So, yes, Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., should have canceled Bo Bichette louder and faster Thursday and avoided the collision that cost Bichette a start on Friday.
But you can also blame me if you want because – and this is the truth – I’ve spent the last two days talking to people about what it’s like in an organization that focuses so much on High performance, load management, management of sleep patterns and water focus intake, grip strength and the like… Bo Bichette never gets a day off.
“Bo’s built differently,” said Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “One sixty-two is a real number to him.”
That would be 162 games – like in a full major league season. As of Friday, only four major league players had appeared in all of their teams’ games: Atlanta Braves’ Dansby Swanson and Matt Olson, and Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner.
Only two players appeared in all 162 games last season: Marcus Semien of the Blue Jays and Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was one of two players to appear in 161 games. Bichette played 159.
A 62 in 2022 disappeared for Bichette on June 17 when he missed a game against the New York Yankees with a bruised foot. But even in a season of reduced – sometimes drastically reduced – offensive returns, Bichette is still out there every day and every game statistically hits hell or high tide.
And there he was again on Friday: He didn’t start because of what Schneider called a “tender” left shoulder, but stepped in to score against Detroit Tigers approacher Gregory Soto and lined up to do that end game.
Two days earlier I had asked Bichette how a discussion with him would go if the team wanted him to take a day off because of something other than an injury.
Not that I implied, but… you know.
The 2022 season was torture for Bichette.
On Friday, his batting average is 40 percentage points below his career mark, he hits .209 against lefties compared to .340 in 2021 and his OPS is .727 compared to .850.
His offensive season is perhaps best summed up by his 13-game hit streak, which saw his batting average go from .256…to .256. Its high water mark for the moving average was 0.270 on June 12th. He has two homers this month, the last on July 10, and his batting average with runners in scoring position was .204. He was moved to the clean-up lot in Schneider’s second game as manager as part of a shift that saw Guerrero move into the No. 2 hole, and since then he’s played 11-for-40 (.250) with four runs batted.
Defensively, Bichette sits in midfield on OAA (outs above average) and DRS (defensive runs saved); UZR suits him less well. But the sum of the Blue Jays’ infield defense is more than adequate. The eye test shows that the stability on both sides of Santiago Espinal and Matt Chapman in particular undoubtedly helps him better.
Ninety-seven starts at the shortstop. One as a designated hitter. Get up early every day – every day – Complete a series of drills an hour or so before the clubhouse opens to the media.
So… how would the conversation go?
“I would express that I would like to play,” Bichette replied, “and whatever they decide, they decide.
“I think it’s my job to go out and compete every day, whether I’m feeling good physically or mentally,” Bichette said. “It doesn’t make it right or wrong…but I have to be out there for my team. That’s how I see it. The game sure can be tough at times but I enjoy the process of competing no matter how I feel. I enjoy just looping through it and I’m not sure there’s much more to it to be honest.
“I saw it represented by Marcus (Semien) last year. And the gamers I grew up posting pretty much every day. Derek Jeter played 159 or 162 every year. I just think it’s important to do something as a leader on the team.”
As Mark Shapiro began to stamp his imprimatur on the organization, one point of pride and public emphasis was the burgeoning “high-performance division” of the teams. And like every other organization in baseball, the number of specialists shooting around the Blue Jays clubhouse and on the field has grown.
It’s been a talking point as the organization transitioned from grumpy old 30-somethings to a core of players in their early 20s, and sometimes led to a lot of eye-rolling: ‘So and so isn’t in the lineup after a day off.’ Twist eyes. “HP” became the mumbled reply.
Guys like Kendrys Morales getting sore after kettleball drills or something? You guessed it: HP. It became a punch line, backed by some players and staff and even manager John Gibbons, who would do little to stem any gaiety.
Players – especially veterans – and agents were sometimes slow to buy in. But HP followed his older brother Ana Lytics to win the day. After all: There is no luxury tax on the collection of company information.
And so it’s natural for some to wonder why, while Bichette struggles through a season of diminished offensive returns, he doesn’t get a little stress management, maybe an odd DH day. Santiago Espinal could spell him out short, especially now that Cavan Biggio is making his contribution.
The problem, of course, is that Alejandro Kirk and Guerrero and George Springer need that position to keep their racquets in the lineup her Load management, there is no space in the inn.
Also, remember that these are not simply innings pitched, games played, or pitches thrown. None of us outside the organization know all the ins and outs of HP. Pointing out the field during batting practice earlier this week, general manager Ross Atkins pointed to where pitchers stretch and throw. He noted that “it’s all these guys are doing out here right now”.
Note the phrase “all things.”
“It’s about monitoring the workload,” Atkins explained. “It’s about more than just how many games they’ve played. It’s also: How are they managing their recovery? How do they manage their preparation and how does that affect their overall workload? And then we decide with the player what we think is best.”
Asked specifically about Bichette, Atkins chuckled lightly, shrugged, and said, “Bo likes to play.”
Bichette’s father, former major league player Dante Bichette, continued to address us Blair & Barker In early May, when his son crawled out of his sluggish April.
“There are two bos,” he said. “There’s the bo that swings at anything but can hit anything, and then there’s the bo that if it’s not going right… it swings at anything and can look ridiculous. But if you understand what he’s like, you know he thinks the right way is to stay aggressive and swing outward.
There will be all sorts of excitement in these parts as Tuesday’s close nears, and there should be, because doing nothing of substance — really substantial — is not an option for Atkins. Check out who’s in the game. Look at the quality of the names and see who wants them and where they are going.
A non-playoff appearance is another wasted year for Vladdy and Bo and the window they provide at a time when the floor is shifting like crazy. There’s an underlying element of financial combustibility created by the Blue Jays’ annual contract approach with these two, and eventually it will manifest.
But make no mistake unless something happens to shake this squad to its core – I mean, everyone Yes, really untouchable nowadays? – Bo Bichette will be on track with early work at Tropicana Field as the 6pm trading deadline approaches.
He’s a slave to the grind, with the dog days of August and two months between the Blue Jays securing a playoff berth and post-season success, or a bunch of people wondering if that’s a waste of time. A different kind of grind, that.
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