30-year old righty swinging RF Jose Bautista proved in 2011 that his 2010 season was not a fluke. Bautista has played in 136 games for the Blue Jays so far this year and he is 144 of 473 (.304 avg, 1.072 OPS) with 101 runs scored, 42 homers, 100 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Bautista has walked 117 times this year too as pitchers are being very, very careful with him. Bautista has now played in 431 games in his first four years with the Blue Jays and he is 383 for 1,434 (.267 avg, .953 OPS) with 271 runs scored, 112 homers, 274 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.

28-year old shortstop Yunel Escobar has been really solid for the Blue Jays this year. He has played in 133 games for the Blue Jays so far this year and he is 149 for 513 (.290 avg, .782 OPS) with 77 runs scored, 11 homers, 48 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Escobar has now played in 193 games in his first two years with the Blue Jays and he is 214 for 749 (.286 avg, .755 OPS) with 109 runs scored, 15 homers, 64 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. The Blue Jays got the better end of the Yunel Escobar - Alex Gonzalez deal with the Braves last July.

UPDATE: (9/21/2011) - The Toronto Blue Jays have placed Escobar on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to September 11th due to a left elbow injury.

When the Blue Jays dealt Shaun Marcum to the Brewers for 21-year old righty swinging 3B Brett Lawrie, many were skeptical…including myself. Marcum has pitched really well for the Brewers, but Brett Lawrie has been on fire for the Blue Jays since getting called up from the minors. Lawrie has played in 35 games for the Blue Jays so far this year and he is 39 for 121 (.322 avg, 1.075 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 9 homers, 22 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Lawrie is looking like a big key to the Blue Jays’ future as he really plays hard all of the time.

25-year old righty swinging rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia and 36-year old righty swinging Jose Molina are giving the Blue Jays solid production offensively behind the plate. Arencibia has played in 96 games for the Blue Jays so far this year and he is 73 for 344 (.212 avg, .710 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 19 homers, 57 RBIs and 106 whiffs. Arencibia is an all or nothing hitter but he has a ton of power, so the Jays can deal with a low batting average out of him. Jose Molina is easily putting up the best offensive year of his major league career in 2011. Molina has played in 38 games for the Blue Jays so far this year and he is 39 for 126 (.310 avg, .831 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 2 homers, 11 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Arencibia and Molina is a nice pairing for the Blue Jays behind the plate.

30-year old righty swinging RF Jose Bautista has been elected by the fans to start in RF for the American League All-Stars next week. Bautista really burst on the scene last year for the Blue Jays. He played in 161 games for the Blue Jays last year and he was 148 for 569 (.260 avg, .995 OPS) with 109 runs scored, 54 homers (led the majors), 124 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Many skeptics were wondering if Bautista could do it again in 2011, and he has been even better. Bautista has played in 78 games for the Blue Jays so far this year and he is 91 for 277 (.329 avg, 1.146 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 27 homers, 56 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He has also walked 70 times while only whiffing 50 times so far this year. He richly deserves the honor he’s getting next week.