A new rivalry has been brewing in the AL East between the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays. These two teams, along with the Boston Red Sox, have been battling for the division title all season. They will meet six more times, with a crucial series coming September 27-29, which could ultimately determine who will raise the AL East division banner in 2016.
Blue Jays and Orioles: The AL East Top Rivalry
Numerous comparisons can be made between these two franchises with each sporting a cast of young up and coming talent. With a middle infield of Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop the Orioles infield is set for a while. In Toronto, the duo of Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, or Strochez, can anchor a rotation into the next decade.
Both teams also deliver tremendous home run power, having led the league, or been in the top three, for the past three seasons. Baltimore was first in 2014 with 211 (Toronto third with 177). Toronto were home run kings in 2015 with 232 (Baltimore third with 217). This season is much of the same with Baltimore leading the way with 176 home runs and Toronto close behind at 173. The Orioles Mark Trumbo and Blue Jays Edwin Encarnacion have been battling for the individual home run crown as well. They are currently tied with 34 long balls each. What set Encarnacion apart from Trumbo however is his league leading 100 RBI and his .270 batting average, twelve points above Trumbo’s .258. Regardless of who walks away with the home run crown both players have had tremendous seasons at the plate and produced for their teams exponentially.
Young Talent
These two teams also have players that will draw comparisons based on their youth and connection to laying the same position. The reigning AL MVP, Josh Donaldson, is having a tremendous season for Toronto batting .291 with 28 HR and 80 RBI. Baltimore’s third basemen Machado is having a season worthy of MVP consideration himself, batting .305 with 26 HR and 69 RBI. At just 24 years old he is only scratching the surface of what he can do at the big league level. These two give their respective organizations a bright star to patrol the hot corner.
Both teams also field great second basemen with Devon Travis in Toronto and Schoop in Baltimore. Both are under 25 years old and look to be cornerstone pieces of their franchises. Travis has had a shortened season due to injury, but in just 65 games is batting .299 with 10 HR and 35 RBI. Schoop is playing equally well batting .280 with 18 HR and 62 RBI. As long as these two play in the AL East they will draw comparisons to one another while managing up the middle for their squads.
Pitching
Pitching is the one area where, statistically, Toronto has a clear advantage. Their 3.73 ERA is sixth in the league, while Baltimore’s 4.19 doesn’t even crack the top ten. The Blue Jays have three starters with ERA’s under 3.20, while Chris Tillman sports the best for Baltimore at 3.46 with the exception of rookie Dylan Bundy who has a 2.93 ERA over 70.2 innings. The Blue Jays rotation has been a spark all season with three players in the top ten in ERA in the American League, Sanchez (2.84), J.A. Happ (2.96) and Marco Estrada (3.20). Happ is also tied for the leagues’ most wins at 16 and should get Cy Young consideration if he continues pitching like he has all season.
The only bright spot among the rotation in Baltimore has been Tillman. His 3.46 ERA is respectable and he’s tied for second in wins at 15. He is also the only member of the rotation to pitch over 125 innings at 151.0. Bundy looks to be a great young option and Kevin Gausman is still a strikeout per inning guy with 121 K’s over 120.1 innings. The Orioles are winning because of their approach at the plate, but expect changes to their rotation in 2017, because with a rotation like Toronto they could be World Series champs in 2017.
Relief Pitching
The closers for both these teams have also been key to their success. Zach Britton has been dominant for Baltimore sporting a 0.54 ERA with 59 K’s over 50.1 innings. His 37 saves also puts him second in the league behind the Mets Jose Familia at 40 and if Britton can get close to fifty saves by season’s end, his name may also be thrown in the Cy Young talks.
In Toronto, Roberto Osuna is not just one of the best closers in the American League, but one of the best young pitchers in the game. Few have done at 21 years old what he has. A 1.89 ERA may seem slightly elevated for a closer but with 64 K’s over 52.1 innings and converting on 26 of 28 save opportunities, the Blue Jays have found their 2016 version of Billy Koch, who had three thirty save seasons for Toronto between 1999-2001.
Strikeouts
One category the O’s and Jays are also consistently on top of is the strikeouts. Unfortunately not the pitching, but batting. With 1,020 already this season, Toronto is sixth in the league and Baltimore is not far behind in ninth with 979. They can hit the long ball, we know that, but both franchises will need to cut down on the number of strikeouts they get if they ever hope to reach the World Series. The power at the plate may also overshadow just how good these two teams are with their gloves though. One final comparison is that both franchises have .987 fielding percentages, good for a tie in fourth in the league.
The Orioles and Blue Jays have all the talent, tools, and combination of young and veteran players to be successful. The final six weeks of the 2016 will be a thrill to watch and, like always, the AL East divisional race will be the most intriguing.
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