5 bright spots from an underwhelming Blue Jays 2023 season

It's tough to call this season anything other than disappointing for the Blue Jays. With the money they spent and the talent on the roster, fans have a right to expect more than barely making the playoffs and being swept in the opening round.

However, this doesn't mean it was all bad for the Blue Jays. Here is a look at five bright spots from the 2023 season:

1) Bo Bichette

The biggest collective disappointment on the Blue Jays in 2023, was undoubtedly the offense. This is a lineup which just last season was first in the Majors in hits and batting average, third in OPS and fourth in scoring.

This season by comparison, the Blue Jays were still decent enough, ranking tied-sixth in hits and tied-eighth in batting average. However, they were just 11th in OPS and -- most importantly of all -- only 14th in scoring.

This is not acceptable for a team of such excellent offensive talent, with the underachieving highlighted (or should that be lowlighted) by one Vladimir Guerrero Jr. All we can say is, thank goodness for Bo Bichette.

Bichette was the antithesis of the Blue Jays' overall offensive production this season. He was first on the team with a 4.8 WAR and continued to be as consistent as ever, leading the team in hits yet again.

The two-time All-Star had 176 hits in total and reached an impressive milestone early in the season, with his 500th hit for the Blue Jays. He achieved this feat in 407 games, surpassing the previous franchise record of 432 games.

As impressive as Bichette was in general, there's still an element of what could have been this season. At one point, he was not only on course to lead the AL in hits for a third consecutive year, but also had a shot at finishing top of the Majors overall.

Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, he had to contend with right knee patellar tendinitis and an injured right quad. These issues cost him 27 games in total, as well as his shot at the AL and potentially Major League hitting titles.

Overall, there is no denying Bichette makes the offense tick. In fact, he's so important now, that the Blue Jays should probably prioritize him over Guerrero Jr., when it comes to deciding who to lock up long-term.

2) Kevin Gausman

Admittedly, the 2023 season didn't end on the best of notes for Kevin Gausman. He allowed a trio of hit, walks and earned runs in just 4.0 innings versus the Twins as he just struggled generally, to be tagged with the loss in Game 1 of the Wild Card round.

Overall though, you can't deny Gausman had a tremendous year in Toronto, as the Blue Jays' best starter in the rotation. His first two seasons with the team, have more than justified the decision to sign him to a five-year, $110 million deal.

In fact, the 32-year-old still seems to be improving, even after 11 seasons in the Majors. Along these lines, the 2023 campaign was one of his best yet.

It was very rare the opposition would get to Gausman, with him only allowing more than three earned runs in six of his 31 starts. As a result, he legitimately put himself in the conversation for the AL Cy Young Award.

There were plenty of standout performances for the 2010 fourth overall draft pick in 2023. However, on his way to his second All-Star selection, there were two in particular which stood out.

The first was an early-season outing versus the Mariners, who had knocked them out of the playoffs last year. Gausman allowed just six hits and one walk in 7.0 shutout innings while throwing a season-high 13 strikeouts, as the Blue Jays needed extra innings to win 1-0.

The other standout performance came versus the Astros, as the righty gave up just four hits and no walks in another 7.0 shutout innings, while equaling his season-high 13 Ks. It's also worth noting he threw well versus the Yankees, allowing just three combined runs (two earned) in four starts against the divisional rivals.

Come season's end, Gausman finished with an AL and career-high 237 strikeouts, while recording the second-best ERA and FIP of his time in the Majors. Even allowing for some concern that he might have peaked in 2023, he was certainly one of the Blue Jays' bright spots in a challenging year.

4) Chris Bassitt

There was a lot of anticipation, when the Blue Jays signed Chris Bassitt to a three-year, $63 million deal last offseason. He had blossomed late as a starter, aided by a varied arsenal, high-level competitiveness and tough durability.

However, Bassitt's tenure in Toronto didn't get off to a very auspicious beginning. In his first start for the Blue Jays he lasted just 3.1 innings, as he allowed an alarming 10 hits and nine earned runs in a 9-4 loss.

The 2021 All-Star would periodically have other tough outings as the season progressed, but in general he settled down after his terrible debut. As a result, he became the Jays' most reliable starter after Gausman.

One of the main highlight's of Bassitt's season, was throwing the second complete game shutout of his career. He allowed just two hits and two walks in 9.0 innings, versus a Braves team which would finish the year with the best record in the Majors.

The 34-year-old came close to matching this impressive achievement late on in the season, against the Nationals. However, after allowing just three hits and one walk in 8.0 shutout innings, the decision was made to replace him for the ninth.

Over the course of the season, Bassitt proved to be remarkably durable. So much so, that he finished top of the AL standings with career-highs of 33 starts and 826 batters faced.

The Toledo, Ohio native also finished first on the Blue Jays with 21 quality starts, as well as tied-first in the AL with 16 wins. The win total was the best of his nine-year career, and also tied for third-most in the Majors as a whole.

One of the only things missing for Bassitt this year, was a chance to pitch in the playoffs. While he was earmarked as the leading candidate to start Game 3 versus the Twins, he never got the opportunity after the Blue Jays were swept.

5) The bullpen

Okay, so there's a little bit of 'cheating' going on here, in picking a group of players as opposed to just one. However, we firmly believe the bullpen is worthy of inclusion as a collective bright spot.

Along with the rotation, the bullpen kept the Blue Jays in games. Combined with outstanding defence, the team allowed the sixth-fewest runs in the Majors during 2023.

In terms of the bullpen specifically, their ERA of 3.68 was fifth-best in the AL and eight-lowest for the Majors as a whole. They finished tied-fourth in MLB for WHIP, aided by allowing the fewest walks of all 30 teams.

Another important area where the Blue Jays relievers excelled, was when it came to sealing wins. The bullpen had 51 saves in total, which were most in the AL and third-best overall in the Majors.

In terms of individual talent, the Blue Jays bullpen was loaded in 2023. Standout performers included Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, Tim Mayza, Jay Jackson, Bowden Francis and trade deadline acquisition Jordan Hicks.

What's intriguing, is that the bullpen could have been even better. Consider how injuries compromised the effectiveness of the likes of Chad Green and Zach Pop, while Nate Pearson started out so well before self-capitulating.

Overall, the bullpen should be proud of their collective achievement in 2023. More of the same will be needed next season, with the promise of being capable of more for a Blue Jays team desperately searching for a way to do better come playoff time.