Toronto Blue Jays: Bo Bichette emerges as a premier shortstop

Heading into the final month of the 2022 season, Bo Bichette was grueling through his worst offensive season in the major leagues. Through 127 games in his second full season with the Toronto Blue Jays, the 24-year-old was hitting .260/.305/.420 (106 wRC+), far off from the .301/.345/.506 (126 wRC+) he produced from 2019-2021.

However, on September 2, Bichette went 3-for-5 with all three hits having an exit velocity over 100 mph and two going for extra bases, including a 405-foot home run. From that point, Bichette hasn’t slowed down.

Bo Bichette showing value for Toronto Blue Jays

Since September, Bichette has been the second-most valuable position player in Major League Baseball according to FanGraphs, accumulating 5.1 Wins Above Replacement (fWAR), trailing only Aaron Judge. After batting .406/.444/.662 (217 wRC+) last September and October, Bichette leads the majors in hits while leading the American League in total bases and batting average heading into games played on June 3 in 2023.

Bichette’s late-season turnaround in 2022 propelled him to finish with the eighth-most fWAR among shortstops in 2022. Now, after getting off to a scorching hot start in 2023, his 2.7 fWAR ranks behind only Wander Franco’s 2.8.

Bichette’s offensive prowess has always made him one of the most sought-after shortstops in Major League Baseball. However, his production this season is taking him to new heights. Among qualified shortstops, Bichette’s .335 AVG, .370 OBP, .531 SLG and 151 wRC+ top the position.

While his offense has seen an increase in production, so have the other areas of his game. Last season, Bichette’s minus-16 Defensive Runs Saved was the worst among all shortstops while his minus-7 Outs Above Average was the second-worst.

Throughout his career, Bichette has struggled defensively, but he’s turned it around in 2023 – an important development considering shortstop is the most important defensive position. While his defensive metrics are seen as roughly average (3 DRS and 0 OAA), it’s vastly helped Bichette’s overall value.

Additionally, Bichette’s baserunning style has drastically changed. After a fantastic season on the bases that saw him go 25-for-26 on steals and accumulate 6.9 BsR in 2021, Bichette regressed heavily in 2022 going 13-for-22 on steals and accumulating -2.7 BsR.

In 2023, Bichette has run less frequently (albeit much less efficient as he’s 2-for-5 on steals) but he’s been above average overall as a base runner, accumulating 0.6 BsR. While Bichette would love to be as effective as he was in 2021, he also should continue prioritizing not being a liability as he was in 2022.

Because shortstops tend not to be as good offensively as their peers at other positions, Bichette being one of the best offensive players in Major League Baseball as a shortstop is what truly makes him so valuable. This season, the average MLB shortstop has a 92 wRC+, 8% below league avergae. Bichette’s 151 wRC+ makes him 51% better than the league average and 59% better than the league average shortstop.

Since Bichette made his debut in 2019, the only qualified shortstops to have a wRC+ of 150 or higher over a full season are Alex Bregman (167 wRC+ in 2019) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (157 wRC+ in 2021). In those respective years, Bregman and Tatis finished in the top three of their league’s MVP voting. If Bichette continues his offensive success, he’ll likely be well on his way toward accomplishing the same feat.

So long as Bichette’s bat stays hot while staying average in the field and on the bases, he should be in line to have the best year of his career in 2023 and potentially enter the conversation for being a top-three shortstop in baseball.

While Franco has emerged as one of the best talents in the majors, other shortstops have taken significant steps backward in 2023, including Xander Bogaerts, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Trea Turner.

Bichette’s best ability over his career has been availability. As long as he stays on the field and continues to build on what he’s done since last September, the young shortstop should cement himself as a premiere player at the league’s most important position.