Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette continuing to flourish in home state
For Toronto Blue Jays prospect Bo Bichette, expectations are a blessing and the sky is the limit.
Bo Bichette knows Florida.
From his birthplace of Orlando to Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, the 19-year-old shortstop is no stranger to daily thunderstorms and palm trees.
However, before the Toronto Blue Jays’ prospect started punishing pro pitching or even reported to Englebert Complex, he was regularly on the wrong side of backyard battles with his older brother Dante Jr.
“It was always kind of lopsided,” said Bo. “He has six years on me. We used to play ping-pong, basketball, everything.”
Now years removed from suffering defeats to the current New York Yankees’ farmhand, Bo is attaining retribution 30 minutes from his childhood home. In 31 games with High-A Dunedin, Bichette is batting .346 with a pair of home runs, 18 RBIs and nine stolen bases. His production comes on the heels of what some consider the best first half by any minor league hitter this season.
While a level change takes an adjustment period for most teenagers, Bichette finds little contrast between the Florida State League and the Midwest League.
“It’s pretty similar, to be honest. I would say every once in a while there is a pitcher out there who can make a couple pitches that people didn’t make in Low-A,” said Bichette, who hit .384, belted 10 home runs and drove in 51 RBIs with Low-A Lansing. “It’s the same thing really.”
Because of his outstanding first half, Bichette was invited to the 2017 All-Star Futures Game at Marlins Park. He was the second youngest player at the prospect showcase — teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the youngest at 18 years old.
“It was unbelievable being around a bunch of unbelievable players,” Bichette said. “Getting to go with my buddy Vlad, it was really cool. I had a lot of friends growing up that was playing in the game with me too. It was awesome.”
In Miami, Toronto’s talented tandem was the talk of the town. Also, the duo soared in the midseason prospect rankings of Baseball America and MLB.com.
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“I take expectations as a blessing,” Bichette said. “Not a lot of people have the opportunity to have people expecting good things out of them.”
With a knack for contact and plus power, Bichette enters the batter’s box aggressive. Despite his assertiveness, the Florida native has displayed a keen eye for the strike zone; His strikeout percentage has fallen to a career-low 11.6 percent since his July promotion.
“Just be aggressive,” said Bichette of his approach. “If you’re passive, a lot of things can go wrong. Just be aggressive and try to get a good pitch.”
Less than 15 months after being drafted, Bichette has enjoyed a smooth transition to pro baseball as well as level-to-level. But by no means does he take his success for granted.
“Pro ball is all about having your struggles and getting out of them as quick as you can,” he explained. “Baseball is really tough, and I have to continue to grind and get better every day.”
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Considering his age and talent, Florida’s blue sky is the limit for Bo Bichette. And as he is focused on improving, the son of four-time MLB All-Star Dante Bichette cannot help but hope to call Rogers Centre his home when the 2018 Midsummer Classic arrives.
“Obviously, I would like to be in the big leagues. That’s my goal every time I step on the field,” said Bichette. “Honestly, I’m just worried about becoming a better ball player. … Hopefully, at this time next year, you can just look at how much I’ve improved.”