The Blue Jays know what Bo Bichette is all about. A sluggish spring changes nothing

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/03/2021 (1985 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bo Bichette wasn’t having an especially good spring.

The Blue Jays’ shortstop, who turned 23 a couple of weeks ago, had managed just two singles in his first 19 at-bats of the Grapefruit League season.

One might think that a player so young, with only 75 big-league games under his belt, would be a bit concerned about that kind of a rut, spring training or otherwise. Not this kid.

“I’ve felt pretty good,” Bichette said after the Jays’ win over the Phillies in Clearwater on Saturday. “I wouldn’t say that I’ve been right, but I’ve felt pretty good the whole time. Been having good at-bats, hitting the ball hard.”

Saturday afternoon, Bichette finally saw some results. He doubled to the gap in right-centre in his first at-bat, then doubled to the gap in left-centre in his second. Both balls were absolutely blistered: the first one at 106.6 miles per hour off the bat (the second-hardest he’d hit a ball all spring), the next at 105.2.

They were his first two extra-base hits of the year, a long wait for a guy who set a major-league record for doubles in consecutive games while he was still in his first fortnight in the bigs.

“(Saturday) was a little bit different,” said Bichette, understatedly. “(I) made a little bit better contact, so I was happy with it.”

So what was the concern level prior to Bichette’s breakout game? Zero.

“Actually, I did mention (the slump on Saturday),” manager Charlie Montoyo said after watching Bichette’s pair of two-baggers, “and what I said was that he’s probably going to lead the league in hitting in April, because you know he’s going to hit.”

The last time Bichette had a full spring training, in 2019, he hadn’t yet played above Double-A. It was his first big-league camp, his first chance to show the big-league staff what he could do. In 20 spring games that year, he hit .410 with a 1.260 OPS and left a serious impression.

Last year was the first time he went to spring training secure in a major-league job, and the world turned upside down three weeks in.

This year, while things aren’t yet normal in the world, they’re pretty normal baseballically, and Bichette came to camp with April 1 circled on his calendar — or marked on his calendar app, or whatever the young people are doing these days.

“I think the goal this year is to be ready for opening day,” Bichette said of his spring approach. “In past years, it was be ready for the first game of spring training, to open up eyes and stuff like that, but the goal this year is just to be ready for opening day. So I’ve just been trying every single day to get ready mentally and physically with my swing, my thoughts, everything like that. I think it’s been pretty good so far.”

So good that it didn’t let a 2-for-19 start knock him off stride, which is unusual for a player so young, even with the confidence that Bichette has seemed to have dripping out of his pores since he first showed up.

Reliever Tyler Chatwood, who watched Bichette hit home runs during batting practice as a 15-year-old at Coors Field when his father Dante was the Rockies’ hitting coach, says that he’s the same kid now, albeit skinnier and with longer hair.

“He does have that confidence about him,” observed Chatwood. “I don’t think it’s arrogance, it’s just confidence. The guy knows what he’s capable of and he goes out there and does it, and he portrays confidence, which is awesome to see.”

In fact, having spent the spring watching the Jays’ hurlers compile the best ERA in the majors (heading into this weekend), Bichette’s confidence has extended well beyond himself.

“Everybody’s been throwing strikes, everybody’s stuff looks good,” Bichette said. “Everybody looks like they came into camp ready to compete and ready to go. I think that the energy around our clubhouse, the belief that we have (that we can) win, that’s really making everybody play better. That’s what happens. It’s exciting to see.”

I asked Montoyo if, given Bichette’s youth and relative inexperience, he ever thought about pulling his shortstop aside over the past few days to tell him not to sweat the slump.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Dan Lett | Not for Attribution

Tuesdays

A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world.

Sign up for Dan Lett | Not for Attribution

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

“No” was Montoyo’s quick answer. “That doesn’t go for him. I have a lot of confidence in him that he’s going to do well, so I don’t feel that (I have to talk to him).

“Spring training numbers don’t matter when you’ve done it in the past. Some guys are competing for jobs and stuff, but for a guy like Bo, the main thing is for him to stay healthy and get at-bats and get ready for the season.”

With a week of spring games remaining, Bichette has come to the plate 34 times. He’s heating up down the stretch, with four hits in his last 10 at-bats. There’s no sense in peaking early, after all. It’s all about that April 1 date with Gerrit Cole and the Yankees.

And if you think Cole striking him out three times on Sunday is going to shake Bichette when they face each other again on opening day, then you don’t know Bo.

Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @wilnerness