two weeks, but Addison Barger and George Springer lead the way.
The pair embodies what's gone right for Toronto's lineup lately. Springer and Barger both posted an OPS under .700 last season - well-below-average hitters - before finding new power in 2025 with the help of Toronto's hitting coaches.
Springer's tweaks have come more in approach, ambushing fastballs and sacrificing swing-and-miss for rekindled power.
Barger unlocked his upside with a move back to his old swing, bringing back the wide stance and serious pop.
The result has been the kind of secondary power Toronto lacked in the last two seasons.
With Barger and Springer blasting, the Jays can not only survive relatively quiet stretches from Guerrero but thrive through them.
Best catching tandem in baseball
Last year, Toronto's catchers ranked 21st in wRC+ and 15th in OBP. This year, they're in the top eight in both metrics.
Amid Toronto's 10-3 run, Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman got on base in nearly 40 percent of plate appearances.
«We've got the best two-catcher duo in the big leagues,» Kevin Gausman said of Kirk and Heineman. «I think a lot of guys would say that was probably something we didn't know was going to happen. It's been incredible for us.»
Kirk is having his best offensive season since an All-Star and Silver Slugger campaign in 2022, but it's Heineman's sporadic dominance that has truly surprised.
Heineman won't hit .429 with a 1.066 OPS all year, but there are indicators the 33-year-old journeyman has found something new.
He's hitting pitches harder on average and has the two hardest-hit balls of his career this season. Heineman came into 2025 with one career barrelled ball in 1,071 pitches. He's got three barrels already this season.
Bullpen ERA
The Blue Jays' best bullpen month last year was a 3.40 ERA in August. Over the last two weeks, Toronto's relievers have posted the second-best bullpen ERA in the American League.
What do you think is the biggest factor in the Blue Jays recent heater?
Lell us what you thimk in the poll below.
Source: The Athletic
| POLL | ||
JUIN 9 | 131 ANSWERS The Blue Jays are on a heater. Here are the reasons why. What do you think is the biggest factor in the Blue Jays recent heater? | ||
| Home runs | 23 | 17.6 % |
| Catcher Tandum | 6 | 4.6 % |
| Bullpen ERA | 4 | 3.1 % |
| All of the above | 98 | 74.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
TRENDING NOW
