Heat on for Jays’ young guns
Guerrero, Bichette must carry load
Beyond the occasions where it can seize up in late-game situations, the prowess of the Toronto Blue Jays’ offence has never been in question.
From home-run power, to prolific run differential, to production from throughout the lineup, the Jays can belt themselves into just about any game with the boom in their bats.
The loss of George Springer until some time in September is a potentially significant blow, but as manager Charlie Montoyo has said, it’s time for others to step up. Montoyo isn’t naming names — that’s certainly not his style — but among those that the Jays will need to have heat up to move closer to contention for a playoff spot are young stars Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr.
One area the team is closely monitoring with the pair is how they handle the longest season of their young careers. In 2019, Guerrero hit his ceiling with 136 combined games through Toronto, Buffalo and Dunedin. For Bichette, the season-high is the 131 he played for the 2018 Eastern League champion New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
While both are relatively healthy — though Bichette recently missed a couple games due to bruised shins — there has been a lull in their production of late.
“Physically they’re fine, we’ve got to remember they’re (young) and they’re fine,” Montoyo said. “But when it comes to the grind of playing long seasons, it’s not easy.
“So you’re going to see the ups and downs like Vladdy’s going through right now, but at the end of the day they’re going to be all right.
“It’s their first year of being in a full season and they’re actually doing all right.”
Guerrero has been slapping hits all over the field lately, so he seems to be snapping out of what felt like a mini-slump. Still, he has just one homer in his past 15 games and now trails AL leader Shohei Ohtani in that department.
The 22-year-old first baseman is a much more efficient hitter than he was the previous two seasons, but has yet to unleash his best work at Rogers Centre.
As for the 23-year-old Bichette, he has just one extra-base hit in his past 16 games — a double — as he works through the grinding portion of the season. The Jays aren’t worried about the production, either, but will continue to help them navigate the rigours of a full 162-game big league season.
It’s a process but also an assignment that the Jays are fully confident both players can handle.
“We can’t forget we’re still a young team,” Montoyo said. “It’s communicating and staying even-keeled and just talking to the guys. Constant communication is part of having a young team.”
GLASS HALF FULL!
Had enough of the bullpen mess?
Still not completely over seeing the Jays give up 20 runs (17 by the bullpen) in a pair of losses to the lowly Washington Nationals?
Weary of having more stress on your ankles than Springer has on his left knee from jumping on and off the ‘is this a playoff-bound team or isn’t it’ train?
We’re here for a glass halffull look at the current conundrum.
The New York Yankees’ sweep of the Boston Red Sox this week was actually a good thing for the Jays because at least they have seven games remaining against the Bronx Bombers while being done with the Bosox portion of the schedule.
Of course, the Jays have to find a way to take care of business against the suddenly hot Yanks, but at least they have an opportunity.
Also encouraging is the return to Rogers Centre for a seven-game home stand, where the Jays will need to channel some of the vibe from a 9-2 record on their return to Toronto.
As horrid as the 11-day road trip through Anaheim, Seattle and Washington was, the 3-6 record didn’t do as much damage as it could have. The Red Sox are free-falling and entering Thursday’s action the Oakland A’s had lost four in a row.