Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is always striving to get better. Having Matt Chapman next to him will help

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This article was published 23/03/2022 (1608 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DUNEDIN, Fla.—In a moment of sublime simpatico, Bo Bichette ranged to his right and Matt Chapman ranged to his left for a ball in the hole.

They could have been performing balletic mirror image jetés, on the dirt. Chapman got his leather on it, with a peg to first and a fist bump from his teammate. No way that ball was getting past either of them and squirting into the outfield for a hit. Space shrank.

It was the first time that the shortstop and third baseman had been on the field together for a game at spring training. And this was precisely what the Blue Jays had envisioned when scooping up Chapman, a two-time platinum-glover, in the post-lockout free agent scramble.

Chapman will take care of the hot corner and expanded vicinity, on the balance of probabilities. Which can only ease the pressure on Bichette, in the yin-yang dynamics of Toronto’s left side of the infield.

Bichette could breathe easier last season the defensive sturdiness and double-play chops of second baseman Marcus Semien, sadly now departed for Texas. Now the chronic wooziness of third base is a problem solved with distinction by Chapman.

“Playing next to great players always helps,” the just-turned-24-year-old Bichette acknowledged. “For me, nothing really changes. I still have to make the plays that I get to. But definitely we’re going to cover a lot of ground out there.”

They’re still figuring out the symbiosis, as are the Toronto coaches, since Bichette and Chapman had been limited to mostly workout drills before Wednesday. What’s clear as a bell, however, is that Bichette won’t be having to make as many diving backhanded catches to his right, the kind that might result in ball-transfer bobbles and rushed throws to first.

“I think I might still be making those plays, I just won’t be as far in the hole,” said Bichette, bristling only slightly at the tacit criticism, if fully cognizant of Chapman’s Hoovering attributes. “Yeah, he’s going to make my life a lot easier. He’s an amazing player. You can already see it on the field, his range, his quickness, his arm is so strong.”

For coach Luis Rivera, it’s been like Christmas morning, unwrapping his new player and blue-skying the diagnostics of how to position Chapman with Bichette. “We’re going to figure out how to play those guys together so they know how far they can play from each other or how close. Chapman has big range, he plays deep, he can take care of the hole. We’ve got to find out how far Bo needs to go in the hole or we’re going to play him more in the middle, because Chapman can take over.”

Bichette committed 24 errors in 148 games at short last year, which is significant, although it should be kept in mind that the E-tale often arises not from defensive incompetence but from tough plays that the more cautious might not have attempted. Bichette doesn’t cut himself that slack.

“Sometimes. But definitely there was a lot of work for me to do, no doubt about it.”

A deeper analytic drive — the most tedious part of modern-day baseball, is less defensively stigmatizing for Bichette. “I will continue to try to get a lot better. I have to get better.”

Rivera emphasizes Bichette already has improved, pointing to a much improved second half defensively in 2021. “Bo is one of those guys where, if something isn’t working, he’s going to work his ass off to make sure it does and that’s what he did in the second half. He took ground balls from Monday to Sunday, every day, with Marcus Semien. He created that routine to prepare for the game and it worked for him.”

A key factor, player and coach agree, was to keep the feet moving, a mantra oft-chanted by hockey coaches but heard less in baseball environs. It was reinforced for Bichette in time spent with former shortstop extraordinaire Troy Tulowitzki in Texas over the winter, analyzing the discrete details of the position.

“It was less about mechanics and more about finding out what’s important to me every single day as a defender. What I learned, I think, was being aggressive is OK as long as you’re moving your feet, reacting to the baseball. Being more aggressive with my feet. The hardest thing to do as an infielder every day is move your feet and make sure you’re athletic out there.”

Rivera expounded further: “It’s like a tennis player. When somebody is serving, you better be moving because you don’t know where the ball is going to be, hard, soft, in, out. You’re giving yourself a good chance to position and field the ball while you’re moving your feet. If you just lock on your legs, you’re going to have a hard time, especially at shortstop.’’

It is a continuing work in progress, with shortstop a demanding position. Bichette and his best bro, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are the twin faces of this organization, whatever glittery pieces may have been added, and they’ll continue as front-facing stars for years to come, surely. Time enough to ripen, for Bichette to become proficient at shortstop as Guerrero has defensively seized first base, a far easier gig.

Obviously the Jays are content with Bichette’s development afield. Unlike the past two springs, there has been zero talk of upgrading at short, no marquee names bruited about, undermining Bichette’s confidence. He has convinced management of his bona fides, certainly in tandem with Chapman.

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“I wouldn’t necessarily say it affected me a ton,” Bichette said of the chatter. “But when you have those things in your head, when it’s all the way in the back, I’m sure it has something to do with your thought processes.

“Just knowing for sure now, it allows me more freedom to play aggressively and not worry about mistakes, just play my game. When you have something hanging over your shoulder, sometimes you worry about making mistakes. It definitely frees me up.’’

The offence, meanwhile, gushes: Bichette batted .298 in 2021, with 121 runs, 102 RBIs, 25 home runs. And there’s the sense that he’s still just scratched the surface of his potential.

“I don’t think I’ve yet felt even close to my peak in the big leagues, at any point. I don’t know when that’ll come but I know that I have more.”

Rosie DiManno is a Toronto-based columnist covering sports and current affairs for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @rdimanno