Toronto Blue Jays 2020 Report Card: Bo Bichette

Jays Journal contributors will be authoring Toronto Blue Jays report cards based on how each player performed in 2020. In this edition, we take a look at Bo Bichette.

After bursting onto the scene in 2019, expectations were high for Bo Bichette entering his sophomore season with the Blue Jays. The former second round pick hit 11 home runs and drove in 21 runs in just 46 games as a rookie, while slashing an impressive .311/.358/.571. Bichette also ended the year with a 2.3 bWAR and held his own defensively as a 21-year-old shortstop in his first season in the big leagues.

Year in Review

Bichette started 2020 on fire, recording a hit in 13 of 14 games to open the season. That stretch was highlighted by an epic 5-for-5 outing on August 12th against Miami. Bichette homered, walked, scored three times, and stole two bases in an all-time, record setting performance.

Bichette became the youngest Blue Jay to ever record five hits in a game and also established himself as the only shortstop in the modern era to reach base six times, hit a home run, and steal two bases in the same game. That outing came in the midst of a seven-game run that saw Bichette hit five home runs and drive in 11 runs, while single handedly carrying the Blue Jays offense.

The fun would not last, however, as just three days later Bichette injured his knee in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. That landed him on the IL with a right knee sprain and forced him to miss almost a month of action. At the time of the injury, Bichette was slashing a stunning .361/.391/.672 with five home runs, 13 RBIs, and four stolen bases.

Bichette returned on September 12th and played in 15 games down the stretch, but he was not the same player that we saw prior to the injury. Bichette hit just .242 with 10 RBIs in those 15 outings. He did not homer or steal a base following his return.

It should also be mentioned that, like many Blue Jays, Bichette had a forgettable Wild Card performance against Tampa. The Jays shortstop went 0-6 and committed two costly errors in Game 2. It was a disappointing way to end the year for Bichette, but it should also serve as valuable experience for him and the rest of the team going forward.

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By the Numbers

Despite the injury, Bichette’s final numbers still looked very strong. In his 22-year-old season, Bichette slashed .301/.328/.512 with five homers and 23 RBIs. He scored 18 runs, stole four bags, hit eight doubles, one triple, and finished the year with a 0.8 bWAR.

Defensively, Bichette has been good thus far in his career, but not great. He committed just three errors this season, after posting seven as a rookie. The advanced metrics have him hovering around league average and the eye test has shown much of the same.

Going Forward

There has been talk in the past, and already this off-season, of Bichette potentially changing positions down the road. However, with just 68 games played at shortstop in the big leagues, it’s way too early to make any definitive plans for Bichette’s future in the field. He still has plenty of room to grow defensively and would be best served by a full season at shortstop under normal circumstances.

Overall, Blue Jays fans have to love what they’ve seen from Bichette in his short time as a big leaguer. If not for the injury, there was a very real possibility that Bichette would have been in the conversation for some big time league awards at the end of the year. Instead, we are left to look forward to 2021 and anticipate all the great things he has in store for us on the horizon.

Overall Grade: A-