REGINA -- There’s been buzz across Canada over the last couple weeks thanks to the sudden rise and success of the Toronto Blue Jays.
After sitting in the middle of the American League East for much of the season, the Jays suddenly got red hot at the end of June, and strung together a 10-game winning streak that propelled them to the top of the division.
The Blue Jays head into the all-star break with a 55-40 record, first place and in contention for the first time since the team reached the American League Championship Series in 2016.
While facing the delay prior to the postponed CFL game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders this past Friday, the Rider Broadcast Network crew had a chance to catch up with Sportsnet Blue Jays host Jamie Campbell to talk about Canada’s MLB team and their meteoric rise.
“I don’t remember this amount of excitement about a baseball team in Toronto…well, yes I can, it was 2015 and 2016,” Campbell said. “But back then they destroyed teams. They had (Jose) Bautista, (Edwin) Encarnacion, (Josh) Donaldson, David Price acquired at the trade deadline, Troy Tulowitski. They annihilated teams."
“This team will bunt you to death,” he said with emphasis, drawing laughs from the panel. “Seriously, they’re so impressive. They keep winning and I’m sitting back and watching and enjoying it.”
The last time the Blue Jays were in the hunt this late in the season was 2016, when the team eventually lost to Cleveland in the ALCS. The year before that was the Bautista bat flip, where the Jays beat Texas in that legendary American League Division Series before falling to the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS.
As one might expect, both those runs made the Jays the talk of the country. And while that kind of buzz is starting to build now, you can count Campbell among the many who had no idea it was coming.
“Not a chance,” he said when asked if he saw this year’s team getting to first place. “That’s not to say I don’t have faith in them, I’ve had faith in them since 1977, but as this roster was constructed, I didn’t necessarily see a first place team. But what’s happened since is they’ve had these meetings, the players got together in spring training and said: ‘That garbage that happened last year is not happening this year, you either buy into what we’re doing or you’re not going to be here.’
“It’s worked. Everybody is rowing in the same boat and it’s fantastic to see.”
As is almost always the case with winning baseball teams, it takes a few surprises from the roster to climb to the top. There’s been no bigger surprise than Jays' outfielder George Springer, whose offensive exploits have him among the American League leaders despite being one of the most veteran players on the team.
“George Springer is 35 years old, I thought when you got into your 30s your athleticism declines rapidly,” Campbell joked. “He’s had a very significant change in his approach at the plate. The team went to him and said: ‘You’re not a lead-off hitter anymore, you’re going to hit sixth, be comfortable.’ And that’s what he’s done. It’s been fun to watch.”
Springer heads into the all-star break with 16 home runs and 53 RBI -- both in the top 20 in the AL -- to go along with a .271 average and .856 on base plus slugging percentage.
Those numbers were substantially boosted by what Springer put together in the first week of July: five home runs, 13 RBI, .429 average and utterly ridiculous 1.464 OPS. He also set the Jays record for RBI on Canada Day when he knocked in seven during a 12-5 win over the New York Yankees, including a crowd-pleasing grand slam.
Campbell expanded on his point about moving Springer down the line-up and what has been his biggest keys to success.
“George has power and always has, but as a lead-off hitter your job is to see as many pitches as you can, try and work the pitcher a little bit so your teammates have an idea of what the guy is throwing, see if you can even earn a walk,” he explained. “That’s not who he is. So they drop him in the batting order and say: ‘If you see a fastball on that first pitch, smoke it.’ And that’s what he’s doing.”
Of course, one player doesn’t make a baseball team, and the Jays have had all sorts of folks make a leap into the limelight this season.
“Beyond everybody?” Campbell said when asked who has been the biggest surprise. “Look, Springer’s 35 and he’s having an all-star year, Nathan Lukes has established himself as a legitimate Major League player, Ernie Clement did it last year and he’s doing it again, Davis Schneider is suddenly hitting home runs, Bo Bichette is having a terrific year. Vladimir Guerrorro Jr. isn’t having a majestical year, but a great year. If he gets up there, this team is unstoppable.
“Everybody is playing up to the level they should be playing at and that’s led to some winning baseball.”
The 2025 all-star game goes Tuesday at Truist Park in Atlanta. The Blue Jays return to action Friday, July 19 when the team begins a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at Rogers Centre.
