WORST TO FIRST: How the Blue Jays changed the narrative and are reaping the results

National Post

08-07-2025

The numbers drive the narrative so deeply in modern baseball that sometimes they take away from the more important story itself.
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Most assuredly, more than other major professional team sport, advanced analytics rule the game and those teams that find a blend to translating the numbers into an on-field performance edge can certainly reap the rewards.
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But what happens when a motivated group of players worries less about the numbers and more about winning as a team? Perhaps the surging, scintillating Toronto Blue Jays are the latest to hit upon the ultimate winning formula that goes above and beyond the fancy stats.
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'It's a bunch of brothers,' said George Springer, in some ways the leading man in terms of much of what is going right for this team, topping the squad in home runs with 16 and seemingly in big-game moments as well.
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'It's guys who are pulling for one another. No one is above the team. It's about (the name) on the front and not the back.
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'Any time you have everybody going in the same direction like that, it's something special. Obviously there's still a long way to go, but to have that amongst us is an awesome feeling.'
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The numbers that matter the most now are bordering on staggering and, in the past week especially, have vaulted the Jays into the biggest story in baseball.
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That all-for-one mindset has paid massive dividends for the Jays through 91 games. The 53 wins through that portion of the season are their most in more than 30 years through that many games and have them on pace for 94.
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In the moment, the sizzling play has given the Jays a 3.5-game lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East heading into Tuesday's action.
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It has galvanized and inspired a group that frankly had been frustrated both with management and their own performance over the past couple of years. It has enraptured a strong and loyal coast-to-coast fan base.
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Consider that, at their core, players aren't in love with all that goes with the modern approach. Most will understand the value of analytics, but if it sometimes bogs down the ultimate goal — winning games and chasing a World Series — it can become a burden.
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Cleaner lines of communication and a more pragmatic approach by manager John Schneider has helped build a foundation of trust in a clubhouse that didn't always have it.
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'I would say it's the culture we've been able to build here,' starting pitcher Chris Bassitt said when asked to describe what is going on with a group that has skyrocket from last place in October to first the following July. 'It's taken a while.'
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Yes, it has.
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The lingering effects of two years ago, when starting pitcher Jose Berrios was removed from a playoff game in Minnesota after three innings despite pitching his heart out, was a flashpoint. The fallout persisted through the 2024 season and when performance turned sour, so did the mindset.