Blue Jays: Top-five greatest shortstops in franchise history

No. 2 Bo Bichette

There’s never been a Blue Jays shortstop quite like Bo Bichette.

In less than four full seasons since his MLB debut in July 2019, Bichette has written his name all over the Blue Jays record book. It began right away, when Bichette became not only the first Blue Jay, but also the only player in MLB history, to start his career with at least nine extra-base hits and four home runs in his first 11 games.

Bichette joined Carlos Delgado as the only Blue Jays with three homers in their first eight career games. His 15 hits over that span were the most in franchise history. Wherever you looked in the record book, there was Bichette, his long, flowing hair flying around as he took one more violent swing.

Bichette has led the American League in hits the last two seasons as the Blue Jays have put together the most potent lineup in the league; only two other Blue Jays had even done that once. He already has eight multi-homer games in his career, twice as many as any other Blue Jays shortstop. He’s second in franchise history with 69 homers among shortstops, just 14 behind Alex Gonzalez in nearly 500 fewer games. His .831 OPS is nearly 70 points ahead of any other franchise shortstop.

In September 2022, Bichette elevated from his already-lofty perch to an entirely new level. He hit .403 during the month with 48 hits and 18 extra-base hits, the first shortstop to do that since Hall of Famer Alan Trammell in 1987. In an eight-game stretch at the beginning of the month, he batted .517 and hit six homers while driving in 17. The list of shortstops to ever do that: just him, of course. On Sept. 5 in Baltimore, he became only the second Blue Jays shortstop with three home runs in a game.

Bichette’s 43 doubles in 2022 were a franchise record for shortstops and the most of any player in more than a decade; his 24 homers were third in franchise history, behind the 29 he hit in 2021. He’s the only Blue Jays shortstop to ever eclipse 100 RBI in a season.

And he’s still just 24 years old and just reaching his prime years. Bichette is under team control for at least another three seasons, by which time one thing is almost certain: he’ll jump into the top spot on this list.