The man above has gotten hot at the right time and once again led the American League in hits with 189. The first 4.5 months or so of his season were something to be forgotten, but he finished off the season with another all star season. As a matter of fact, I believe that even at the half way point of the season that he should have been selected for the all star team because despite slumping, his numbers were just as good as the short stops that made it. I love Espy, but he should not have made it and by the end of the season he fell back into his back up role.
I attribute Bichette's strong finish to his willingness to be the very best and all the effort he puts in to being the best. That and his God given ability. Dude can just hit and is one of the best two strike hitters that I have ever seen. He also has the desire and fire to win. He has also shown more emotion this year than I have ever seen and this was no more apparent when he nearly got beaned in the face during a game against the Orioles I believe. He was notably pissed as he should have been that kind of passion is nice to see every once in awhile.
Bo is my favorite Blue Jay because of his ability and his personality. He has a lot of flair and confidence in his game and the way he presents himself and he backs it up with his play on the field. Along with Vladdy, they are the straw that stir the drink and the likes of Teo, Springer, Kirk and Champman are the strong supporting cast.
When the team acquired Merrifield at the trade dead line most people were puzzled by his acquisition. I for one was ecstatic. He is a multi time batting champion and leader in hits, stolen bases and doubles and that kind of talent does not grow on trees. Sure, he got off to a really slow start with the Royals and the Jays, but over the past several weeks he has shown why his credentials speak for themselves. I expect him to play a vital role in the playoffs because he can do it all. Play all over the field, hit in the clutch and run the bases and steal the odd base which no one else on the team has been doing this year for whatever reason.
This team offensively is loaded and everyone is clicking at the right time. Teo is back to being himself, Bo is being Bo and Springer is Mr. Clutch. The one guy that has had an up and down season is Vladdy. It is hard for me to say that because he is such an upbeat guy and has so much talent, but he has struggled recently and for large chunks of the season and if he was more consistent this year, his numbers would have put him up in MVP consideration once again. I still believe the offence will carry the team in the playoffs with or without a hot or cold Vladdy since there are many other pieces that can carry the load.
What concerns me is the pitching staff. Manoah and Gausman are solid at the top, but Stripling and Berrios scare me. Even Gausman has that finger issue right now and even though Stripling has been fabulous this year, he has never been a front line starter in a playoff intense situation. I have little faith in Berrios as well and hopefully management can figure out how to use him only at home or something because on the road he has been terrible.
The bullpen is also very up and down, but Pop, Bass and Romano are solid. Everyone else is a toss up. Schneider has done a good job maximizing his bull pen arms by putting them in the right situations, but his managerial abilities will be put to the task with the fire baller arms that the other American League teams can throw out there.
All in all, I am super excited to see playoff baseball again at the Roger's Centre. The atmosphere is always electric and the fans deserve it with all the hardships they have went through over the past two seasons. GO JAYS GO!!
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