Soakin’ in the Tubb: It’s a great time to be a Blue Jays fan

By JAMES TUBB on April 1, 2022.

I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited for a Toronto Blue Jays season.

I was in high school when the 2015 Jays went on their magical mid-season run and when the ’16 Jays followed that up with a strong playoff run. Those years were exciting and fun, don’t get me wrong. But there was a visible end in sight for that aging core which has slowly found it’s way out of baseball.

The Blue Jays’ current core on the other hand, could dominate the AL East for the next decade if all goes right. Even then, much of this group will only be in their early 30’s. There truly is no better time to be a Toronto Blue Jays fan.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looks poised to put up 60-plus home runs and take home the MVP. I mean, his message of “Last year was the trailer. What you are going to see this year is the movie,” is one of the most electrifying quotes I have ever heard. How the Blue Jays have not plastered that line on posters and T-shirts already is beyond me.

Beyond Vlad, the additions of Matt Champman and Kevin Gausman to the young core of Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Alejandro Kirk, Alek Manoah and about six more budding stars make the Blue Jays one of the favourites to win the AL East – maybe even first in the American League. Have I mentioned the Jays have a young core?

Besides the players on the field, this season also has the excitement of a nearly packed Rogers Centre for opening day. I was lucky (my mom would say misguided) enough to attend 2018’s opening day in Toronto when the Blue Jays honoured the late Roy Halladay by retiring his number and puting his name on the level of excellence roughly a year after his tragic death.

To be in the ballpark with as many people as could fit in the stands is incredible, and I believe that’s because it was opening day. There is nothing more electrifying (other than that Vladdy quote), than nearly 50,000 people all looking forward to the potentials of a fresh new baseball season. Of coruse, all that energy was wasted on a 73-89 season where the Jays finished in fourth place within the AL East, but I digress.

This year, with expanded playoffs and the fact the Jays missed out on making it to the postseason dance last season by one win, there is no reason not to be positive. FanGraphs projects the Blue Jays to win 92 games and take first place in what is the strongest division in Major League Baseball.

If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, there’s still time. It’s a great time, the popcorn is elite and there are videos on repeat of every Guerrero Jr. home run.

When the Blue Jays take the field on April 8 against former Blue Jay Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers, they will be one of, if not the most exciting, teams in franchise history because of the personality of their stars and how many great players they have.

For me, I’m looking forward to seeing what catcher Danny Jansen can do, both behind the plate and at it. I’m not one for hot takes – I think it’s a lazy way of garnering attention. But I will say I think Jansen could have his best offensive season yet, simply because the Blue Jays’ pitching staff is no longer the revolving door it once was. In place of having to learn a whole staff’s repertoires and preferences on the mounds like in 2021, Jansen only has three new arms to learn this year, allowing him more time to focus on his offence.

A duo of him and Kirk rocking offensively could give the Jays the best catching tandem in the league – on top of one of the best infields, rotations and bullpens among all 30 teams.

Boy this is going to be a fun season.

James Tubb is sports reporter with the Medicine Hat News. He can be reached at jtubb@medicinehatnews.com.