Blue Jays: The leadoff spot is definitely up for grabs right now

On Friday, new Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoya talked about the leadoff spot in his lineup, and some of the candidates. Who makes the most sense?

It seems like we’ve been talking about the same thing every spring for the last several years now as fans of the Toronto Blue Jays, and a bunch of roster turnover and even a new manager hasn’t changed things. I’m talking about the need for a leadoff hitter, something the Blue Jays have lacked for a long time.

On Friday their new skipper Charlie Montoyo addressed that very topic, and even named a few of the potential candidates (we’ll get to that in a minute). While there are a few players who could theoretically fill the role, I wouldn’t go as far as to say there’s an obvious choice, which is why the topic is coming up again.

The analytics of baseball have changed enough that a leadoff hitter isn’t purely just a guy who can run and steal bases anymore. Those attributes are still very useful of course, but as the game has evolved so has the emphasis on the importance of on-base percentage in the leadoff spot. It was that line of thinking that had us watching Jose Bautista lead off for John Gibbons‘ lineup at times in the past.

A big part of the equation will be a) who makes the Opening Day roster, and b) who is all healthy to start the year, which so far (knock on wood), hasn’t been an issue for the Blue Jays position players.

With that in mind, let’s have a look at who Montoyo mentioned as potential candidates, and even a few options that he didn’t mention specifically.