Behind every successful team, there are some players quietly contributing outside of the spotlight. No team can reap the rewards with just one or two star players pulling in their weights, and for the Blue Jays, there have been quite a few players who stepped up to have career seasons of their own.

While it’s arguable that most of the roster is having a much better season compared to their career records, here are four players who have contributed the most to this iteration of the Blue Jays.

Eric Lauer wasn’t supposed to be one of the starters for the 2025 Blue Jays, but the universe had another plan for him. Injuries across the board opened the door for Lauer, and it has worked out for him with the Jays.

The left-hander has pitched to 92 2/3 innings so far and recorded a 3.21 ERA, 4.00 FIP and 1.13 WHIP, resembling his records with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021 and 2022. His win-loss record with the Blue Jays is 8-2, which translates to Lauer giving the team more wins than they thought they didn’t have a shot at. When Toronto didn’t have a reliable fifth starter, the 30-year-old lefty rose to the occasion to give it a chance to top the AL East division and hope of the playoffs.

The recent acquisition and return of Shane Bieber will see Lauer shift to the bullpen for the time being, but hopefully provide some security amongst a relief corps that hasn’t been firing on all cylinders since August 1st.

Lauer’s latest start wasn’t his best, but what he’s done so far is already more than enough for the Blue Jays to have a shot at becoming a more sustainable contender. He’s been one of the brightest stars on this staff.

Most teams have one good catcher they rely on, but the Blue Jays have two catchers performing at the top of their games this season.

We all know about Alejandro Kirk and his all-star level contribution, but Heineman’s contributions on the diamond have been stellar when called upon.

In 150 plate appearances, Heineman is slashing .313/.388/.461 with three home runs and 18 RBIs. Heineman’s defensive value and his above-average arm were always what stood out the most, but this year, his better offensive records are helping to make a difference and are effectively making opposing teams’ game plans harder.

Tommy Nance was a depth piece in the farm system until the Blue Jays experienced injuries and chaos in their bullpen.

With Ryan Burr, Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin all dealing with ailments this year (and now all are done for the season), the Blue Jays needed more relievers to call upon and Nance has been the best example of that so far.

Through 22 1/3 innings pitched, Nance has recorded a 1.61 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP and has allowed just four earned this year, two of which came yesterday against the Reds (his worst outing this year).

Realistically, these numbers will be extremely difficult to keep the rest of the way, but if Nance can keep his ERA below 3.00, that would already be a win for the Blue Jays for the rest of the regular season and for the playoff stage, given the injuries to other key arms.

Myles Straw’s initial acquisition was met with criticism during the whole Roki Sasaki/international free agent bonus pool money saga.

However, with more than 100 games into the season, Toronto wouldn’t change a thing about bringing on Straw from the Cleveland Guardians.

Not only has he been a defensive whiz, but he’s also been valuable at the plate. Straw is currently slashing .272/.322/.377 with four home runs and 30 RBIs, which is reminiscent of his breakout 2021 season with the Houston Astros. The 30-year-old outfielder was never going to be an offensive star, so the fact that the Straw is already contributing at a higher level offensively is a bonus to the Blue Jays, who need more weapons in the lineup to throw their opponents off.

Straw’s role was to be a bench bat and defensive replacement when needed and he’s done all that and more this year for the Blue Jays.

Celebrate Vladdy’s big news in style with the exclusive new BlueJaysNation Vladdy merch — available only at NationGear.ca! Rep a future Hall of Famer and wear your team’s pride loud. Limited drop. Don’t miss out.