When a baseball team is evaluated it’s usually cut into three neat slices: rotation, lineup and bullpen. If two of these units excel you’ve got a good team on your hands, if all three are rolling greatness could be in the cards.

Rarely taken into consideration is what a club’s bench has to offer. That’s because most benches in the American League are the same. By and large, the four players fit the following archetypes:

-Catch-and-throw backup catcher with a strong defensive game and limited offensive ability.

-Speedy outfielder who can play all three positions and contribute late in games on the bases or in the field.

-Corner infield or outfield bat, often with poor platoon splits that prevent them from starting every day.

-Glove-first, contact-hitting middle infielder, preferably with some small-ball chops.

It’s not an exact science, but that’s what you normally see in the AL where teams are limited to four bench players. These units are rarely discussed because they are relatively homogeneous both stylistically and in the value they offer.

The Toronto Blue Jays‘ opening-day bench of Ezequiel Carrera, Darwin Barney, Justin Smoak and Josh Thole certainly didn’t look like they were going to stick out from the crowd. All four players fit traditional roles to the tee, although Thole’s defensive value comes in the form of a knuckleball-catching specialty as opposed to a rocket arm.

If anything, the group looked a little light offensively. Even putting aside Thole, Barney brought a sub .300 career OBP into the season, Carrera had five career home runs to his name and the big first baseman Smoak had a career 96 wRC+ pegging him as a below-average offensive performer at a position that demands a big bat.

Injuries to Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Bautista, a poor start from Ryan Goins and the suspension of Chris Colabello opened the door for the Blue Jays’ reserves to show what they could do despite their perceived shortfalls. The results, outside of Thole’s typical doings, have been better than the team possibly could have predicted.

In 639 plate appearances – roughly the equivalent of a full season for an everyday player – the trio of Carrera, Barney and Smoak have hit .267/.345/.400 and been worth 2.5 WAR. The average regular contributes 2.0 WAR per season, meaning these three have been above-average regulars when they’ve filled in.

The biggest surprise has been Carrera, who has firmed up a leadoff spot that’s been unstable at times. Traditionally the 28-year-old has struggled to get on base, but this year he’s walking at a healthy 10.2 percent clip and his OBP of .370 is tied with the likes of Miguel Cabrera and Adrian Gonzalez.

Barney has exceeded expectations with the bat as well, humming along to the tune of a .296/.345/.392 line. Perhaps more impressively, he’s been a top-notch defensive shortstop when given the opportunity despite very little experience at the position at the big-league level.

Smoak’s recent struggles have deteriorated his overall line, but it’s worth remembering he helped carry a slumbering offence with his scorching May, even spending nine games in the clean-up hole.

On April 3, the Blue Jays began their season with a bench that looked not only unremarkable, but perhaps below-average even compared to the low standard of an AL bench. Instead of bringing the Blue Jays down, it has plugged crucial leaks and helped the team not only stay afloat, but surge into playoff position.

Baseball demands contributions up and down the roster like no other sport. “Stars and scrubs” models have failed of late in places like Milwaukee, Colorado and, most recently, Arizona. Over a six-month grind successful teams get production from depth players outside their core.

While the strength of the Blue Jays’ bench may not be the reason for their strong start, it certainly is a reason.