48
IT WASN’T SO long ago that the Blue Jays
reached the ALCS in consecutive years (2015
and ’16) and were playing to huge crowds
at Rogers Centre, trading for stars like
David Price and Troy Tulowitzki, celebrating
Josh Donaldson’s MVP award and providing
memorable moments like José Bautista’s
bat-flip bomb off Sam Dyson.
It’s not likely they’ll be so competitive in
2020, but at least they have one of baseball’s
most watchable young teams, led by three
sons of All-Stars. You know about Vladimir
Guerrero Jr., who was the best prospect in
baseball for three years. He finally arrived in
’19, hitting .272 with 15 homers and holding
his own at third base. Along with Vladito,
the Jays introduced shortstop Bo Bichette,son of Dante, who hit .311 and slugged .571
while running the bases with abandon.
Finally, Craig Biggio’s son, second baseman
Cavan, showed a very modern skill set,
drawing 71 walks in 430 plate appearances
for a .364 OBP.
Of those three only Guerrero is a surefire
star; Bichette and Biggio must show they can
get the bat to the ball frequently enough to
be productive. Still, the trio restoked interest
and enthusiasm in Toronto, which the front
office tried to extend this winter by signing
longtime Dodgers lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu to a
four-year, $80 million deal. The oft-injuredRyu, 32, has always been good when healthy
(2.98 career ERA), and the acquisitions of
righties Tanner Roark (who has averaged
31 starts and a 3.99 ERA over the last four
seasons) and Chase Anderson (averaging 28
starts, 3.83 ERA over the same period) help
fill out a rotation starved for internal options.
There’s a wide gap between Toronto and
the top teams in the AL. But it’s not hard
to see the Jays becoming an above-average
offensive team with decent pitching, a
combination that would put them in the
middle of the wild-card race.| 1.7 WAR| -0.2 WAR
Since starting
well in Arizona
in ’15 and ’16,
the infielder
has hit
.237/.287/.402,
sans the speed
or defense
to make it
worth his
team’s while.| VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR.| DH | The bulky basher is once
again on the rise, a surprising second (third?) act for the onetime
wunderkind. Long questioned over the extra weight that taxed his
knees and sapped his range, he showed up to spring training in ’25
looking like a tailback. Alas, the supplement he took to get slim—
one endorsed by President Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson—turned up
on MLB’s banned list. It has been a long slog back, but Vladito can
feZ\X^X`eÓccflkXle`]fidXj`dgi\jj`m\cpXj_\ZXeXYfojZfi\%2030 PREDICTION
BLUE JAYS
AL EASTROB TRINGALIA playoff run isn’t likely, but
they have one of baseball’s most
watchable young teams, led by
three sons of All-Stars.