Toronto Blue Jays: Who will rise to the top and be the starting right fielder?

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With Randal Grichuk being moved to center field to begin the 2020 campaign, the Toronto Blue Jays are going to throw a few different players in rightfield hoping that someone emerges victorious.

Heading into the past off-season, one of the areas that the Toronto Blue Jays needed to improve upon was centerfield, an area that had seen a few different options throughout the 2019 season, but one where nobody came away as the clear winner.

Teoscar Hernandez spent the most time in CF for the Blue Jays in 2019 with 79 games, followed by Randal Grichuk at 62 and Jonathan Davis at 33 (as well as few others for 2-3 starts/substitutions here or there).

Manager Charlie Montoyo has already stated that Grichuk will be given the reigns to center field this season, and with no imminent acquisitions on the horizon, the Toronto Blue Jays will most likely look internally to find a starting right fielder.

The projections are out!

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There are a few options in free agency still available in Yasiel Puig, Melky Cabrera, and Lonnie Chisenhall, but after spending some serious cash on the starting rotation this season, Ross Atkins and co. appear to be happy with their current roster.

Mind you, only Puig would really be an upgrade or improvement upon who is already in the mix for the RF role, so I can’t really blame Atkins for not diving deeper into the FA class this late into the season.

While the Toronto Blue Jays do possess a few candidates to take over the role in RF, there truly is no clear cut winner as to who will take the position and run away with it. The difference will be in spring training, where a few outfielders on the Blue Jays roster are out of options and will need to find a place on the roster this season, or risk being put taken through the waiver wire if sent down to the minor leagues.

The Contestants

Teoscar Hernandez

Teoscar Hernandez had some difficulty with the defensive aspect of CF, as well as being consistent in the batter’s box for the long haul of the season. The past two seasons have seen his defensive runs saved (DRS) reach -24, and his bat just isn’t consistent enough to be considered an everyday player.

His 26 home runs do prove that he has the power to hit the long ball, but his .230/.306/.472 slash line is tough to look at, along with his awkward routes to fly balls defensively. He has his moments where he will hit 2 home runs in 1 game, and then go on a ten-game streak where he can’t buy a hit.

Hernandez will factor into the competition in right field, but he will most likely be suited for a bench role as an extra outfielder, as well as a possible designated hitter scenario if he can find some consistency at the plate.

Anthony Alford

If I were a betting man, I would most likely be putting a few chips on Anthony Alford.

Charlie Montoyo has already said that Alford is going to get a lot of playing time this spring, and the Toronto Blue Jays will most likely find him a spot on the roster considering he is out of options this year (whether starting or on the bench).

He holds his own defensively with a 0 DRS (albeit the small sample size) and does have average to above-average speed when on the diamond, but his bat has just never been able to make the jump from the minor leagues. Over the past three seasons, Alford has played in 33 games with the big league club and has amassed a .145/.203/.218 slash line with 1 home run, 2 RBI’s and 23 strikeouts.

If Alford can find a way to break out and put the barrel to the ball this spring and summer, the position might be just his to lose.

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Derek Fisher

Another strong candidate for the right field starting role, Derek Fisher was acquired by the Blue Jays last season that saw Aaron Sanchez and Joe Biagini end up in Houston.

Many Blue Jays fans were a bit peeved to see fan favorites Sanchez and Biagini go, but Fisher also had a less than stellar debut with the club, taking a routine fly ball off the face and being sent to the hospital on just his third game with the club. To make matters worse, both Sanchez and Biagini would pitch in a combined no-hitter with the Astros squad the next day, making the trade a little more painful to swallow.

Lebanon County native Derek Fisher has been traded from the Houston Astros' organization to the Toronto Blue Jays as part of a deal that sends pitcher Joe Biagini to Houston, sources say. https://t.co/2bX4z3SVS7
— FOX43 Sports (@FOX43Sports) July 31, 2019

Nevertheless, Fisher is also out of options, and will most likely make the team opening day whether being a starter or on the bench. His career slash line of .191/.279/.369 over the past three seasons is a bit cringe-worthy, but his plus speed is the difference maker between him and the other candidates for the right field position. He also has the highest DRS out of the two previously mentioned players at 6, with experience in all three areas of the outfield.

If Derek Fisher can find a way to put the ball in play and keep the ball in his glove and off of his face, a strong spring could leapfrog him into the starting role. The Toronto Blue Jays management team is very high on Fisher, and a strong showing at the plate could be the difference maker between being a starter or a bench player.

Billy McKinney

Billy McKinney was also acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays via trade, being sent over with Brandon Drury by the New York Yankees in 2018 in exchange for J.A. Happ. His .227/.288/.435 is one of the stronger slash lines out of the bunch, and he does have the above-average speed to go along with some power in his bat (12 home runs last season). His DRS as a right fielder over the past two seasons sits at 1, and he seems very comfortable in the position.

The unfortunate scenario for McKinney is that he still possesses a player option this season, so he could be sent packing to AAA even if he has a strong spring.

(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

The Best of the Rest

Jonathan Davis had a bigger showcase on the MLB stage last season, being called up in the middle of the season as an injury replacement and playing in 37 games. Davis is primarily a CF by trade, and his career slash line of .185/.264/.259 is a bit tough to look at, so there is a strong likely hood that he will begin the season back down in AAA.

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A strong spring could see him earn a bench role over another outfielder, but the slash line will need to improve this spring. He does have an option as well, making him expendable to the minor leagues if need be.

Forrest Wall was acquired in a trade with the Colorado Rockies during the 2018 season and has slowly been putting up strong numbers over the past two campaigns. He finished the 2019 campaign in AAA Buffalo and earned himself an MLB spring training invite, but we will most likely see him return back to the Bisons roster for the 2020 season.

Patrick Kivlehan is a bit of a dark horse in this race, but he does have MLB experience over the past three seasons with various teams. He spent the 2019 campaign in the minor leagues but earned an MLB spring training invite with the Toronto Blue Jays this season, and his utility type role may be useful for this organization on the active roster.

A strong spring could make the Blue Jays reconsider sending him to Buffalo, but Kivlehan would most likely make the roster in a bench utility role rather than a starting right fielder.

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One of the lesser-known players in the group, Josh Palacios earned himself an invite to the Toronto Blue Jays spring training after a strong 2019 season in AA New Hampshire. A long shot to make the team, Palacios does have some experience in right field, and we have seen players make the jump from AA to the MLB before, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him spend another year in the minor leagues with next season being his chance to crack the active roster.

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