Since being called up in 2019, Bo Bichette has proven to the baseball world that he can swing the bat, hitting .307 through the first 319 at-bats in his career. But this was only the start or trailer to what we would see through the next two seasons. Bichette is already in his fourth full season with the Toronto Blue Jays and we might see him lead the American League in hits for the third time already.
The secret to success for Bo Bichette with the Toronto Blue Jays
Hot start to 2023
This season has been no surprise for Bichette, picking up right where he left off last September. He already has 30 hits in 86 at-bats good for a .349 batting average. He finds himself leading Toronto’s three-headed monster with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Matt Chapman hitting behind him.
Blue Jays fans saw his hitting skills on full display when the Jays faced their biggest challenge of the year in the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays were 13-0 coming into Toronto but that didn’t get to Bo Bichette as he put together a five-hit game on April 14, with all of his hits either going to right or center field.
The 25-year-old has always sprayed the ball all over the diamond. Even if the shift was still in play, it is unlikely he would have even been affected. In this age of baseball, these types of hitters don’t come around very often.
Bo knows how to hit
As mentioned above, the start of 2023 didn’t come as any surprise. We are talking about the American League leader in hits in both 2021 and 2022. Also, here is a stat for Blue Jays fans — Toronto has two hitters in their lineup who have combined for four seasons leading the league in hits: Whit Merrifield (2018-19) and Bo Bichette (2021-22)
The 2021 campaign was the All-Star shortstop’s first breakout year and, get this, it was his first full 162-game MLB season. During that year, he posted 191 hits, 29 home runs, 102 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. He showed power, speed, contact, and of course, the flow.
All it took was a hot September in 2022
Last season didn’t get off to the start Bichette wanted, but everything turned around when the calendar flipped to September. Here is a cool stat via MLB.com: Between September 1 and April 21, he is third in wRC+ at 197 behind Aaron Judge (226) and Mike Trout (198).
A slash line of .354/.384/.549 in the month helped him eventually overtake second place to reach the league lead, picking up an AL Player of the Week award in the process. You also could have a great case in saying Bichette should have won Player of the Month.
Lineup protection
As good as he is, the protection of the Blue Jays’ star-studded lineup has often given the Bichette a couple more pitches to hit. Last year and this year, he has been hitting in front of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who no pitcher wants to face with runners on.
This consistent lineup can help the shortstop stay in his rhythm and help him reach the top of the league in the hitting department again, using his amazing tools. All we have to do as fans is sit back, grab some popcorn, and watch Bo put on a show.