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Blue Jays: Some big questions were answered in 2020

ByChris Henderson|
BUFFALO, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: The Toronto Blue Jays celebrate a 5-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles at Sahlen Field on September 26, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. The Blue Jays are the home team due to the Canadian government's policy on COVID-19, which prevents them from playing in their home stadium in Canada. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: The Toronto Blue Jays celebrate a 5-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles at Sahlen Field on September 26, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. The Blue Jays are the home team due to the Canadian government's policy on COVID-19, which prevents them from playing in their home stadium in Canada. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
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BUFFALO, NEW YORK – AUGUST 25: Teoscar Hernandez #37 of the Toronto Blue Jays after hitting a one run home run during the ninth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Sahlen Field on August 25, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. The Blue Jays are the home team and are playing their home games in Buffalo due to the Canadian government’s policy on coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NEW YORK – AUGUST 25: Teoscar Hernandez #37 of the Toronto Blue Jays after hitting a one run home run during the ninth inning of a game against the Boston Red Sox at Sahlen Field on August 25, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. The Blue Jays are the home team and are playing their home games in Buffalo due to the Canadian government’s policy on coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

Mr. Seeds is a budding superstar

One of the biggest questions that surrounded the Blue Jays ahead of this past season was what to expect from the outfield. The topic of an outfield upgrade had been banded about quite a bit prior to the season, but the Jays ended up returning with pretty much the same group they’d used the year before.

As Garth Brooks will tell you, some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.

As a result, the Blue Jays’ outfield was very productive in 2020, and perhaps none more than Teoscar Hernandez. It was a breakout season of sorts for the soon to be 28-year-old, as he slashed .289/.340/.579 with 16 home runs, 34 RBI, and 1.3 bWAR in 50 games and 190 at-bats. Those numbers may have been even better if not for a brief stint on the IL because an oblique injury, but thankfully the typically pesky injury didn’t sideline the slugger for long.

After watching him reach a new level as a hitter in 2020, the Blue Jays have to be feeling good about having Hernandez as part of their long-term picture, and I doubt that was the case a year ago. He’s still not as good on defence as you’d like to see, or even for the physical gifts he has, but when you hit authority the way he did this season then the skipper is going to find a spot for you.

It’s an unexpected place for the Blue Jays to be after talking about the need for outfield upgrades for so long, but with Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Randal Grichuk in tow, I imagine they’re feeling pretty good about their set-up for 2021, and likely beyond. Hernandez’s emergence is a massive part of that, and he’s set up to hit in the middle of the Blue Jays’ lineup for a long time.

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