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Toronto Blue Jays
Overall: 67
Title track: 38
Ownership: 84
Coaching: 84
Players: 50
Fan relations: 67
Affordability: 92
Stadium experience: 100
Bang for the buck: 51
Change from last year: +32
Everyone loves a contender, and the Blue Jays, who won the AL East in 2015 and qualified for the ALCS again this season, are certainly that. For a fan base that hadn't enjoyed relevant October baseball since the Joe Carter home run in 1993, winning cures everything. (Well, nearly everything.) This franchise improved quite a bit in The Mag's Ultimate Standings, up to the middle of the pack in the sport.
What's good
Being among the top 10 in baseball for title track drives the overall ranking to a large degree, and wins are generally the result of talented players. With defending AL MVP Josh Donaldson delivering another sensational season, plus plenty of power behind him in the lineup (Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Saunders, Troy Tulowitzki) and breakout pitching performances (Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ), the Blue Jays were expected to contend. With good players (ranked 50th, up 44 spots) come wins, and with wins comes bang for the buck (51st).
What's bad
Stadium experience and affordability continue to rank poorly, and though that isn't entirely surprising, it's not like the fans aren't coming to the games (Toronto averaged 41,880 fans per game, third in MLB). Sorry, fans who ranked stadium experience just 100th overall: A domed stadium is simply a necessity for where the Blue Jays play their home games. Of course, ticket prices aren't cheap, but at least the Jays are likely to send you home with a win. It's noteworthy that the only two other MLB stadiums worse in stadium experience were Oakland and Tampa Bay, but again, few in those places would care if the teams were winning. Rogers Centre is what it is -- good enough to host October baseball.
What's new
Interestingly enough, while Blue Jays fans complain about their stadium and always will, the fan relations part of the experience has vastly improved (up 35 spots this year, to 67th overall). Manager John Gibbons also took a big jump up 28 spots. The former big league catcher who enjoys starting a bit of trouble on the field is, to fans, someone they'd like to have a beer and catch a game with. Of course, these jumps are just natural occurrences from a long-suffering franchise getting back to winning. Gibbons might or might not be a championship-winning manager, but the fans like him.
Next: Boston Red Sox | Full rankings