Toronto Blue Jays all-star Bo Bichette is in very serious trouble
Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Despite being the reigning back-to-back American League Team Gold Glove Award winners, the Toronto Blue Jays have a glaring weakness at one of the most important defensive positions.
Bo Bichette has provided a spark at the plate amid a sluggish offence, but his defensive shortcomings, as issue that has trailed him for most of his career, remain a massive liability.
Blue Jays' defensive game is starting to be a real concern for Toronto.
Trevor Fitzpatrick from Blue Jays Nation writes that Bichette's fielding percentage is teetering near the .970 mark, slightly but notably below the league average of .975 for shortstops this season. It hasn't dipped this low since 2022, a year that similarly raised concerns about his defensive reliability.
"This year, he sits in the 23rd percentile of speed across MLB at 26.1 feet per second. That's down by over two feet per second since he entered the league in 2019. The most recent downtick could be due to the calf problems he dealt with last year." -Fitzpatrick
It begs the question: would Bichette be better suited at second base? Once Andrés Giménez comes off the IL, the Blue Jays could consider shifting the former Gold Glove to shortstop. The only problem? There's no guarantee Bichette can handle second base either.
"The ability at [Bo Bichette's] size to take the ball to the opposite field, over the fence... very rare quality for a shortstop... he had it and that part seems to more or less disappeared."
It would be wise for the Blue Jays to revisit that conversation with the 27-year-old, especially as he nears free agency for the first time at the end of the season.
Adding defensive versatility would undoubtedly make Bichette a more appealing extension candidate for the Jays, or a coveted target for rival teams once he hits free agency.
Previously on Blue Jays Insider
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