Blue Jays drop significantly in MLB power rankings

Toronto opened Wednesday at 7-9, 2.0 games back in the AL East, which is not a disaster on April 15. But it looks worse when the club has been outscored 89-66 through 16 games.

That's why the latest power-ranking drop lands with some weight. Jays Journal pointed to FanSided pushing Toronto down to 26th after the club opened the year with a soft stretch and still fell under .500.

The bigger issue is that the lineup just lost its leadoff hitter. Springer landed on the 10-day injured list after CT scans confirmed a fracture in his left big toe.

That absence hits harder than Springer's early slash line. Schneider has leaned on him at the top of the lineup, and there is no easy replacement for that role or that clubhouse voice.

The timing also makes the stumble tougher to ignore. Toronto is 3-7 over its last 10 games, while Tampa Bay has already climbed to the top of the division at 9-7.

The Jays Journal piece framed the ranking drop as earned, and that's hard to fight. The club was a top-5 team in that same outlet not long ago, and now it is sitting in the bottom 5.

This is where Schneider's decisions start to matter more than the ranking itself. A team can survive a rough 2 weeks, but only if the manager finds a workable lineup card while key bats and arms are down.

The standings still offer a small opening. New York is 9-8, Baltimore is 9-8, and Boston is only 6-11, so the division has not turned into a runaway race.

Still, Toronto's margin is already thin. A minus-23 run differential usually points to more than bad luck, especially when the offense has not covered for the pitching injuries.

That is why this story is bigger than a power-ranking number. The drop reflects a club that has not controlled games, has not stayed healthy, and now has to play from behind without one of its regular table-setters.

Springer's injury did not create all of Toronto's problems. It did make the early mess harder to hide.

And if Schneider does not steady this group soon, the ranking will be the least painful part of the Blue Jays' April.