Numbers explain Bichette’s slide
How did Bo Bichette get here?
The Blue Jays shortstop found himself batting seventh in the team’s batting order Tuesday, the lowest he has been slotted in 347 career major-league games. A day later, with George Springer not starting, he moved up to sixth.
Bichette has struggled at the plate this season and failed to live up to sky-high expectations after an allstar campaign a year ago. The 24year-old was a valuable contributor for a Jays team that won 91 games last year, leading the American League with 191 hits.
Primarily batting second or in the cleanup spot over the last season and a half, Bichette had slid down to the fifth spot in the batting order in recent weeks before dropping to seventh Tuesday. He batted sixth in his MLB debut, and had never left the top five after that first game.
“He’s an ultra competitor. I think (he’s) probably not thrilled, but he’s going to go out there and play hard like he does every day,” Jays manager John Schneider said after Tuesday’s game when asked if his relationship with Bichette made the conversation about moving down the lineup easier. The two go back to their minor-league days with Class-A Lansing.
“When you have a player that’s as talented and competitive as Bo, who’s obviously a big part of our team, has been and will be, yeah, it was a little bit of a conversation, but he gets it and he’s going to go out and be Bo.”
If traditional stats mean anything, the demotion had been a long time coming for Bichette. Even after going 2-for-4 on Wednesday afternoon, Bichette has the lowest onbase percentage among Blue Jays regulars. His .730 mark is significantly lower than the .828 he posted a year ago. His counting stats are down across the board, too.
The advanced stats offer mixed reviews for Bichette. His maximum exit velocity and hard hit rate remain just about on par with last season, showing he’s still making good contact when he does make contact. His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is at a careerlow .314, suggesting there could be brighter days may be ahead.
The biggest concern, and one many Blue Jays fans have taken issue over on social media, might be the strikeouts. Bichette is striking out at a 24.5-per-cent clip, more than in his rookie season. His 122 strikeouts were tied for the 13th most in baseball at the conclusion of the Jays game Tuesday, and the stat gets worse when it stands beside his 28 walks.
“I think just on paper you can see it, but it’s a constant adjustment between him and the league and the league to him,” Schneider said Tuesday. “He’s going to be asked to continue to produce for us, he’s going to be a big part of our lineup going forward. The differences, I think, are self-explanatory right now between last year and this year, but that happens in baseball, it happens over a player’s career.”
Bichette has already proven he’s capable of being one of the most productive hitters in baseball. A hitting slump that carries into August could easily be forgotten with a final six weeks that resemble his 2021 form. The Jays have the luxury of a deep lineup that, at its best, can afford to drop Bichette down while he figures things out.
But as Schneider said when asked about struggling pitcher Yusei Kikuchi after Monday night’s loss, time is running out. “It’s more about urgency than patience right now. Season’s getting short.”