What Should the Blue Jays Lineup Look Like?

To say that the Toronto Blue Jays’ lineup is the team’s strength is an understatement. It was already an exciting and decent lineup with the kids getting into their own last season, and now they are adding two All Star calibre players. Springer and Semien really help lengthen the Blue Jays lineup and overall, could make it one of the best in the American League. One of the popular topics of discussion that goes on throughout spring training is what the everyday lineup will look like. As spring training winds down, the everyday players start to play in more of the games and we are slowly getting a look at some of the possibilities for the opening day lineup. In this article, I am going to present what I think should be the opening day lineup, and assuming all players are healthy, the lineup that should be used for most of the season.

1. Springer (CF) – This is a no-brainer and is the only lock that I see in the lineup. While Springer is currently nursing a Grade 2 oblique strain, when healthy, he should be leading off. He was a tremendous leadoff hitter for the Astros and there is no reason to have him hit anywhere else in the lineup. He provides immediate pop and can give the team a 1-0 lead with one swing; because of his ability to start the game with such momentum, there is no reason for why he should not lead off in every game he plays in.
2. Semien (2B) – There is room for discussion as to who hits behind Springer, and this can be changed depending on performance. The two logical answers are either Bichette or Semien, and I would choose Semien – at least to start the season. Semien found a lot of success hitting either leadoff or in the two-hole in Oakland, and he will give you a good at bat behind Springer. If he struggles, you can move Bichette into that spot and drop Semien down the card, but if he is the 2019 or late 2020 version of himself, that will be quite the one-two punch to start the game.
3. Bichette (SS) – Bo batting third makes sense, since, if not for Semien he would likely have hit second. Bo could become one of the best hitters on the team. He may not have the same power as some of the guys like Teoscar or Vlad, but he has the ability to hit the ball all over the diamond. The only knock on Bo is that he has a horrible walk percentage. If he can lay off certain pitches and not chase as much, he should have no problem getting on base and eventually scoring with the big guys like Hernandez and Guerrero hitting behind him.
4. Hernandez (RF) – 2020 was a breakout season for Teoscar. He cut down on strikeouts, and was hammering baseballs all season long. He won a Silver Slugger award and was fifth in the American League in home runs. Typically, the batter hitting fourth in the lineup – referred to as the cleanup hitter – is one of the team’s stronger power bats and in charge of driving in runs. If Teoscar can maintain the success he had in 2020 over a full 162, the Jays may have their next big cleanup hitter that they have been lacking since Bautista and Encarnacion left.
5. Guerrero Jr. (1B/DH) – A couple of years ago I think lots of Jays fans would have pegged Vladdy to hit either second or third, maybe even fourth as the cleanup hitter. However, with the additions of Springer and Semien at the top and the emergence of Teoscar’s power bat, Guerrero finds himself hitting fifth. There is nothing wrong with that, it’s just not what Jays fans may have forecasted when he made his much-anticipated debut in 2019. He is having a very good spring and that could be as a result of the 40-plus pounds that he lost since last summer. You could make the argument to have Teoscar hit behind Vlad to give Guerrero some protection – meaning that Guerrero should get better pitches to hit because pitchers would rather try to strikeout Guerrero, rather than walk him and face Teoscar with Vladdy on base – but right now it would be best to have Vlad hit fifth. If as the season progresses he is hitting very well, and someone at the top is struggling, you can look to make a switch.
6. Tellez (DH/1B) – Continuing the theme of guys that crush baseballs, here is Rowdy Tellez hitting sixth. Tellez is another guy that appeared to be coming into his own in 2020 before a knee sprain ended his season in early September. Tellez cut down his strikeout percentage, and greatly increased his batting average on breaking and off-speed pitches. While Tellez looks to have the makeup of powerful cleanup hitter, he hasn’t been able to consistently put up the numbers that a cleanup hitter should. That, and due to the fact the Teoscar and Guerreo have shown a little more consistency, I have Tellez hitting sixth. Plus, if Tellez can continue the success he found in the second half of 2020, he could offer some protection to Vlad, and that would be three guys in the middle of the lineup that have light-tower power in Teo, Vlad, and Rowdy.
7. Gurriel Jr. (LF) – This is another situation where you could flip flop a couple guys in the lineup, and it wouldn’t be a major deal. You could switch Gurriel and Tellez, and depending on their respective performances throughout the season they probably will. I prefer to have Tellez’s left-handed bat hitting first to break up the long string of right-handed batters.
8. Jansen (C) – Now this could be a controversial decision. Jansen has struggled a lot offensively, so I am sure many Jays fans would rather not have him in the lineup at all, let alone hitting anywhere above nineth. However, he is going to be the everyday catcherso hewill be playing and will hit either eighth or nineth. The reason I have him hitting eighth, is for no other reason than I do not want him hitting in front of Springer. With Jansen not having the ability to get on base, that would lead to Springer coming up with less RBI chances. I believe the person I have ninth would get on base a lot more and could score more runs with Springer and Semien following him.
9. Biggio (3B) – Yes, I have Cavan Biggio hitting nineth. The man that spent the majority of 2020 hitting leadoff, has now dropped all the way to the bottom. Dropping him to the bottom is not due to lack of performance, it is mainly due to the type of hitter Biggio is. Biggio has an excellent eye at the plate, and tremendous plate discipline. He had a chase percentage of only 13.7% in 2020. For reference, Bichette – who tends to be more of free swinger – had a chase percentage in 2020 of 43.4%.The reason I have him hitting last is primarily to be a table setter for the guys at the top of the lineup; Biggio has the best walk percentage than anyone else on the team, and if he’s able to get on base to turn the lineup over, he could score a lot of runs. It would do no one any good if Biggio were to hit eighth, draw a walk in front of Jansen, only for Jansen to hit into a double play.

One man noticeably absent from the lineup is Randal Grichuk, who played in all but five games for the Jays last year, and has been Jays’ primary centre fielder. However, with the Springer signing and Teoscar’s possible emergence as a big time hitter, Grichuk is the one that finds himself without a chair. Montoyo will have to get creative with how he tries to give everyone sufficient playing time. Grichuk will likely share his time with Teoscar in right field and Tellez at DH. Assuming everyone is healthy, the lineup I proposed is the one that I would expect to see run out there every day. Of course things can change based on performances and injuries, but I feel like the best thing to do is to run out the same nine guys in the same order every day. The Jays are at a point where their lineup is full of everyday players, so therefore, they need to play everyday. These guys need to go out there and show what they can do over a full season. There is no need for bench players like Joe Panik to get regular playing time at the expense of a Biggio or Tellez. We will see what happens and how the lineups will be constructed in the end, but one thing is for sure, when healthy, this lineup is very deep and has the potential to be one of the best in the league.