Patience is already paying off for the Blue Jays in 2022

While the Blue Jays have solved some of their issues through trades and free agency, patience has paid off with some of their homegrown players.

It’s always a tough balance for MLB front offices as they’re trying to figure out when to give up and/or move on from a player, especially one that’s worked their way through the Blue Jays’ system. Sometimes teams move on too quickly from a player before they’ve found the recipe for success at the highest level, and the Blue Jays benefitted from a situation like that a few years ago when they acquired Teoscar Hernandez from the Astros in one of the best trades in franchise history.

On the other hand, sometimes we see teams hang on a little too long for one reason or another. It might be because of all of the time (and money) invested in the individual, and it’s easy to over-value your own, especially the ones with likeable personalties.

However, in order to truly push to the level of being a championship contender, sometimes you have to make difficult decisions and move on. In others, having the patience in homegrown players can make all the difference in the world in a roster build, and we’re starting to really see that in Toronto these days.

I know it’s only been three regular season games, but already I’m seeing signs that the Blue Jays patience with some of their big league roster is already paying off, and will only get better as the season goes on.

Danny Jansen’s bat is coming around

It feels like we’ve been talking about which Blue Jays’ catcher is going to get traded for at least a year, and finally one of their big league trio was dealt just before the regular season began. Reese McGuire ended up being the one to go, as he was moved to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for another catcher in Zach Collins. The new Blue Jays receiver has minor league options, which would have been the primary motivation for the deal from Toronto’s end of things.

That leaves a big league tandem of Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk, which should give the Blue Jays a strong pair to work with their pitching staff. Kirk is more of a bat-first player who will also see time as the designated hitter, but improvement with the glove could see him receive more opportunities behind the plate. As for Jansen, if he keeps hitting the way he has been since he returned from injury late last season, it might not matter what Kirk does.

Jansen badly struggled as a hitter to begin last season, and that’s been a pretty common theme throughout his big league career so far. That said, he thrived as a hitter as a minor leaguer, and it’s always felt like he had more to offer on offence. We started to see those signs after he returned from injury in 2021, as he slashed .323/.380/.785 with seven home runs, nine doubles, and 19 RBI over 23 games that covered 65 at-bats. It was a small sample size, but there were a lot of encouraging signs.

Fast forward to this weekend and Jansen is the early leader on the team in home runs with a pair of bombs hit against the Rangers. He also hit an opposite field double on Sunday as well, and he’s looking as comfortable in the box as we’ve ever seen him in the big leagues.

It’s taken a while for his bat to come around, but if Jansen can sustain his production as an above-average hitting catcher, the Blue Jays’ embarrassment off riches just keeps getting better. In this case, it looks like patience for Jansen’s offence is really starting to pay off.

Bo Bichette’s defence

One of the most annoying arguments on social media last year was whether or not Bo Bichette should be moved off of the shortstop position. Thankfully the Blue Jays held firm to their position that their franchise player is going to be just fine at his natural position.

I understood where the noise was coming from last year, as Bichette really struggled in the field to begin the schedule, and it didn’t help that Cavan Biggio had a hard time adjusting to third base beside him. That said, Bichette was a much better defender throughout the second half of the 2021 campaign, and already we’re seeing encouraging signs to start this season.

Bichette is well known as a relentlessly hard worker, and there’s no doubt that he put continued focus on his defence throughout the offseason. That said, the Blue Jays also provided a present for their 24 year old star when they traded for Matt Chapman, who is one of the top five defenders in all of baseball. Chapman’s mere presence will take some pressure off of Bichette in the field, and like he did in 2021, he’ll have an opportunity to learn from a savvy veteran, and it will only improve his glove work in the long run.

Bichette might not be a top 10 defensive shortstop in baseball just yet, but I’m continually impressed with the consistent strides he makes in his game, and I’m glad that the Blue Jays have remained patient as far as his defensive home is concerned. He looked great against the Rangers in the opening series of the season, and I believe he’s only going to get better as the season continues.