The weather is getting hotter and so are the Blue Jays. They have been playing some of their best baseball for more than a month and have not only found themselves in a playoff spot, but are now breathing down the necks of the division leading Yankees. The biggest problem for the Jays early on was the lack of offense. However, since May 9th, among AL teams, they are 3rd in average, 1st in slugging, and 2nd in wRC+. They have also been hitting for a lot more power, and more importantly, hitting more home runs. Prior to May 9th, the Jays were last in the American League in homeruns with 26, since then, they are 5th with 53.
One of the biggest reasons for the spike in offense has been Bichette being more like himself and has been driving the ball a lot more. He had no homeruns in March and April, but hit 7 in May and now has 11 on the season. His OPS in May was almost 200 points higher than it was in April, and it’s no surprise that when he’s goes, the team also plays well.
Another player who has significantly helped the Jays’ offense, especially lately, has been Addison Barger. The 25-year-old lefty slugger did not make the team out of spring training, and even after getting called up in mid-April, did not perform that well. It wasn’t until Andrés Giménez went on the injured list on May 9th that allowed Barger to find himself in the lineup almost every day which slowly led to him producing more. He has slugged 8 homeruns since May 9th and now has an OPS of over .800. He has elite bat speed, and an average exit velocity of 93.3%, which has him in the top 7% of MLB players. His hot bat has not only found him in the lineup every day, but he’s also now hitting second, in between Bichette and Guererro.
The impact that Bo and Barger have had on the lineup couldn’t have been more evident than on June 17th when they went back-to-back and walked off the Diamondbacks.
The Jays have also been getting significant contributions from the “supporting cast” as well. Guys like Kirk, Springer, and Clement have come up with impactful hits over the last month to help the Jays win numerous games. Kirk has been hitting an MLB-best .333 with 2 strikes, Springer is barreling up more balls than he has in years, and Clement has an OPS of 1.194 against lefties. The recent success has truly been a team effort, but there is still one player that the Jays are still waiting on to really break out.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hitting .279/.383/.442 with 10 homeruns and 39 RBI. This is a decent season thus far, but for a player like Vladdy, is still way less than what is expected from him. The Jays paid him $500 million to not be a good player, they need him to be an elite player. It’s great that guys like Barger, Kirk, and clement are producing, but at the end of the day, the Jays will only go as far as Vladdy and Bo will take them. Bo has stepped up lately, and now it’s time for Vlad.
He started slow last year too, but got hot from June onwards. This year has been much of the same to start, except he hasn’t turned it on yet. Post All-Star Game last season, he hit .376/.450/.678 with a 1.128 OPS with 16 homeruns., and that is what he needs to be, but preferably, for more than just a couple of months. He needs to be the biggest force in the lineup and the guy that is slugging consistently and driving in runs. Much like how Aaron Judge is the driving force of the Yankees offence, Vladdy needs to be that for the Jays.
We’re almost halfway through the season, so there is still time for Vladdy to turn into the player we know he can be. For now, if guys like Bo, Barger, and Kirk, can continue to do what they’ve been doing, the Jays will be able to remain competitive and remain in a postseason spot. The weather is getting hot in Toronto, and now it’s time for Vladdy and the Blue Jays to follow suit.