Vernon Wells leads the Toronto Blue Jays in hits, RBI and stolen bases (Associated Press/Duane Burleson)

This is supposed to be the year we notice a difference.

With an expanded payroll, a revamped home park and some high-profile additions in the off-season, the Toronto Blue Jays were built to contend in the ridiculously wealthy and competitive American League East. And as the team takes to the diamond after the all-star break, there is a difference.

The Jays are hanging tough with Boston and New York despite a series of injuries and adversity. With just under 80 games left to play, Toronto is playing .557 ball and is just five games out of first place. Here's a first-term report card:

HITTING

Bashing the ball is what the Blue Jays do best. Toronto's collection of hitters is tops in the big leagues in batting average and slugging percentage, and third overall in homers.

Pacing the Jays attack is Vernon Wells, who's looking like the superstar many baseball pundits predicted he would become.

Wells – who seems to have overcome his penchant for slow starts by playing in the World Baseball Classic in the spring – leads the Jays in several significant offensive categories, including hits, runs batted in, and stolen bases.

Alexis Rios is having a breakout season.

The centre fielder has also benefited from having some formidable hitters around him. Off-season acquisitions Troy Glaus and Lyle Overbay have both lived up to their pre-season hype. Glaus appears headed for another 40-home-run season, while the steady Overbay is on pace for the best year of his career.

The biggest surprise in the Jays' lineup has been the emergence of Alexis Rios. The talented 25-year-old has blossomed under the tutelage of hitting coach Mickey Brantley, transforming himself from underachiever to all-star. Rios has already set a personal benchmark in home runs and will establish personal highs in RBI, doubles and walks shortly after the all-star break.

If the powerful Toronto offence has an Achilles heel, it's been an inability to cash in potential runs. The Jays' average with runners in scoring position is mediocre, ranking in the middle of the pack among American League squads. This weakness was on display just before the all-star break, when the team failed to deliver clutch hits and struggled in back-to-back series against the middling Texas Rangers and woeful Kansas City Royals.

The Jays' lack of timely hitting outraged general manager J.P. Ricciardi, who publicly lambasted Wells, Glaus and Shea Hillenbrand, saying their effort has been "uninspiring."

Grade: A

PITCHING

Even with all their offence, the Jays are going nowhere if they don't get their hurlers in order. Aside from Roy Halladay — who is pitching like Cy Young — Toronto's pitching staff has been plagued by injury and inconsistency.

A sore arm has limited A.J. Burnett, the Jays' prized $55-million free-agent signing, to a mere four games in the season's first two months. He didn't record his first win until June 27.

In defence of Ricciardi and Burnett, the righty has shown flashes of brilliance since returning.

The enigmatic Ted Lilly continues to show the Jekyll-and-Hyde form that drives pitching coaches nuts. The left-hander gets batted around too frequently for a player of his ability.

Jays closer B.J. Ryan has 24 saves and an 0.84 ERA.

Sophomore Gustavo Chacin won six games before landing on the disabled list with a sore elbow. His 5.61 earned-run average suggests those wins had more to do with Toronto's bats than Chacin's pitching.

Josh Towers, who led Toronto in wins last year, opened the season with seven straight losses. Towers had a 1-9 record and a 9.11 era when Ricciardi discarded him last week.

All the injuries have forced the Jays to rely heavily on unproven rookies, such as Casey Janssen and Ty Taubenheim, and their bullpen.

Unlike Burnett, the Jays other big off-season expenditure has proved worth the money. B.J. Ryan has been dominant in the closer's role, establishing a franchise record with 24 saves before the all-star break.

Grade: C

DEFENCE

While scoring runs has come easily to the Blue Jays this season, preventing them continues to be a problem: Toronto has allowed the fifth-most runs in the American League while placing 11th in the AL in fielding percentage.

Part of the problem is that the Blue Jays miss the defensive wizardry of second baseman Orlando Hudson, who was shipped to Arizona as part of the deal that brought Glaus to Toronto.

Usually a third baseman, Troy Glaus has spent some time at shortstop this season.

Hudson’s departure has left the Blue Jays with something of a doughnut defence (nothing up the middle). Opening Day shortstop Russ Adams struggled, earning himself an assignment at triple-A Syracuse to improve his glove work. When Adams returned to the majors he was moved to second, leaving Aaron Hill — Hudson’s would-be replacement at second — to take over at short.

The jury is still out on the adage that says the way to build a championship team is with strength up the middle, but the Blue Jays' Ricciardi seems to realize the need to upgrade his middle infield to complement Wells, a Gold Glove centre-fielder.

Earlier this season rumours swirled that the general manager was on the verge of acquiring light-hitting but defensively proficient second baseman Adam Kennedy from the Angels in exchange for the reliable Hillenbrand.

Grade: C-

COACHING

The effect of a coaching staff on a team’s performance is, at best, a dubious concept, but Blue Jays manager John Gibbons has done an admirable job this season with a roster in flux.

Particularly impressive has been Gibbons’s adept handling of an outfield that has more talented players than available spots. Going into the season, only Vernon Wells’ spot in centre field was guaranteed, but Gibbons quickly recognized the offensive emergence of Rios and abandoned his plan to platoon Rios with Eric Hinske in right field.

The Jays skipper has also managed the other corner outfield spot well, finding playing time for both Reed Johnson, who is having a career year, and steady veteran Frank Catalanotto.

Gibbons has even shown some creativity in trying to get as many of his big bats in the lineup as possible, including using Glaus at shortstop to get more pop in the batting order during road inter-league games.

Solid marks also go to Brantley for successfully tinkering with the swings of Rios and Hinske, while pitching coach Brad Arnsberg should be commended for helping integrate a steady stream of young minor leaguers into an injury-riddled rotation.

Grade: A-