Blue Jays: Eight Jays featured in Pitcher List's top 100 rankings

Pitcher List, one of the most popular online destinations for fantasy baseball information, has just ranked the top 100 players for the upcoming season. Of interest to fans of Canada's team, eight Toronto Blue Jays appear on the list.

The authors, Scott Youngson and Renee Dechert, point out that the rankings aren't just for fantasy baseball nerds, however, as they've included defensive metrics in their data-driven top 100.

Youngson outlines the stats they used in their evaluations while compiling the rankings. For hitters, they looked at WAR, wRC+, wOBA and OPS+. On the defensive side of the ball, they used Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), Outs Above Average (OAA), and Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) metrics.

For pitchers, they looked at ERA+, FIP+, WHIP, K/BB%, and the newly created Pitch Level Value (PLV) stat.

Which Blue Jays made the top 100?

No. 93: Alejandro Kirk
No surprise here that Kirk makes the top 100 with his All-Star performance last season, in which he slashed .285/.372/.415 and generated a 129 wRC+. The sharp-eyed catcher also walked (11.6%) more than he struck out (10.7%).

No. 79: Matt Chapman
Chapman makes the list at 79 not only because of his 31-homer power but the slick-fielding third baseman is a perennial Gold Glove contender.

No. 74: Alek Manoah
The Cy Young finalist finished with a 16-7 record in 2022, not to mention his stellar 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 196.2 innings in just his second year in the league. More good things to come from the Big Puma.

No. 60: Kevin Gausman
The other standout starter from last year's rotation lands at number 60. Gausman's nasty splitter helped him rank fifth in SwStr%, 18th in K%, and seventh in BB%.

No. 55: Daulton Varsho
The former Diamondback is bringing his talents north of the border. He's poised for a big breakout at the plate this season, and his defense in left field will make him a fan favorite in no time.

No. 48: George Springer
Despite playing injured for much of 2022, Springer finished with a .267 average, an .814 OPS, and 25 homer runs. Now that he's healthy expect an even better year at the plate for the Jays' new right fielder.

No. 40: Bo Bichette
Thanks to a scorching-hot finish to 2022, Bichette put together another season of impressive offensive stats. He would be higher on this list if he played better defense. Regardless, he's the Jays' top dog at shortstop this season.

No. 20: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Was it even a question of who would top the list of Blue Jays players?

Despite a "down" year in 2022, Guerrero still managed 32 home runs and 97 RBI. Jays fans have seen the MVP level the young slugger can play to, and he's only heading into his age-24 season. The best is yet to come for the Gold Glove first baseman.