SARASOTA, Fla. -- Replacing Marcus Semien¡¯s production was never going to be easy, and it was never going to be a one-for-one solution for the Blue Jays.
Toronto¡¯s lineup led the Major Leagues with 262 home runs and a .796 OPS in 2021, so even a small step backwards leaves it in elite company. The answer to replacing Semien¡¯s historic production from ¡¯21, though, will require growth from the entire lineup, and that process starts with new third baseman Matt Chapman.
Alongside Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the second-base duo of Santiago Espinal and Cavan Biggio, the Blue Jays¡¯ infield already has the potential to be an offensive juggernaut.
¡°I think this infield is amazing,¡± Chapman said Friday. ¡°We have so many talented players offensively and defensively on this infield. We¡¯ll leave the ¡®best in baseball¡¯ to you guys, but I think it¡¯s worth putting us in that conversation. And once we get to play with each other and know each other a little better, who knows what¡¯s possible.¡±
The Blue Jays beat the Orioles, 9-5, on Friday afternoon in Sarasota with a mix of regulars and prospects in the starting nine. As we inch toward Opening Day and see more of those regulars, you¡¯ll see a lot of one thing: right-handed hitters.
Biggio could be the only left-handed hitter on the Opening Day roster. The Blue Jays have some lefty-hitting depth options in their outfield with Greg Bird in camp on a Minor League deal, but it¡¯s possible -- maybe even likely -- that you¡¯ll see a lineup early in the season without a lefty.
¡°I know it¡¯s right-handed heavy, but I¡¯m pretty sure all of those righties can hit any kind of pitching,¡± Chapman said. ¡°It was impressive to see what they did from afar last year. They¡¯re right-handed heavy, but I think it¡¯s still a balanced lineup that can hit the baseball. It¡¯s just a deep lineup capable of wearing down starting pitching, getting into the bullpen and taking long at-bats. If one guy doesn¡¯t get the job done, you know the next guy will come to the plate and take another good at-bat.¡±
Starting with Chapman, here¡¯s a look at the Blue Jays¡¯ hitters who could be part of the collective effort to keep Toronto¡¯s offense atop the league.
3B Matt Chapman (2021 stats: .210 AVG, .716 OPS, 27 HR)
Chapman wasn¡¯t himself at the plate in 2021. Coming off right hip labrum surgery the prior offseason, it was difficult for him to fully rehab and ramp-up in time for the season, so Chapman was adjusting on the fly. Now that it¡¯s behind him, Chapman feels much better about his strength, which allows him to drive with his back hip and stay behind the baseball.
¡°I feel a lot like I did in 2018 and ¡¯19,¡± Chapman said, referencing two excellent seasons. ¡°I¡¯m physically healthy. Now I can take the experience I had last year and know how to get that stuff stopped when I see it happening.¡±
Moving from Oakland to the American League East should only help, too. Chapman set a career high with 202 strikeouts in 2021, but he takes plenty of walks and should have the power to push past 30 home runs across a full, healthy season.
CF George Springer (.264 AVG, .907 OPS, 22 HR)
This one isn¡¯t complicated. The Blue Jays got 78 games from Springer in 2021 as he battled through multiple injuries, and he still managed to put up a great line while doing so. If Springer keeps his OPS over .900 and gets into 140-plus games, Toronto will have one of the best outfielders in baseball with 40-homer potential.
C Danny Jansen (.223 AVG, .772 OPS, 11 HR)
From May 1 on last season, Jansen hit .279 with a .948 OPS over 54 games. Even the .772 OPS Jansen finished with looks fantastic toward the bottom of a lineup, but the catcher is feeling confident that his early struggles will propel him forward. Jansen is leaning into his identity as a pull hitter now, which showed in Friday¡¯s Spring Training opener when he ripped a double down the left-field line.
¡°The biggest development for me personally was figuring out who I am,¡± Jansen said earlier in the week. ¡°I¡¯ve always been a guy who will take the struggle I went through and try to benefit from it as much as I can. I really feel like I¡¯m finally figuring out who I am and what works for me with my mentality. I said this last year, but watching Marcus Semien do his work was really eye-opening for me.¡±
C Alejandro Kirk (.242 AVG, .764 OPS, 8 HR)
Don¡¯t sleep on Kirk, the 23-year-old catcher who was limited to 60 games by a left hip injury in 2021. He won¡¯t play every day given the presence of Danny Jansen and No. 1 prospect Gabriel Moreno -- who could be a major piece of this conversation by midseason -- but Kirk¡¯s bat is better than he showed last season. If the Blue Jays need to put a ball in play with a runner on third late in a game, Kirk is exactly who they want coming off the bench.