Blue Jays Could Shatter The MLB Record For Most Players With 10+HRs

Despite not having anyone among the league leaders in home runs, the Blue Jays have spread their power attack throughout their lineup this year, and it could lead to a MLB record.

This may seem like awful timing, considering Justin Verlander just no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays for the second time in his career on Sunday afternoon, but truth be told the Blue Jays’ lineup still has the chance to be historic this season.

As home runs fly out of ball parks at a record rate, the Blue Jays are also smacking the ball into the outfield bleachers at an astonishing pace. What has been incredible is that the Blue Jays do not have a true slugger such as Jose Bautista or Edwin Encarnacion carrying the load. Instead, the team has invested in a timeshare of sluggers and that investment has paid off as the Blue Jays have a chance to set the MLB record for most players with 10+ home runs in a season.

The Yankees set an MLB record last season with 12 players who hit ten or more home runs, but that record has a real chance to fall just one year later. The Blue Jays currently have 11 players who have hit at least ten home runs this season with another two on pace to join them.

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Randal Grichuk – 23 Home Runs
Teoscar Hernandez – 21 Home Runs
Justin Smoak – 20 Home Runs
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – 19 Home Runs
Freddy Galvis – 18 Home Runs
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 15 Home Runs
Rowdy Tellez – 15 Home Runs
Brandon Drury – 14 Home Runs
Danny Jansen – 12 Home Runs
Cavan Biggio – 12 Home Runs
Eric Sogard – 10 Home Runs

The Blue Jays are knocking on the door of the MLB record books and are just two more entries away from besting the mark set by the Yankees and taking claim to the feat. For the Blue Jays to break the Yankees’ record, they will be counting on utility outfielder Billy McKinney and young, upstart shortstop Bo Bichette.

Bichette is currently two home runs shy of entering the exclusive ten home run club and he remains the likeliest of the two to crack double digits. The 21-year old shortstop has already hit eight home runs in just 140 plate appearances and has a home run to fly ball ratio of 25-percent. Should Bichette continue at or near his unworldly place, he will likely join his teammates before we know it.

As for McKinney, his projection is a lot more difficult to predict. He is currently just one home run shy of double digits, but his path to ten home runs has a few obstacles in his path. With Grichuk, Hernandez and Derek Fisher occupying the outfield, McKinney is nothing more than a fourth outfielder at this point. Combine the possibility of a roster expansion in the coming days and the return of Gurriel, McKinney is going to have to make the most of his limited at bats if the Blue Jays want to break the Yankees’ record.

The odds of the Blue Jays tying the Yankees’ home run record is certainly on the table and seems to be more likely than not. For the Blue Jays to etch their own name on the history books, more than a few scenarios will have to roll in their favour. For Bichette, this means more of the same while McKinney will have to take advantage of all the opportunities he is given during the final month of the year.