Three weeks into the season, the Toronto Blue Jays are sitting atop the AL East despite the endless ordeals along the way. Standings this early don’t mean much, but if it’s any indicator of anything, the AL East is shaping up to be a gigantic mud fight rather than having a clear elite division leader anywhere. 
This iteration of the Blue Jays has scraped out the wins somewhat painfully, but their win-loss record thus far showcases that they found more ways to win, even if they couldn’t do it in the most convincing way possible. In their road to the top of the division very early this season, a few surprises have helped carry the team both figuratively and literally. 
Below are some factors that might have helped the Blue Jays survive this challenging schedule out of the gate. 
1. Easton Lucas
The Blue Jays’ de facto fifth starter has been a revelation for the team early in the 2025 season.
Easton Lucas has been a journeyman most of his pitching career so far, playing for more than three teams until he found his place with the Blue Jays this year. Initially, Lucas didn’t make the best impression when he made his debut with Toronto in 2024, and the southpaw didn’t have a Major League start under his belt before he toed the rubber against Washington a couple of weeks ago. But when he took the ball on April 2nd, he pitched five innings with no runs allowed off of two hits while striking out three. He then repeated this stellar performance against the Boston Red Sox on April 8th when he pitched 5 1/3 innings with no runs allowed once again, repeating his first outing albeit against a tougher lineup but striking out eight this time around. 
Toronto needed someone to answer the bell when Scherzer landed on the IL, and Lucas is doing just that, giving the Jays a chance to compete when called upon and not having to burn through the bullpen to get through the outing. Lucas will continue to start until either Scherzer returns or he starts to fade, but for now, there is no indication he is slowing down, and the Blue Jays will throw him out again tonight against the Atlanta Braves. 
2. Myles Straw
Toronto’s acquisition of Myles Straw this past winter was to add additional international bonus pool money in an attempt to sign Roki Sasaki, which ultimately backfired on the squad. The outfielder has struggled to live up to the contract he signed with Cleveland a few years back, and he was thrown into the trade to eat up the owed salary to the lefty batter versus needing the player.
With centre fielder Daulton Varsho’s injury to start the year, Straw was promoted to the major league roster and has surprisingly proved his value fairly quickly. The scrappy outfielder’s defence skills were never in question, but his offence game was fading in recent years. 
Yet, the Californian outfielder has made the most of his plate appearances early this season and has become a hidden weapon in Toronto’s roster. In 21 plate appearances, Straw has a slash line of .375/.400/.458 and contributed to the most recent Blue Jays’ win against the Orioles, putting a single to right field to score a run in the fifth inning, a sac bunt to move runners over in the eighth inning, and provided the go-ahead run in the 10th inning to give Toronto the 7-6 lead and eventual win. 
He’s played sparingly off the bench this season with Nathan Lukes and George Springer taking reps in centre field as well, but any time he has been called upon, he has answered the bell.
3. Andrés Giménez
Andrés Giménez is now one of the bigger core pieces of the Blue Jays’ roster after coming over from the Cleveland Guardians with reliever Nick Sandlin this offseason. The Venezuelan infielder has always been a glove-first infielder, and the Jays were looking to find some thump in his bat that has been missing since his red-hot 2022 season, where he posted a slash line of .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs, 69 RBIs, and finished sixth in MVP voting. 
Based on Giménez’s offensive records in the past two seasons, he wasn’t anticipated to carry the lineup. So far, the 26-year-old leads the team with three home runs and is second in slugging percentage after Springer. Giménez’s specialty doesn’t come from his raw power; rather, it comes from his ability to get on base, play defence, steal bases, and score runs whenever possible. He’s faded a bit since his hot start to the year (just 6 for 32 on the road this past week), but he is still providing a lot of value on the field and will hopefully find an upswing with the Jays returning home to face the Braves tonight.
So long as the infielder can continue to give Toronto the edge with any of those skills, he will be able to give more opportunities for the Blue Jays to secure wins. 
4. George Springer
One of the biggest surprises to start the season has been George Springer.
Coming off a disappointing 2024 season, Springer didn’t do himself any favours by going 4 for 37 (.108) this spring, while others like Straw and Alan Roden had a successful run during the short span. With Varsho on the IL, Springer has been splitting his time in right field, centre field, and the DH spot, and so far, he’s been one of the hottest hitters in the league. His .375 average leads the entire Major Leagues while he owns a 1.041 OPS thanks to his three doubles, one triple, and two home runs with 10 RBIs – tied for the team lead with Bo Bichette. He’s the only everyday player with an OPS over the .800 mark and has also added two stolen bases while making some highlight-reel catches in the outfield.
Springer’s glove has never been in question, but after his rough 2024 season, a repeat in 2025 was going to raise some tough questions about his future with the club. Now, the narrative has turned into the Jays needing his bat as much as possible, which is cause for concern considering he left yesterday’s game with wrist discomfort. The hope is that he is not out long-term because the Jays need his bat in the lineup, a welcome sight for Jays fans who have been hoping for a strong turnaround from the Connecticut product.
5. Overall resilience in pitching
In the past season, the Blue Jays’ pitching fell off rather spectacularly. Toronto’s starting pitching took a hit with injury stints, but its relief pitching depth suffered the most with the most injuries and inefficient depth overall. This time, the team is finally on its way to redemption. 
According to MLB, the Blue Jays rank sixth in the league in ERA (3.37) and strikeouts (145) and fourth in WHIP (1.09). Breaking this down further, Toronto’s starting rotation ranks third in WHIP (1.04), fourth in ERA (3.08), and tied for eighth in strikeouts (83). Where the numbers start to tail off is in the relief corps. As a whole, Toronto’s relievers rank eighth in WHIP (1.17), 10th in strikeouts (63), and 15th in ERA (3.86).
Combined, all of these outputs from starters and relievers are already light-years ahead of those from the 2024 season. While it’s too optimistic to say that Toronto is on the right track for pitching, it’s suffice to say that the team can improve its tarnished record from the past. There is still a long road ahead for this pitching core, and there might be more injuries in store with more than 140 games to go. But if Toronto’s pitching continues to find more ways to win, it has the fighting chance to compete against some of the tougher competition around the league. 
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