Blue Jays could lead the AL East in this category thanks to Leo Jiménez

Toronto Blue Jays rookie shortstop Leo Jiménez is making the most of his opportunity this year with Bo Bichette’s injury woes. In addition to some outstanding defensive play, where “the plays that he's making are just mouth-to-the-ground” according to teammate Nathan Lukes, the 23-year-old Panamanian leads the Blue Jays in another category.

In just 58 games since his MLB debut on June 26, he’s been hit by a whopping 16 pitches, including 8 just this month after 5 in August! That’s certainly one way to get on base, and it comes on top of the 15 hit-by-pitches (HBP) he racked up in Triple-A earlier in the season in 57 games with the Buffalo Bisons.

All told, that’s 31 times he’s been plunked in 2024. And while it’s unlikely Toronto will catch Seattle for the league lead in HBP given their hitters have been plunked a whopping 111 times season-to-date, they certainly could lead the AL East in this painful category.

And while Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena leads MLB with 22 HBPs, he’s also played in 148 games. That’s 2.5 times more games than Jiménez, who would project out to 41 HBPs over as many games played as Arozarena.

For further perspective, his 16 HBPs so far tie him for 7th in Blue Jays franchise history in a single season with the likes of Level of Excellence member Carlos Delgado. With just seven games left, it would likely be a painful final week to reach Shea Hillenbrand‘s franchise record 22 HBPs endured in 2005.

We already know how Jiménez has thrown his body around making defensive plays for Toronto, like the outstanding catch on the fly ball into the seats below.

It’s great to see young players like Jiménez paying with such abandon, and doing whatever it takes to win. While that can lead to injuries, like in the case of Daulton Varsho’s rotator cuff surgery, the alternative is bubble-wrap and less confidence in the field.

Surely when the front office talent evaluators are looking at the body of work from Jiménez’s rookie season, the willingness to sacrifice his body, whether it be to make a play in the field or get on base via a hit-by-pitch, will be viewed positively.

And, as baseball fans all know, you need baserunners to score runs. The Blue Jays will need a lot more of those to be competitive in 2025, which can only help Jiménez’s case as he competes for a 26-man, big league roster spot next spring.