Thank goodness for Jose Bautista because the 2011 Blue Jays do not look like they are ready for primtime. Despite the fact that only the Yankees have been playing better than .500 ball in the AL East for the first 20 games, the Jays are no better than 4th place. Not enough hitting or pitching so far.
As for Bautista, he has pretty much picked up from where he left off at the end of last season. Not only is he leading he AL in homeruns, but also leads in batting average and on base percentage and is second in walks, runs scored and slugging percentage.
It's not like the Jays have been awful, they've been okay which means you can't compete in the very tough AL East. The most noticeable change is the number of stolen bases. They are 3rd in the AL which is an area they have really been lacking over the past few years. Where last season they were run away leaders in homeruns, this season they are 7th in the AL. The Jays are 7th in team batting average with a .245, no real improvement over last season. They are 3rd in strikeouts which about the same as last season too. They are 6th in team ERA and homeruns given up. Last season they were 10th in both team ERA and homeruns given up. They lead in strikeouts this season and last season they were 3rd.
In one area they are leading the league is in roster moves. In the first 24 days of the 2011 season the Jays have made 27 roster moves. Considering Las Vegas is 3400 km away, someone is logging big air mile points. However, their fringe players must feel like human yoyos. This will take a toll on the team if it continues through the season. Though part of the need for so many roster moves has been the number of injuries in the first 3 weeks of the season.
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