Fix for offence has to start at the top
Schneider’s only good option is hoping his stars start heating up at the plate
The Blue Jays are off to a historically poor start with the bats, but manager John Schneider has not yet reached the point where he is considering major changes to the batting order.
Sluggish Aprils from Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer have been weighing down what was already considered an average lineup at best. Their production has been almost non-existent, which is why the Jays are near the bottom of the league in every major offensive stat.
They are averaging just 3.57 runs per game — their lowest since 1981, when they averaged 3.10 while finishing 32 games below .500. They also have scored five runs or fewer in 19 consecutive games, the second-longest skid in franchise history.
Those problems were prevalent again Saturday. Springer was given the day off, but the top three in the order — including Daulton Varsho — went 1-for-12 and the Jays finished with three hits in a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Centre.
Despite the struggles, don’t expect the top of the lineup to be adjusted any time soon. This is the group the Jays have decided to live or die with, even after a season-high five-game losing streak.
“It’s a matter of time,” said Schneider, whose team dropped to 13-15. “I know what people talk about. It’s like, I’m not going to move them. They’re going to be pitched the same way. They’re our three best hitters — well, I don’t want to say best, (Justin Turner) and Varsh are pretty damn good, too. But that’s how we’re built, and we’re confident they’re going to get rolling.”
Critique Schneider’s lineup decisions if you want — it’s a daily occurrence on social media — but the underlying point is that the Jays aren’t going anywhere until their top three start producing.
While Varsho is one of the few Jays who got off to a hot start, he’s not going to start carrying the load if he’s hitting third or fourth instead of fifth or sixth. This club isn’t going to suddenly become a top-hitting team by moving Springer out of the top spot.
An argument could be made for shaking things up just for the sake of it, but that would be largely symbolic and not likely a long-term fix. Some may recall that Schneider dropped Bichette to seventh in August of 2022. Within 10 days, he was back in the heart of the lineup.
Guerrero’s .647 on-base plus slugging is almost .200 points below his career average. Bichette is even worse at .571, and he’s never finished below .802. Schneider is doubling down that both will get rolling. Whether they’ll do it in time to make up for the poor start remains unknown.
“There are ups and downs throughout the season, but there are a lot of veterans who have been through that,” said Jays lefty Yusei Kikuchi, who took the loss Saturday after allowing four runs across six innings. “It’s just about timing. We’re in a bad stretch right now and guys like Bo and Vladdy, they’ve been through this. I’m confident those guys will pick it up soon.”
So, if a major shakeup isn’t going to happen, what’s the solution?
The Jays could try calling up prospect Orelvis Martinez, who is batting .307 with seven home runs and a 1.001 OPS at Triple-A Buffalo. The issue is that second base is far down the list of pressing needs. Cavan Biggio and Davis Schneider have combined to provide above-average production at the position.
Earlier this season, there were calls to bench struggling outfielder Kevin Kiermaier in favour of Schneider.
Well, that’s already happened after Kiermaier was placed on the injured list, leaving Schneider to get additional reps in left. Scratch that off the list, too.
One of the other only option is sitting Isiah Kiner-Falefa in favour of Ernie Clement or the recently promoted Addison Barger. That might lead to a modest improvement, but it’s not going to make or break the season.
Guerrero, Bichette and Springer are the only three who can prevent this ship from sinking. If they do, perhaps the Jays will hang around long enough to make a couple of big adds at the trade deadline. If they don’t, it’s going to be a frustrating year.
“I feel like the guys at the top are taking better swings and that’s what we want,” the manager said. “They don’t want to be scuffling. They want to be a big part of the team, which they are, but the fact they’re taking good swings is the silver lining.”
Those swings haven’t resulted in much of anything lately. The Jays have been held to three runs or fewer in 15 of 28 games. They haven’t scored more than five since April 6.
Maybe a lineup change would help, or maybe it wouldn’t. The only certainty is that until Springer, Guerrero and Bichette start producing, this team doesn’t stand a chance, no matter where guys are hitting.