Photo: Matthew Tsang/Icon Sportswire

The Blue Jays have led the majors in Defensive Runs Saved in each of the last two seasons. They rank 4th overall in 2025 and it’s going to be tough to claim a three-peat, since they’re 11 Runs Saved back of the Braves. But they’re having an impressive season nonetheless.

Their recent hot streak that pushed them to the top of the AL East has us reflecting on what makes them so good.

This is a Blue Jays team with a lot of defensive skill. They have seven players with at least 5 Runs Saved this season. That’s the most of any team in MLB.

One of their best defensive players is one of the least recognizable to fans outside Toronto. Ernie Clement has been deployed at all four infield positions, and has totaled 11 Runs Saved. Most significantly he’s totaled 6 Runs at his main position, third base, and then 5 runs at second base filling in when Andrés Giménez was injured.

In fact, Clement ranks tied for 5th in Runs Saved at second base despite ranking 50th in innings played .

Ke’Bryan Hayes and Matt Chapman are probably blocking Clement’s path to a Fielding Bible Award at third base, but he should be a strong contender for an AL Gold Glove there. And he’ll be a top candidate for The Fielding Bible’s award for multi-position excellence.

Giménez, for his part, has 4 Runs Saved and still looks pretty good, if not like the guy who won a Platinum Glove a couple of years ago. The only AL second basemen with more Runs Saved than him are David Hamilton (7) and Clement. This kind of playmaking is why the Blue Jays traded for him this past offseason.

Gimenez’s former Guardians teammate is the Blue Jays leader in Runs Saved, center fielder Myles Straw.

Watching Straw’s highlight reel makes me think he’s determined to match or better last year’s success of Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier by himself. Straw looks a lot like the guy who ranked 2nd among center fielders in Defensive Runs Saved in 2022.

This season he ranks 3rd with 11 Runs Saved and has played almost flawlessly at the position. Straw has only 1 Defensive Misplay & Error all season. By comparison, the two center fielders ahead of him in Runs Saved: Ceddanne Rafaela and Pete Crow-Armstrong each have at least 10 Misplays & Errors

Straw has been a blessing because Varsho, has missed most of the season, first recovering from shoulder surgery and then out with an injury. Varsho was the SIS Defensive Player of the Year last year and has 5 Runs Saved even though he’s barely played (22 games).

Another position at which the Blue Jays have gotten good value from multiple players is catcher. The combination of Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman have been great, combining for  11 Runs Saved there. The only team to get more from its catchers is the Red Sox (14).

Kirk, who has 7 Runs Saved, is a good all-around catcher with solid numbers in pitch framing, pitch blocking, and limiting stolen bases. This isn’t a first-time thing. His 46 Runs Saved are the most among catchers in the last 4 seasons.

Most Runs Saved By Catcher – Last 4 Seasons

The one other player among those who have at least 5 Runs Saved is first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has 6 Runs Saved. Guerrero has shown more range this year than past years, particularly on balls hit to his right. He’s never finished a season with that many Runs Saved so we’ll see if he can carry it through for 162 games.

The Blue Jays have had a few defensive issues to overcome. Only 4 shortstops have done worse than Bo Bichette’s -5 Runs Saved. The Jays also seem to have realized that George Springer’s best defensive days are behind him (he was pretty good in his prime). He’s totaled -6 Runs Saved in right field this season but has now DH’d in 6 of his last 7 starts.

Additionally, the Blue Jays ranks 28th in Runs Saved from defensive positioning. This is largely the product of cutting their usage of infield shifts. There is often a statistical reward for good positioning provided the team is successful in recording outs in shifts (an example of a team who benefits from shift usage is the Dodgers). Our Video Scouts track how often a team uses a partial shift. The Blue Jays’ usage is well down from last year.

A partial shift is one in which the second baseman or shortstop is playing adjacent to second base and other infielders deviate from traditional positioning.

How Often A Ball Was Put In Play Against A Shifted Blue Jays Defense

Nonetheless, the Blue Jays are so good defensively because their fielders are so good. And their success could be long lasting. All of their top defensive players are either signed for the long term or under team control for several years.