Daulton Varsho's L-R splits add another layer to a weird year for him

In his second season with the Toronto Blue Jays, Daulton Varsho is having a very strange year. The 28-year-old got off to a strong start through the first month or so, hitting six home runs and driving in 14 runs in a 30 game stretch.

In each month since then, he's hit under .200 with an OPS topping out at .669 in the month of July. That first month of the season has carried his total stat line tremendously, as his OPS+ remains at 97, which is just three percent below league-average. He's currently at 15 home runs and 51 RBI and appears to be on pace to surpass his production from his debut season in Toronto.

The strangest part of Varsho's output this season is his splits versus right- and left-handed pitching. There's obviously a rather significant difference when it comes to sample sizes, but Varsho is hitting just .184 with a .273 OBP and .658 against right-handers in 105 games and 338 plate appearances, good for a wRC+ of 85 (15 percent below league-average).

Typically, lefty bats struggle against left-handed pitchers. This is primarily because of arm angles as well as release points and overall mechanics of lefties on the mound. Left-handed batters have a harder time picking up the ball out of same-handed pitchers' hands and there's also an element of simply having to face them less than righties throughout their career, as the league is righty-dominated.

However, Varsho is hitting .303 with a .377 OBP and .877 OPS against southpaws this year, good for a 149 wRC+ (49 percent above-average). For reasons unknown, he's turned his game up a notch when same-handed pitchers are on the mound. In fact, he just went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run against Angels lefty Tyler Anderson in Wednesday night's 9-2 victory.

Ever since Kevin Kiermaier was traded to the Dodgers, Varsho has gotten the keys to the everyday center field role. He's continued to be otherworldly on defense, which makes his overall lack of offensive output a bit easier to stomach, but the fact is that he's a very solid lefty bat to tackle same-handed pitching. As a team, Blue Jays lefties are hitting just .211 with a 73 wRC+ this year against left-handed pitchers, which really highlights how tough it is to hit left-on-left. Varsho, however, is doing everything right to separate himself from his left-handed teammates.