Dropping shortstop Yunel Escobar, who owned a dreadful .257 on-base percentage through May 1, down in the Blue Jays' batting order would give him an opportunity to find his stroke in a less prominent lineup position. (Tim Umphrey/Getty Images)
If you compare the lineup the Toronto Blue Jays employed in their first 24 games last season to their current batting order, you'll quickly realize how much better this year's offence should be.
Manager John Farrell can now insert Colby Rasmus into his lineup rather than Corey Patterson, Brett Lawrie instead of Jayson Nix and Kelly Johnson in place of Aaron Hill. On paper, this is the most potent starting nine the Jays have sent to the plate in years.
Unfortunately with top-of-the-order hitters Yunel Escobar, Jose Bautista and Adam Lind slumping, this hasn't been the case. Their struggles have forced Farrell to constantly tinker with his lineup to muster enough runs for the club to win 13 of its first 24 games.
Through two dozen contests this season, the Jays dugout boss has used 13 different batting orders. Some contend he's tinkering too much, but with several key players underperforming, it's easy to understand why Farrell would feel compelled to reassess his lineup after each game. And for the record, Farrell utilized 21 different lineups in the Jays' first 24 games last season.
And while it's difficult to evaluate Farrell's efforts after just 24 contests, the cerebral skipper should be commended for coaxing the fourth most runs in the American League (113) out of an offence that's hitting a collective .240 (11th in the AL).
The team has eked out 13 wins largely because they're hitting .318 with runners in scoring position (second best in the AL), so Farrell deserves credit for having the right men at the plate when there are runners on base.
The Jays manager has been criticized for continuing to bat Lind, who's hitting just .203 with one homer, in the cleanup spot, while Edwin Encarnacion (.323, eight home runs) is almost single-handedly carrying the offence. Moving Encarnacion up to the four-hole is one tweak that I would make.
Overrated convention
The more at bats the Jays can offer their best hitter right now, the better, even if it means compromising the overrated convention of alternating left-handed and right-handed hitters in the order.
That said, Lind hasn't been as bad as people think. In fact, the soft-spoken first baseman is hitting an impressive .421 with runners in scoring position and is 4-for-12 with two outs and runners in scoring position. So his lack of production (just seven RBIs) is more a result of the players in front of him failing to get on base, and I wouldn't drop him lower than fifth in the order.
Another interesting suggestion that I've heard is to flip-flop Lawrie and Escobar. If Escobar's struggles continue for another week or two, this might be a good idea. The fiery Lawrie, who despite his walk-off homer Tuesday night has just five extra-base hits this season, is faster than Escobar and has recorded an above average on-base percentage (.358) in his 67 big-league games.
Lawrie's all-out hustle at the top of the order could also spark the club. Dropping Escobar, who owns a dreadful .257 on-base percentage, down in the order would give him an opportunity to find his stroke in a less prominent lineup position. The Cuban shortstop was the Jays' second best hitter in 2011 and has the potential be a topnotch run producer.
This type of outside-the-box switch isn't beyond the forward-thinking Farrell. The Jays bench boss has also been more ruthless with his batting order this season. To his credit, he has essentially conceded that Lind is a platoon player. The Jays first baseman, who possesses a .220 batting average against southpaws, has started just four of the club's eight games against left-handers this season.
In contrast, Lind had started six of seven contests against southpaws at this point a year ago. Farrell has also platooned Eric Thames, a .222 batter against left-handers, with the right-handed hitting Rajai Davis in left field, which is a more effective use of both players.
So, I believe Farrell should be commended, not criticized, for his lineup tinkering. With Escobar, Bautista and Lind struggling, the Jays skipper has managed to squeeze enough offence out of the rest of the lineup to register a winning record.
And when you compare this year's starting nine to last season's lineup, you have to believe that the Jays will eventually become one of the more potent offensive teams in the American League.
Most used 2011 lineup (through season's first 24 games)
1. Yunel Escobar SS
2. Corey Patterson CF
3. Jose Bautista RF
4. Adam Lind 1B
5. Aaron Hill 2B
6. J.P. Arencibia C
7. Travis Snider LF
8. Edwin Encarnacion DH
9. Jayson Nix 3B
Most used 2012 lineup (through season's first 24 games)
1. Yunel Escobar SS
2. Kelly Johnson 2B
3. Jose Bautista RF
4. Adam Lind 1B
5. Edwin Encarnacion DH
6. Eric Thames LF
7. Brett Lawrie 3B
8. Colby Rasmus CF
9. J.P. Arencibia C
Kevin Glew
Regaled with stories about Mickey Mantle by his father when he was growing up, Kevin Glew has always preferred baseball to hockey. His interest in the sport blossomed after he endured a bone-chilling wind on the bench seats down the right-field line at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium on Oct. 5, 1985 to witness the Blue Jays secure their first division title. Over the past decade, Kevin's work has been featured in Baseball Digest, Baseball America and on MLB.com.
