Blue Jays records that could be broken in 2022

TORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 3: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates his home run with teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 in the first inning during their MLB game against the Baltimore Orioles at the Rogers Centre on October 3, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 3: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates his home run with teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. #27 in the first inning during their MLB game against the Baltimore Orioles at the Rogers Centre on October 3, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – APRIL 09: Bo Bichette #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays hits a game tying solo home run in the fifth inning of their MLB game against the Texas Rangers at Rogers Centre on April 9, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) /

Bo Bichette

In 2021 Bo Bichette led the American League in hits with 191, which was good enough for 10th all-time in Blue Jays history, despite only hitting .298. Now, .298 is a pretty good batting average, 6th best in the American League in fact, but it’s the lowest batting average by the American League hits leader since Nellie Fox in 1952. Bo also went through some notable slumps, hitting .260 in March/April, .265 in May, and .250 in August. All this is to say that if Bo has a slightly more consistent 2022, the single-season team record of 215 in 2003 by Vernon Wells could be within reach. I know he’s gotten off to a bit of a slow start, hitting .222 with a 61 OPS+ in 10 games, but I see no reason for him not to bounce back and continue getting hits.

There are a few other more low-key records that Bichette has a shot at, and the easiest may be runs scored. His 121 in 2021 were the 5th most in team history, and as he’s started the season hitting in the two-hole, he’ll have plenty of opportunities to score with Guerrero Jr. hitting right behind him.

This one may be a long shot, but Bo was taking bags at an insane rate in 2021, stealing 25 in 26 attempts, and even though the team record of 55, set in 1993, may be quite a bit more, it’s not impossible. When Roberto Alomar stole 55 he also got caught 15 times, and that’s the approach Bichette would have to take if he wants the record. If he and Montoyo simply don’t care about how many times he tries to steal, it’s certainly doable. Unlikely, but doable.