The first month of the season has been a mixed bag for the Toronto Blue Jays.
An off-season overhaul has provided promising early returns — Devon Travis and Josh Donaldson for example — but the club has not gotten enough consistent pitching.
So why not check up on some old friends?
The club got rid of many familiar faces over the winter, and players such as Brandon Morrow and Adam Lind have been thriving with their new teams.
In this edition of our Ex-files feature, we check up on 10 prominent former Blue Jays and how they performed in April.
Colby Rasmus, Houston Astros: 
Rasmus has been an everyday player for a surprising 14-7 Astros squad that currently leads the AL West. The former Blue Jays outfielder has been a big part of Houston’s early success, accumulating seven hits in his last five games with six RBI. On the season, he’s hitting .254/.319/.524 with four home runs, nine RBI, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 27-to-6.
Adam Lind, Milwaukee Brewers: 
Lind has provided a rare silver lining on an otherwise lousy Milwaukee Brewers team. He’s hitting .333/.398/.577 with seven doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI. Hell, he’s even hitting okay against lefties (.308 average in 13 at-bats) not that it’s much of a sample size.
Brett Lawrie, Oakland Athletics: 
While Josh Donaldson
has been raking for the Blue Jays, Lawrie’s offensive production has been a bit underwhelming in the Bay Area; he’s batting .225 with a .584 OPS through 21 games. He has two home runs and 10 RBI, but that hasn’t been a great trade-off compared to what Donaldson provided. In typical Lawrie fashion, there have been a few dust-ups along the way. Just ask the Kansas City Royals.
Melky Cabrera, Chicago White Sox: 
After a monster year in Toronto, Cabrera is off to a slow start on the south side of Chicago. The veteran outfielder has a total of 19 hits in 78 plate appearances for a batting line of .268/.312/.296. He has a total of five RBI and has yet to hit a home run.
Brandon Morrow, San Diego Padres: 
Morrow is adjusting well to life in the NL West. Outside of a rough outing at Coors Field, the right-hander has been lights out for San Diego. He has gone at least seven innings in three of his four starts, allowing a total of eight runs with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 19-to-6. Health will always be a concern for the 30-year-old but it’s hard to argue with his April numbers.
Anthony Gose, Detroit Tigers: 
The Blue Jays have to be thrilled with Travis’ offensive production, but the Tigers didn’t do badly in the trade either, as speedy outfielder Anthony Gose put together one of the best offensive months of his MLB career. Gose, who shares time with former Blue Jay Rajai Davis, is hitting .314 with a .352 on-base percentage along with eight runs, one home run, six RBI and four stolen bases. However, he sports a troublesome 20-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Kendall Graveman, Oakland Athletics: The 24-year-old is further proof of an old Pat Gillick adage: never buy into anything you see in spring training. Graveman posted exceptional numbers throughout the spring, earning a rotation spot in Oakland, but that success didn’t translate during the regular season. The right-hander was optioned to triple-A Nashville last Sunday after posting a disastrous 8.27 ERA with 2.02 WHIP in four MLB starts.
J.A. Happ, Seattle Mariners: 
Back to Gillick’s point: Spring numbers can be deceiving. Happ has been brilliant for Seattle after an ugly showing in March. Through four starts, the veteran left-hander has earned three wins with a 2.30 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Happ has been a stabilizing force for a Seattle rotation that has dealt with injuries (Hisashi Iwakuma) and inconsistency from young pitchers (Taijuan Walker). Right now, Toronto could certainly use production like that in the rotation.
Dustin McGowan, Philadelphia Phillies: 
McGowan signed an off-season deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but didn’t make the team out of spring training. Following his release, he found a job with the Philadelphia Phillies where he has performed both as a starter and a reliever. In 12.2 innings, McGowan has allowed six earned runs with nine strikeouts, 12 walks, and one home run allowed.
Casey Janssen, Washington Nationals: 
Janssen projected as the Nationals’ set-up man, but he has yet to pitch this season. He threw live batting practice Monday and is expected to pitch in a simulated game on Thursday. The long-time Blue Jays reliever is recovering from rotator cuff tendinitis in his right shoulder, and is expected to return in early May.
Honourable mentions:
Travis Snider, Baltimore Orioles: Outside of an ugly defensive showing at the Rogers Centre, Snider has had a very productive first month with Baltimore.
Adeiny Hechavarria, Miami Marlins: Hechavarria was recently named the NL Player of the Week after the hottest offensive stretch of his career.
Travis d’Arnaud, New York Mets: D’Arnaud was hitting really well for the Mets before fracturing his right hand. If all goes well, he could back in the lineup at the end of May.
