The Blue Jays should make every attempt to bring back Kevin Kiermaier this offseason

Kiermaier has been a spark at the bottom of the lineup

Let's start with the most surprising part of Kiermaier's Jays tenure: his contributions to the offense. He's running a .269 batting average, a .327 on-base and a .430 slugging percentage — all better than his career averages of .249/.309/.409 and closer to what he did during his prime years in Tampa.

He has definitely held up his end of the bargain, hitting out of the nine-hole more often than not. His 35 RBI and eight home runs are more than satisfactory for a guy who said he wasn't interested in hitting homers. He has 13 steals, having been only caught once, and scored 54 runs for a team that has needed all the runs it can muster.

Among players with at least 250 plate appearances batting ninth, the left-handed hitting Kiermaier ranks second behind Atlanta's Michael Harris II with a 115 wRC+, a .278 batting average, a .779 OPS, 81 hits and 42 runs.

Can his bat be replaced? Sure. There's nothing absolutely staggering about his numbers. There's also no guarantee he'll repeat the same performance next season if he returns.

The Jays may be able to find a replacement bottom-of-the-order hitter and replace the stats. However, there are other elements besides the final numbers that make him a valuable piece of the offensive puzzle.

His speed (28.8 ft/s, 87th percentile according to his Statcast page) and baserunning IQ make him the perfect table setter for the top of the order. Not to mention his consistent and relentless hustle. On a team that has sometimes lacked urgency in the past, his approach to the game has been a breath of fresh air and a good example for his younger teammates.