Blue Jays: Rowdy Tellez vs. Randal Grichuk and a battle for AB’s

The Blue Jays have more starter-worthy bats on their roster than spots in the lineup, and it could come down to a battle between Randal Grichuk and Rowdy Tellez for playing time.

How are an outfielder and a first baseman going to be in direct competition for at-bats? We have the flexibility of the Blue Jays roster to thank for that.

After signing George Springer to a six-year, 150 million dollar contract, the Jays now have four outfielders on the roster that are worthy of a regular playing time, including their new addition, Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Grichuk figures to be the odd man out from the foursome, however, Charlie Montoyo could still find a way to keep all four outfielders on the lineup card on a regular basis. In order to do that though, he’ll need use the designated hitter spot with regularity.

And that’s where Tellez could lose significant playing time, even after being one of the more dangerous hitters on the roster last season. For a visual, here’s how the group could stack up with Grichuk in, and Rowdy riding the bench.

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1- Springer (CF)
2- Semien (2B)
3- Bichette (SS)
4- Hernandez (DH)
5- Biggio (3B)
6- Gurriel Jr. (LF)
7- Guerrero Jr. (1B)
8- Grichuk (RF)
9- Jansen (C)

And a look at a possible lineup card with Tellez instead.

1- Springer (CF)
2- Biggio (3B)
3- Bichette (SS)
4- Hernandez (RF)
5- Semien (2B)
6- Gurriel Jr. (LF)
7- Guerrero Jr. (1B)
8- Tellez (DH)
9- Jansen (C)

Not a huge difference, but let’s break down the pros for each scenario.

The argument for Grichuk

By keeping Grichuk in the lineup more often than not, the Blue Jays would see some real benefits. The biggest is probably on defence, both with the inclusion of Grichuk in right field, and the subtraction of Teoscar Hernandez’s inconsistent performance with the glove. While Hernandez has improved as a defender, he’s definitely the weakest of the four.

The outfield is going to be better with Springer’s presence, but they could actually be above-average as a group if Grichuk and Gurriel Jr. are flanking him. After a few years of questionable outfield defence, this would be a welcome change. And let’s not forget that Grichuk brings plenty of pop to the lineup as well, as he’s hit 68 home runs across 330 games as a Blue Jay.

The argument for Tellez

Going with Tellez more regularly brings some different benefits for the Jays, and I believe the scales tip slightly in his favour at the stage.

For one, Tellez arguably has a higher ceiling as a hitter, at least if last season’s small-sample-size breakout is any indication. The 25-year-old hit .283/.346/.540 with eight home runs and 23 RBI over 113 at-bats, and at times was the hottest hitter on the team. It remains to be seen if he can put together that kind of production over the course of a full campaign, but last season was very encouraging.

In addition, Tellez brings a second left-handed bat the lineup, and some much needed balance. Montoyo showed that he preferred to break up his right-handed hitters, even batting Travis Shaw near the top a fair bit, and Tellez should do a much better job if Montoyo wants to use him in the middle of the lineup. It’ll likely depend on where Cavan Biggio bats as well, but either way they could spread out and help break up the righties.

At the end of the day, both Tellez and Grichuk are going to get fairly regular playing time, and that’s assuming everyone is healthy. Having a potential starter-worthy player coming off the bench or even platooning is a luxury the Blue Jays haven’t had in a while, and will certainly make for a more dangerous offence in 2021.