Blue Jays: 2021 Positive Takes from the Dish and Beyond

October 3rd officially marked the last day for the Toronto Blue Jays 2021 season.  Although the club fell short of a promising Wild Card appearance, the year has revealed a ton of positives.

Before anyone decides to bash the Blue Jays front office, the bullpen, the offense… or the writer of this piece for that matter, let me sum this up to THAT’S BASEBALL. Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve! Could things have gone differently? Maybe we could have snatched more wins against the Twins and the Orioles? Sure!

However, a late-season mishap does not define the substance of this season and this team.  I’ve worked for this team for 7 years, and in the Toronto sports industry for several years.  I’ve watched the Toronto Raptors fall at this length, season after season, which eventually led to a championship.

Finishing 91-71, calling home to 3 different ballparks, in 3 different cities/States, within 2 separate nations, the Blue Jays put on a show with young, establishing talent.  The birds finished the season 1.0 game behind the second American League wild-card spot, freezing 4th in the American League East. Falling short of a playoff berth, the Blue Jays have a boat-load of positives as this group grows towards a championship franchise in the near future.

2021 Toronto Blue Jays Positive takes and Offensive Notes

MLB Amateur Draft

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; our weakness has always been pitching, starting from the farm system. In 2021, the Blue Jays scouting department took to the draft tables, replenishing the organization with 14 arms in 19 picks, including Gunnar Hoglund, Ricky Tiedemann, Chad Dallas, and Irv Carter.

2021 MLB All-Stars

Toronto sent four of their Blue Jays to the 2021 MLB All-star game, having the most starters amongst the other teams. Marcus Semien, Teoscar Hernandez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were all named All-Star Starters, with Bo Bichette selected as an All-Star reserve.

Biggest Bat of the Year – Vladimir Guerrero Jr

The name speaks for itself.  Everyone knows it and it’s strongly pictured with the Blue Jays brand.  Playing in 160 games, the powerhouse first baseman recorded 188 hits with 48 home runs, 111 RBI scoring 123 times within the span of 604 at-bats, and a .311 average.  Needless to say, the kid that signed his international contract on July 2nd, 2015 lived up to all expectations so far in his career, with 2021 being testimony.  His bat was solid, his power was an 80 on the scale, and his swing was dependable in go-ahead situations. The face of the franchise has given us a taste of the future of heavy-hitting Blue Jays offense. After winning an All-Star MVP, he’s considered for an AL MVP award and a potential Silver Slugger award while flirting with a Triple Crown.

The 2021 Toronto Blue Jays season has concluded and it is time to reflect. There is a lot of positives to review as this team develops and grows.

Marcus Semien

His former team did not even offer him a qualifying offer, which was a complete slap in the face, and drove Marcus Semien across the border with a chance of redemption and a shot to join a playoff push.  Semien was a defensively-performing infielder and a tasteful ingredient to the Blue Jays fierce offense.  The two-bagger put up numbers with 173 hits, 45 dingers, 102 RBI, stole 15 bags, and scored 115 times over 652 at-bats. Another guy in the order who you’d want at the dish in big-game country. The All-Star was a key piece in the Wild Card push and the Blue Jays need to prioritize this guy in the upcoming free agency.

Bo Bichette

The fan-favourite 2021 MLB All-Star, Bo Bichette took the reigns of his performance this year.  Without going into depth regarding numbers, we’ve seen this kid play his heart out.  I’ve said this before, he’s comparable to a Derek Jeter; play the game the right way with hustle and emphasis. Although the early-season errors were the talk, Bo quickly quieted the noise with a dependable bat in the lineup.  With 191 hits, fencing 29 long balls, stealing 25 bases, and 102 RBI, Bo displayed his importance in game-winning situations.

Hernandez, Gurriel Jr, Springer; a Productive Outfield

All of these guys played a role in an offensively sound year for Toronto. Each in the 20+ home run club and 50+ RBI club. George Springer’s numbers are obviously on the back-end of the 3, due to a late debut because of injury, and on-and-off absences in further injury.

From an overall hitting perspective, the 2021 Toronto Blue Jays went to the dish 5476 times, scoring 846 runs, on 1455 hits, 262 home runs, and 816 RBI’s. Despite the playoff and pennant absence, this offense was one of the most dangerous in the league. Let’s see how much more dangerous it can get in 2022.