O’s vs. Blue Jays: A position-by-position WC look

Nineteen head-to-head meetings this year weren’t quite enough, apparently. On Tuesday, Toronto and Baltimore meet north of the border for the winner-take-all American League Wild Card Game (TBS, 8 p.m. ET). The clubs finished the year with identical 89-73 records; the season series was basically an even split too; Toronto went 10-9 against the Orioles, with that slightest of edges giving them home field for Tuesday’s elimination game.

Still, these are two very different rosters. Baltimore hit the most home runs in baseball and has a great bullpen, but its rotation is weak. The Blue Jays have had a surprisingly strong group of starters and good power of their own, but their bullpen has been an issue for much of the year — worse, now, that Joaquin Benoit is out with an injured calf.

In an elimination tilt, however, the normal rules of the game change. Rotation depth doesn’t matter. Getting the starter out before he can tire does. Let’s go position by position to see who has the edge.

CatcherMatt Wieters (84 Weighted Runs Created Plus, where 100 is league average) is having one of the worst seasons of his career, but Russell Martin (99 wRC+) hasn’t really stood out, either. Martin, at least, has turned a corner, putting together a very good second half (122 wRC+) after a brutal first half (77 wRC+). Yes, that’s true despite an identical batting average in each half, because getting on base and hitting for power matters a lot.Advantage: Blue Jays

First BaseEdwin Encarnacion has taken over the primary first base job from Justin Smoak, and he’s put up a typically productive (and underrated season), with 42 homers and a 134 wRC+, which is the seventh-best of any qualified first baseman. It might come as a surprise to Orioles fans disappointed in Chris Davis, but Davis has actually had an above-average hitting season, putting up a 111 wRC+ along with his 38 homers. It’s just not what they expected for the first year of his contract, and it’s not better than Encarnacion.Advantage: Blue Jays

Second BaseJonathan Schoop has started every game for the Orioles, and he put up what’s quickly becoming his typical season: good power (25 homers), little plate discipline (second-highest swing percentage in baseball). Devon Travis missed nearly a full calendar year due to a left shoulder injury, and he tweaked it again brawling with the Yankees, but he’s been very productive in the second half, hitting .321/.348/.462 (117 wRC+). Assuming he’s fine, then he earns the slight edge because he had a 34-point advantage on Schoop in OBP while nearly matching him in slugging.Small advantage: Blue Jays

Shortstop Last year, J.J. Hardy played through a torn labrum in his shoulder and was one of the weakest hitters in baseball; this year, despite a foot injury that cost him nearly two months, he bounced back somewhat with a …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com