Toronto Blue Jays: Bo Bichette best player in family history
Dante Bichette had a solid major league career from a statistical standpoint. A four time All Star, the former slugger had eight consecutive seasons where he belted over 20 homers, leading the league in 1995. He led the National League in hits twice and was the RBI leader as well in 1995, a year where he finished second in the NL MVP vote and won his only Silver Slugger.
For all of those accomplishments, he is no longer the best player in family history. His son, Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, has already surpassed him in one metric.
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette best in family history
Despite his solid offensive production, the elder Bichette produced a 5.6 bWAR over his 14 year career spanning 1704 games. The biggest reason for that low number was his defense; Bichette cost his teams 91 runs defensively. His worst season defensively came in 1999, when he somehow managed to cost the Rockies 34 runs in left.
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Bo Bichette, meanwhile, has at least been passable defensively. While he may never be a Gold Glove caliber shortstop, he has not been a disaster either, saving one run in his time in the majors. He has been worth 1.1 WAR defensively, easily outpacing his father.
Add in his solid offensive production, and it is easy to see why he would have already passed his father despite playing in just 189 games. He has produced a .295/.340/.499 batting line in his 835 plate appearances, hitting 36 homers and 47 doubles while stealing 25 bases.
He does have a long way to go to match his father in some aspects. Dante had 401 doubles and 274 homers as he is statistically miles ahead of his son. Likewise, his trophy case and four All Star appearances are more than his son has.
But the younger Bichette has plenty of time left to catch his father. At 23 years old, he is one of the more exciting young players in the game. He already has his first All Star appearance under his belt, and it would not be a surprise to see him add plenty more to his resume.
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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is, by one measure, the best player in his family. He may well surpass his father statistically by the end of his career.