Thursday, May 24, 2007

No offense...but where’s the offense?

In the leadup to this season, there were some pundits who figured that the Jays’ lineup would be among the most potent in the Majors.

Well, so much for that.

As we’ve passed the one-quarter mark of the season, the Jays currently have four players with an OPS over .800, two of whom (Troy Glaus and Matt Stairs) don’t even have enough PAs to qualify for the batting title.

Vernon Wells, Frank Thomas and Lyle Overbay are all below the .800 mark. Jason Phillips, Royce Clayton, and Adam Lind all sit below .700.

Maybe the return of Zaun – and eventually, Reed Johnson – will provide a spark that the rest of the lineup appears to need. And maybe Frank Thomas will rip it up like he did last year, when he drove in 68 runs after the All Star break. (Then again, Vernon got off to a great start last year, and tailed off in the later months.)

Moreover, there doesn't seem to be much help available in Syracuse, as John-Ford Griffin is in the midst of a prolonged slide and hasn't hit a homer in close to a month, and catcher Curtis Thigpen is the only regular with an OPS above .800.

These are not the best of times.

No comments: