In a recent article by MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovincethe Toronto Blue Jays were named as the fourth-best lineup in Major League Baseball.
This is the predicted lineup that Castrovince put together, with one spot obviously needing to be changed around.
1.) George Springer, RF
2.) Bo Bichette, SS
3.) Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
4.) Alejandro Kirk, C
5.) Matt Chapman, 3B
6.) Danny Jansen, DH
7.) Daulton Varsho, LF (Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was initially on the list)
8.) Santiago Espinal, 2B
9.) Kevin Kiermaier, CF
Man, this is one nice-looking lineup. From top-to-bottom, the Jays have a starting nine that is among the very best in the game.
I personally believe that Kirk and Jansen will be switching positions come Opening Day, with Jansen catching and Kirk at designated hitter since Jansen is far better behind the plate than Kirk is.
Last season, this is a lineup that finished second in the entire league in wRC+ (118 total) and chose to upgrade on defense more than on offense. Either way, this is a club that is stacked to the brim with talent and it says a lot that they are listed above some of baseball’s super-teams like the Braves and Dodgers.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. projects to return as the face of not only the Blue Jays’ starting lineup, but the club as a whole. He, alongside Bo Bichette and Alejandro Kirk, is part of one of the strongest trios of hitters in the league.
STEAMER projections have Guerrero hitting 40 home runs next season to go along with 113 RBI and a total of 5.4 fWAR. Bichette is projected to hit 26 home runs with 91 RBI and 4.2 total fWAR.
With (some) ZiPS, STEAMER and FanGraphs Depth Chart projections out now, look for an upcoming series of articles to come out going more in-depth into the projections for next season. These will be starting on January 1st and will cover every player on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster.
dark. Next. How the Seattle Pilots helped baseball come to Toronto