The Toronto Blue Jays recently made a splash by reeling off 11 straight wins to pull within a hair of first place in the American League East. But they're realistic enough to know that an isolated stretch of good baseball isn't enough to erase 22 years of wandering in a postseason-free, artificial-turf wilderness in Ontario.
Two years ago, the Jays ripped off 11 consecutive wins, only to fade after the All-Star break and finish 74-88 and 23 games out of first place. Until they get over the hump and end the franchise's postseason drought, they're destined to hear more about the achievements of the great 1992-1993 teams and watching Joe Carter's Game 6 World Series home run clip on the Rogers Centre scoreboard.
If the Jays need a reminder of the importance of staying focused as they pursue a common goal, there's no better voice of reason than the man behind home plate. Catcher Russell Martin, in his first year as a Blue Jay, brings a welcomed perspective after two seasons in Pittsburgh. When Martin joined the Pirates in 2013, they were in the grips of a two-decade streak of sub-.500 baseball that had fostered a defeatist mentality in the city. Players were tired of talking about the historical burden they carried, and fans were yearning for the days of Jim Leyland, Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and Mike "Spanky" LaValliere.
The Pirates finally broke through as a wild-card team in 2013, and they did it again last fall. Through 10 big league seasons, Martin has logged 161 postseason plate appearances in 40 October games. Winning seems to follow him around.
"When you see the resurgence of a fan base, there's a hunger that hasn't been satisfied in a while," Martin said. "That's what happened in Pittsburgh. We were playing some really fun August and September baseball leading up to the playoffs, and the energy was unbelievable. I can see it happening in Toronto too, when you get that big stadium filled up with people. We got a glimpse of it on Opening Day. When it's jam-packed in there, it's awesome."
As the Jays dare to dream big, they're learning that respected outside voices can have an impact. And the message resonates even more when it's delivered in stereo.
Third baseman Josh Donaldson, acquired from Oakland by trade in November, has brought a similar energy and drive to Toronto. He's a baseball rat who plays through injuries, craves the big stage and has blended nicely with the dynamic in the Blue Jays' clubhouse. It took manager John Gibbons about 48 hours in Dunedin, Florida, to realize the new acquisitions would have a profound impact on the collective mindset in Toronto.
"I saw it the first couple of days of spring training -- that there's something different about these two," Gibbons said. "We had heard these guys are winners. But you want to see it for yourself, and we could see it early on.
"They're both kind of uniters. There's a lot of stuff going on in our clubhouse now that you used to see back in my playing days -- a lot of ribbing and guys cutting each other up. I'm not sure we've had that here in the past. Maybe more in a malicious way, but now it's in good fun. These guys have loosened things up and helped this team focus."
Putting up numbers
Above all else, Martin and Donaldson have had a positive impact in Toronto because they're providing All-Star-caliber value between the lines.
Martin, who signed a five-year, $82 million deal as a free agent in November, leads big league catchers with 40 runs scored and is second in OPS at .864 and wins above replacement at 2.5. He has also thrown out 19-of-43 runners attempting to steal while nurturing several young pitchers on the staff and learning to embrace the nuances of catching R.A. Dickey's knuckleball.
Donaldson, who came over from Oakland in a deal for Brett Lawrie and three minor leaguers, is playing like a guy with MVP aspirations. He's scored 54 runs, is fourth in wins above replacement at 3.9 and fifth in total bases with 148. After appearing in 158 games with Oakland in each of the past two seasons, he has yet to miss a game in Toronto.
Donaldson and Martin have both contributed to a Toronto offense that's been laying waste to opposing pitching staffs. The Jays lead the majors with 369 runs scored and a .781 OPS, and the teams behind them aren't even close.
Toronto's hitters can be aggressive or patient depending on the situation. The Jays rank third in baseball with 219 walks. But they also have a 5.1 percent home run rate -- seventh-best among the 30 MLB teams -- when they put the first pitch in play.
"This isn't the free-strike league," Donaldson said. "If you just throw your breaking ball or flip your heater up there, you can tell by our swings that's not gonna fly. Once pitchers realize it, they know they have to be pinpoint. The more they feel like they have to be pinpoint, the more beneficial it is for us."
Donaldson, 29, is making an affordable $4.3 million this year and won't be eligible for free agency until 2018, so Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos was willing to pay a sizable price to land him. The Martin acquisition required a little more thought. At 32, he's reached an age when catchers typically begin to decline. But the Cubs and Dodgers reportedly had four-year deals on the table, so the Jays had to stretch to the limit of their comfort zone to bring him to Toronto.
