Toronto Blue Jays 2018 Top Prospects: #2 Bo Bichette

By Brendan Panikkar |

MIAMI, FL - JULY 09: Bo Bichette

Welcome to the part of the list where you can get REALLY excited. Coming in at #2 on the Toronto Blue Jays 2018 Top Prospects list is shortstop Bo Bichette, who is ranked #8 on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects for 2018. Bichette is one of two Blue Jays prospects in the top 10, which makes the Blue Jays the only farm system with two prospects in the top 10.

Bo Bichette is the son of longtime major leaguer Dante Bichette, who was a very solid player in his own right, but it certainly looks as if Bo Bichette has all of the tools to be better than his old man. Bichette has posted some crazy stats throughout his MiLB career to this point:

.372/.427/.591/1.018, 50 doubles, 18 home runs, 110 RBI, 25 stolen bases in 530 ABs

Name: Bo Bichette
Position: Shortstop Age: 19
Height: 6’0” Weight: 200 lbs
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Acquired: 2nd round draft pick 2016

Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are the two names people keep on hearing about on Fan 590, from Sportsnet personalities, at Pitch Talks events, and more. Rightfully so. Both of these kids are incredibly talented and have the ability to be cornerstones of this franchise for years to come. However, there are some people around the baseball industry that are quietly concerned about Bo Bichette’s long-term viability in the major leagues because of his violent swing.

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Scouts and others have been quietly concerned about the swing of Bichette and believe it’s entirely possible that it may not work for him once he reaches the higher minor leagues and hopefully the majors. That might be some of the reason for his 20/40 hit grade and 20/50 game power. He does total a 55/60 for raw power, 45/40 for speed, 40/45 for his fielding, and 50/50 for his throwing arm. In total, Bichette has a future value of 40, 15 below the 55 of Guerrero.

Bichette has already started to play second fiddle in excitement to Guerrero Jr., very similar to that of Edwin Encarnacion to Jose Bautista. That may not be such a bad thing for Bichette, who has already developed a chip on his shoulder to prove that he can be every bit as good as Guerrero and to show his swing is legit. The kid has a lot of value outside of his bat, which is a great thing too. He brings a very good glove to the table with a cannon of an arm.

It’s entirely possible that Bo Bichette ends up as a 3rd baseman as many believe Guerrero Jr. will end up at 1st base or in the outfield. For now, he does appear the heir apparent to Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop. The Blue Jays are in good hands on the left side of the diamond when the Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki era is over.

Next: Blue Jays’ John Axford beyond excited for opportunity

The Blue Jays next best chance to win will be when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are in the middle of the order and turning into bonafide superstars. There is a ton of excitement surrounding Guerrero Jr., but Bo Bichette could be every bit as good as Guerrero. Regardless, the future is very bright for when Bichette reaches the major leagues during the 2019 or 2020 season.

Top-30 Blue Jays Prospect Rankings:

#30: OF Jonathan Davis #29: OF Harold Ramirez #28: OF Joshua Palacios

#27: 1B/OF Ryan Noda #26: SS Kevin Smith #25: OF Roemon Fields

#24: P Angel Perdomo #23: C Reese McGuire #22: OF Dwight Smith Jr.

#21: P Jordan Romano #20: P Jon Harris #19: P Tim Mayza

#18: C Riley Adams #17: P Thomas Pannone #16: P Justin Maese

#15: C Hagen Danner #14: C Max Pentecost #13: 1B Rowdy Tellez

#12: P Eric Pardinho #11: SS Richard Urena #10: P Ryan Borucki

#9: P Sean Reid-Foley #8: P T.J. Zeuch #7: C Danny Jansen

#6: SS Logan Warmoth #5: SS Lourdes Gurriel #4: P Nate Pearson

#3: OF Anthony Alford

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