Why Ty France could be a breakout player down the stretch

Ty France got off to a bit of a slow start in his first week with the Toronto Blue Jays, but the signs are there that he could be a valuable asset to the team for the remainder of the season. The Blue Jays acquired the first baseman, along with reliever Louis Varland, from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Alan Roden and Kendry Rojas during last week's trade deadline.

Why Ty France could be a breakout player down the stretch

Wednesday's 20-1 win over the Colorado Rockies was France's best showing for Toronto so far. He went 4-4, including three doubles. He also scored four runs for the team in the blowout win. If France can continue this form from yesterday, he'll fit in well on a Blue Jays team that prioritizes putting the ball in play as opposed to swinging for the fences.

Another way France fits in with the Blue Jays is his strikeout rate. In his first five games with Toronto, he has only struck once. Toronto has the lowest strikout rate in MLB at 17.1%. Additionally, the Blue Jays have the fewest strikeouts of any team this season with 763. The Kansas City Royals in second have 793.

France also has a talent for getting hit by pitches. He and Randy Arozarena of the Seattle Mariners are tied for most hit-by-pitches this season with 19. Two of those came in Wednesday's game against Colorado. France is fifth among active players for career hit-by-pitches. This also gels with the Blue Jays approach of getting on to create scoring opportunities, albeit in a painful, yet effective way.

France is just a few years removed from his best season in the majors. In 2022, he hit 20 home runs and was named as an All-Star while playing for Mariners. If he can regain his form from that season, he'll be a valuable asset to the Blue Jays roster.

It's always important to remember that for athletes getting traded is a major life adjusment. It can take a little bit of time for players to find their footing in a new team with new coaches in a new city. As France spends more time with the Blue Jays, it will be interesting to see if he continues to improve as adapts to his new team.

France's role on the Blue Jays may shift with the eventual return of players from the IL, such as George Springer, Joey Loperfido, Andrés Gimenez, and Anthony Santander. France may be relegated to mostly a bench role once those players are healthy, but he could be a valuable back-up in the event of more injuries as Toronto chases its first AL East title since 2015.