Throughout the off-season, I’ll provide commentary and links related to the Toronto Blue Jays and MLB every weekend.

Those who watched the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays with any frequency saw that Melky Cabrera was a defensive liability in left field. The 29-year-old had a benign tumour removed from his spine in August after battling leg injuries throughout the year, so it’s no surprise that his mobility was compromised.

It’s now possible to get a sense of how much Cabrera’s injuries affected his defensive performance in 2013. As the graphics below show, Cabrera failed to make a catch in foul territory in 2013 after making five such plays in 2012. While nearly all of the plays Cabrera made in 2013 were considered routine, he did show more range in 2012, making a few difficult plays.

The data comes via FanGraphs from Inside Edge, an analytics company that scouts video of each MLB game and records the location and difficulty of each play to generate data on batted balls and fielders, among other things.

Melky Cabrera – 2012 – San Francisco Giants



Melky Cabrera – 2013 – Toronto Blue Jays



By way of comparison, Kansas City Royals left fielder Alex Gordon made many more difficult plays (red and orange dots) than Cabrera. The two-time Gold Glove winner also made plays in foul territory, contributing to his overall defensive value.

Alex Gordon – 2013 – Kansas City Royals



There’s no guarantee that Cabrera’s fielding ability will return in 2014, but he’ll get every opportunity to prove himself since he’s expected to be the Blue Jays’ everyday left fielder. It stands to reason that his mobility will be improved after the removal of the tumour and some rest for his legs.

Even if he never matches up with elite left fielders like Gordon, Cabrera could track down more balls if his mobility returns to its pre-2013 levels. That alone would be a welcome change for the Blue Jays.

OUTFIELD SHORTAGE: The Blue Jays have major long-term questions about their outfield, as Shi Davidi recently outlined. They also need outfielders in the immediate term — at least for their triple-A Buffalo affiliate. One or two of Anthony Gose, Kevin Pillar and Moises Sierra will open the season at Buffalo, but there’s not a ton of depth beyond that trio. Even if Kenny Wilson advances to triple-A, the Blue Jays will want to add minor league outfield depth. They’ve inquired on some players capable of filling that role without completing any agreements.

TOLLESON ARRIVES: Steve Tolleson, the newest member of the Blue Jays organization, projects as a bench player capable of helping out at the big league level in case of injury, according to a team executive who has watched the utility player frequently in recent years. Tolleson provides the Blue Jays with a right-handed bat capable of playing around the infield in case someone like Brett Lawrie or Maicer Izturis hits the disabled list. All three of the 30-year-old’s career home runs have come against left-handed pitching.

NOTES: The San Diego Padres hired James Parker as an Eastern Canada area scout. Parker worked for the Toronto-based True Gravity Sports player agency before scouting extensively in the U.S. and Canada… Neil Wagner ended up two weeks shy of one full year of MLB service, which means the Blue Jays control his rights for six more seasons. Gose is also controllable for six more years… The Blue Jays aren’t the only ones playing the waiting game. Many agents prefer to lock their clients up before the new year, but there are still dozens of unsigned players with 10 days remaining in 2013.