When the highlight of the season is the month of May that's rarely a good sign.
The 2014 Blue Jays were pretty extraordinary in May.
When one sets out to write a six-part series it's kind of depressing when the part two is the clear climax, but the Blue Jays season wasn't exactly uplifting in general so I suppose it fits.
For those who missed part one, I've decided to examine the Jays 2014 season month-by-month, and May is definitely the most fun assignment in the series. Edwin Encarnacion was depositing home runs over walls all over North America, Mark Buehrle was still super human, and even Juan Francisco was an offensive force.
In short, life was good.
Record: 21-9
More months like that would be nice.
Best Position Player (by fWAR): Edwin Encarnacion (1.8)
HR | RBI | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ |
16 | 33 | 12.3% | 12.3% | .281 | .369 | .763 | 212 |
If Encarnacion had a BABIP above .195 he might have put up even more ridiculous numbers. Every time he came to the plate during this insane hot streak Jays fans were on the edge of their seats, if they weren't standing up already. This performance may be the one thing that will be remembered about the 2014 season by Jays fans more than any other.
Best Pitcher (by fWAR): Mark Buehrle (1.0)
IP | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | ERA | FIP | xFIP |
40.0 | 5.40 | 2.48 | 0.23 | 2.48 | 3.08 | 4.15 |
Buehrle had a 5-0 record and continued to impress even though the difference between his ERA and his xFIP indicated the regression monster was on the way. It was fun to pretend that the veteran southpaw was an ace while it lasted.
The Team Hit Like... Adrian Gonzalez
Player/Team | BB% | K% | AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ |
Adrian Gonzalez | 8.5% | 17.0% | .276 | .335 | .482 | 128 |
Blue Jays in May | 8.8% | 18.0% | .276 | .343 | .486 | 132 |
As I said, it was a fun month. Having your entire team hit like Gonzalez is going to result in more than a few wins.
The Team Pitched Like... Scott Feldman
Player/Team | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | ERA | FIP | xFIP |
Scott Feldman | 5.34 | 2.50 | 0.80 | 3.74 | 4.11 | 4.19 |
Blue Jays in May | 6.71 | 3.04 | 0.87 | 3.74 | 4.01 | 4.21 |
Feldman isn't the flashiest name in the game, but he's about a league-average starter. When this offense was dominant the Feldmanian performance was plenty good enough. Besides, at least the Jays staff wasn't as boring as the Astros veteran. Almost no one is.
GIF That Best Summarizes the Month
This home run was just stupid. It's the sort of thing that probably shouldn't be possible. Understandably, whoever was working the camera had no idea how to follow the ball and it wound up across the street.
So concludes part two of the "Blue Jays Year in Review". Check in for future installments, or abandon ship before things get worse and nautical metaphors about the Blue Jays sinking to the depths of a hopeless abyss become more and more common.
Whatever floats your boat.