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

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

For anyone who has read anything I’ve had to say about Gurriel Jr., you’ll know that I’m really high on this kid and I think he could and should be a foundational building block of this team going forward. For me that included the opportunity to start full-time at shortstop, but that’s not going to happen for now anyway. And it should also include the chance to hit at the top of the lineup as well, although I’m not sure that’s going to happen regularly either.

Gurriel Jr. showed some legitimate offensive promise last year, even if the sample size was cut short due to a stint on the disabled list. In the middle of it all he broke a rookie record for consecutive multi-hit games, and challenged for the outright MLB record as well. Had he not been injured while he was working on the streak perhaps things would have ended differently, as he was absolutely on fire at the plate.

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He finished his MLB season with a slash line of .281/.309/.446 in 249 at bats, and he also contributed 11 home runs, eight doubles, and 35 RBI. He was used at the top of the lineup at times, and was especially useful during his hot streak.

What’s working against him as a leadoff hitter option would be the .309 on-base percentage, and his walk/strikeout ratio of nine free passes against 59 whiffs. His .281 batting average is more than fine, he’ll need to walk a little more and strikeout a lot less to be a true top of the order hitter. Maybe that’s not his destiny in the big leagues, but for the Blue Jays right now I think it makes the most sense.

Teams across baseball have evolved their thinking when it comes to how to fill out the lineup card, and there is a greater emphasis on getting a team’s best hitters more at bats than ever before. With that in mind, here’s how I would fill out the lineup card, keeping in mind that things would change frequently for platoon splits, and maintenance days.

1- Gurriel Jr. (2B)

2- Guerrero Jr. (3B- this is obviously after his call-up)

3- Justin Smoak (1B)

4- Randal Grichuk (RF)

5- Kendrys Morales (DH)

6- Hernandez (LF)

7- Freddy Galvis (SS)

8- Danny Jansen (C)

9- Pillar (CF)

It doesn’t really matter what I think the Blue Jays should do, and I imagine Montoyo will experiment with multiple setups before he ever settles on a regular lineup. I also suspect that Pillar will hit much higher in the lineup, but I’ver never minded his speed in the 9-hole, and I don’t know that he’s a better hitter than anyone listed above him anyway. In fact, there was a time when he was a regular possibility as a leadoff guy too, but you don’t really even hear his name mentioned in that discussion much anymore.

It’s also possible that the whole discussion around a leadoff hitter is moot anyway, as the Blue Jays appear to have their option of the future in Triple-A in Bo Bichette, their #2 ranked prospect. However, someone is going to have to fill the gig in the meantime, and there’s no guarantee that Bichette will flourish as a leadoff guy when he arrives either.

For me, I’d go with Gurriel Jr. getting the first chance at things, and likely give Travis some opportunity as well. That could easily change depending on who all makes the team, and both Pompey and McKinney will likely get their opportunities at the top of the page if they make the team. As the rebuild is really just getting underway in Toronto, it’ll be interesting to see how Montoyo navigates things, both with his veteran players and with youngsters as they arrive in the big leagues. For 2019, I expect it’ll be a very fluid situation, and there’s nothing wrong with that.