By the numbers: The Toronto Blue Jays have their offense through two weeks of the 2024 season

After dropping two of three games against the Colorado Rockies, the Toronto Blue Jays close out the home stretch against Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees.

The Jays (8-8) have won four of six games against the Rockies and Mariners at Rogers Center, winning three more against the Yankees (12-4) before sweeping series against the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals.

Toronto is currently in last place in the American League East, four games back of the division-leading Bronx Bombers.

Much of the talk surrounding the team this offseason has turned to the struggle to improve the offense after the departures of Matt Chapman, Brandon Belt and Whit Merrifield, replaced by veteran Justin Turner and rookie Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

With two weeks of the 2024 season in the books, how did the much-discussed Blue Jays offense perform en route to a .500 record?

Power outages persist

The Blue Jays' offense was mediocre last season, finishing in the top half of the league in scoring (14th), batting average (eighth) and on-base percentage (eighth).

However, the club's two biggest problems are a lack of power and a constant struggle with runners in scoring position.

The Jays weren't a true average power threat for much of last season, finishing 16th in home runs, 13th in slugging percentage and 18th in isolated power (.ISO, slugging percentage – batting average).

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led the team in the power department with 26 home runs, but that was his rookie season low after 123 games. Since finishing second in MVP voting in 2021, the three-time All-Star has seen his slugging percentage and OPS (on-base + slugging) decline in each subsequent season, finishing third on the team in both categories in 2023. Bo Bichet.

Toronto's runners hit .730 in scoring position last season, 20th in the league. The problems were never more apparent than in the Wild Card series against the Minnesota Twins, who scored one run in both games, went 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and collected just one extra base hit.

Through 16 games this season, the Jays have once again struggled in the power department, ranking in the bottom half of the league in home runs, .ISO, slugging and OPS.

The Jays are also near the top of the league in hitting double plays in 2024, with an OPS of .654 (24th) and runners in scoring position.

Cooking at home

The Jays began their season on a 10-game road trip and struggled to generate offense at times, holding the Astros to one hit after two games without a hit from Houston Astros starter Ronel Blanco.

Overall, the team scored 3.6 runs per game and hit a disappointing .193/.300/.327 on the road after averaging 4.6 last season.

After the Jays returned to Toronto, things improved significantly. Over the past two series, the club has averaged 4.2 runs per game and is slashing .293/.350/.420. Turner was the catalyst of the offense, leading the team with a .386 average, 1.095 OPS and eight RBI.

“The offense is just scratching the surface,” Turner said after Sunday's 5-0 win over the Rockies. “I think there's a lot more in the tank and when we're hitting on all cylinders, it's going to be a fun offense to be a part of.

“You can't just show up and do it,” he added. “We have a lot of guys that work every day and grind. When that pendulum starts to swing the other way, it's going to be an interesting offense.”