After outlasting the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays head home for their season opener in tie atop the American League East with the Boston Red Sox. Taking two of three from both the O’s and New York Yankees is never easy and doing so on the road makes the Jays 4-2 mark all the more impressive.

While Aaron Sanchez and Drew Huthison were roughed up over the weekend, the starting rotation has managed to deliver quality starts and outside of a one inning hiccup in New York, the bullpen has been able to hold up their end of the bargain. With that said, this team will live and die with their offense and if the first six games of the season are any indication of what Toronto can expect from Jose Reyes, this lineup may be next to impossible to contain.

There is no question the heart of this order is among the very best in baseball but the trio of Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson have been a tad inconsistent to open the year. However, if you were not paying attention over the weekend, you might not have noticed Bautista returned to form against the Orioles and their new third baseman is also starting to find his timing at the plate.

With this team being structured as it is, if the thirty-one year old continues to get on base at anywhere near that clip, opposing pitchers will have no choice but to throw to the aforementioned heart of the Jays order and that could prove to be rather problematic for the rest of the American League. Like any good lineup, having a guy at the top who gets on base is a key piece of the puzzle and Reyes has certainly delivered during the first week of the season.

Yes it is still early but contrary to popular belief, the veteran shortstop has been far more productive than he has been given credit for since being acquired from the Miami Marlins back in the winter of 2012 in what was a blockbuster twelve player deal. He is not worth the money he is being paid but his numbers speak for themselves. While some may have been expecting Reyes to return to his glory days of stealing 50+ bags a season that was never going happen.

Just have a look through the history books and you will be hard-pressed to many base stealers who were good all-around hitters, that continued to steal at the same rate in their early to mid-thirties and Reyes is no different. At some point, most guys will see their bodies start to break down and because of it…they have to pick their spots. To be perfectly honest, the fact he managed to swipe thirty bags in 2014, while being caught just twice, is actually pretty darn impressive.

For anyone to suggest the 2011 National League Batting Champion hasn’t produced during his time in Toronto is just flat out wrong. As per usual, health was always going to be a concern and unfortunately it has been his inability to either stay in the lineup or play close to full health that has hampered this team’s success over the last couple years.

In order for the Blue Jays to remain a true threat in the AL East, they need a healthy Reyes and while some fans will probably read far too much into him looking a little uncomfortable during a couple of separate incidents in New York and Baltimore, let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is the middle infielder’s thirteenth year in the big leagues.

His body has taken a beating over the years and while he may not be the same player he was in his mid-twenties, he still quite effective with bat in his hands and on the base paths. Is his range limited in the field? No question. Reyes is far from defensively sound but again, that is nothing new. That was part of the deal when they decided to bring him on board.

When it comes to Jose Reyes, fans of the Toronto Blue Jays would be wise to keep their expectations under control. While hoping for him to continue to hit at a .414 clip and delivering the aforementioned on base percentage would not be realistic, if he can remain relatively healthy and deliver a typical Jose Reyes season in 2015, a .290ish BA, 90-100 R, 20-30 SB and .330ish OBP, there is a very good chance this team will find its way back into the post-season for the first-time in twenty-two years. 

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About the author
Rob Soria
Rob covers the ATP Tour and Toronto Blue Jays for VAVEL USA