John Schneider makes bold claim about Daulton Varsho

Following the Blue Jays series win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on the weekend, manager John Schneider ended his Sunday afternoon post-game media session with a bold claim regarding Daulton Varsho.

"Daulton Varsho’s the best outfielder in baseball."

John Schneider

This comment comes with Varsho in the midst of a spectacular defensive season.

When thinking of the best outfielders in baseballs, guys like Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, or Ronald Acuña Jr. likely come to mind, but, statistically speaking, Varsho has been the best defensive outfielder in the big leagues this season.

Varsho, who primarily plays left field but has also filled in for Kiermaier in centre field, leads the majors in Outs Above Average with eight, Defensive Runs Saved with eleven, and his range ranks in the 100th percentile.

Varsho's defence has never been the question regarding him though -- everyone knew from the jump that he's a great defender. From the moment he joined the Blue Jays, the question surrounding Varsho has been his bat, which has come around this year more than last.

Varsho currently leads the Blue Jays in home runs with ten, while slashing .215/.301/.462, good enough for the fourth-highest OPS on the team at the moment.

His play has received extra criticism and been under more of a spotlight than most players on the team ever since he arrived to Toronto due to the nature of his arrival. Varsho was acquired from Arizona in exchange for fan favourite Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and the clubs No. 1 prospect at the time, Gabriel Moreno. It's unfortunate, but understandable why Varsho's play receives some unwarranted scrutiny sometimes. So far this year, though, he's done a lot to silence the naysayers.

If the Blue Jays are going to turn their season around and compete for a Wild Card spot in the American League, they're going to need Varsho's outfield defence to remain elite, and he's going to need to maintain this "best outfielder in baseball" type of output if there's going to be any hope.