Martin's history of durability helped make the decision easier; since 2011, he ranks fourth among MLB catchers in games played behind Miguel Montero, Yadier Molina and Jonathan Lucroy.
"I think Russ is in better shape now than he was in his mid-to-late 20s," Anthopoulos said. "He's very on top of his conditioning and his diet. He reminds me a little bit of Roy Halladay. In my mind, Roy was in better shape in his early 30s than in his mid-to-late 20s. These guys learn their bodies and commit more to conditioning."
Anthopoulos is as sabermetrically savvy as any young general manager, but he's also in tune with player makeup and intangibles. He cites the mantra of Hall of Fame executive Pat Gillick, who once decreed that his player evaluations were based 70 percent on ability and 30 percent on character. Gillick later amended that to 60-40. Anthopoulos knew Martin and Donaldson would upgrade the Jays at two positions, but he was also convinced they would push their veteran teammates and help with the development of Devon Travis, Kevin Pillar and other young players on the roster.
"They're great guys in the clubhouse," Anthopoulos said. "They're intense, competitive and they care about winning and about the team. I know those are clichés and I say it a lot, but these guys are sincere about it. They don't accept losing. And if they go 0-for-4 and we win, they're really happy.
"First and foremost, it always comes down to talent. But I'm starting to understand what Pat Gillick used to talk about, and I can see that side of it. When you have an opportunity to get high-character guys who are productive, you want to do everything you can to get them."
Picking their spots
Leadership comes in all forms. The Kirk Gibson, take-a-teammate-by-the-scruff-of-the-neck-if-necessary approach is the obvious one. Then there's the Derek Jeter model of running out every ground ball as if an entire Boy Scout troop were watching.
Donaldson received his indoctrination in the art of leadership from Jonny Gomes in Oakland, where he came to understand the right way and the wrong way to go about things. The wrong way would have been to come to Toronto and try to assert himself on a team that already had a resident superstar in Jose Bautista.
"Early on, the goal is to let everybody get comfortable with you, and you get comfortable with them," Donaldson said. "If you come in trying to be 'the guy,' you're probably going to turn a few people off."
As evidenced by his "Bringer of Rain" Twitter handle, Donaldson has an entertaining touch of brashness to his game. After an early round of hitting at Citi Field this week, he entered the clubhouse in a muscle shirt with a bright yellow bandanna around his head. He quickly camped out at his locker, bat in hand and engaged several teammates in conversation.
"They both bring a level of consistency that's been a big attribute for this team. They're pillars of consistency, and when you have guys in your lineup that everyone can lean on, it brings everyone a sigh of relief. At their core, they're both great and passionate baseball players."R.A. Dickey, Blue Jays pitcher, on Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin
"He's a character," Martin said. "When you play against him, you don't like him as much as when he's on your team. You think he's over the top. But really, he's an absolute pro. He never gives up an at-bat and he works both sides of the ball. He wants to be special with everything he does."
Even if Martin, Donaldson & Co. continue to hit, the Jays aren't going to be able to bash their way to a division title. Toronto's rotation absorbed a major blow in spring training when Marcus Stroman went down with a knee injury, and the Jays' starters rank 14th in the AL with a 4.57 ERA. The bullpen is also suspect, and Anthopoulos has been keeping tabs on Jonathan Papelbon, Tyler Clippard and other available closer options in advance of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
But the Jays have weathered some injuries and growing pains among the rookies on the roster, and they've put themselves in position to contend. The Red Sox are a mess, and Baltimore, Tampa Bay and the Yankees are all flawed to a degree. There's no better time than now for the Jays to assert themselves.
If someone cares to lead the way, no one is going to do a background check. Donaldson, the former Alabama high school wide receiver, used to make the baseball coach stay late to hit him grounders as the sun was setting after football practice. He's always had a big motor. And Martin brings some local flavor as a Montreal native who grew up rooting for the Expos but reveled in the achievements of Cito Gaston's championship Toronto teams in 1992 and '93.
"They both bring a level of consistency that's been a big attribute for this team," Dickey said. "They're pillars of consistency, and when you have guys in your lineup that everyone can lean on, it brings everyone a sigh of relief. At their core, they're both great and passionate baseball players."
And what about the energy they bring to the park each day?
"I've played with a lot of people who have energy, but these guys are talented," Dickey said. "I've been on teams where guys have had a lot of energy and we stunk. I haven't been on a lot of teams where we had talent and we stunk."
For all their flaws, the Blue Jays have talent. They're just looking for the secret ingredient to take it to the next level. With the help of two new faces, they're trying to take advantage of their window of opportunity -- and kick down a few doors in the process.