Fantasy Baseball: 2020 Toronto Blue Jays fantasy preview
By Mike Marteny
2020 Toronto Blue Jays projected starting lineup:
Bo Bichette, SS (.311, 11 HR, 21 RBI, 4 SB in 196 AB)
Cavan Biggio, 2B (.234, 16 HR, 48 RBI, 14 SB in 354 AB)
Lourdes Gurriel, LF (.277, 20 HR, 50 RBI, 6 SB in 314 AB)
Vladimir Guererro Jr., 3B (.272, 15 HR, 69 RBI, 0 SB in 464 AB)
Travis Shaw, 1B (.157, 7 HR, 16 RBI, 0 SB in 230 AB with MIL)
Randal Grichuk, RF (.232, 31 HR, 80 RBI, 2 SB in 586 AB)
Teoscar Hernandez, CF (.230, 26 HR, 65 RBI, 6 SB in 417 AB)
Rowdy Tellez, DH (.227, 21 HR, 54 RBI, 1 SB in 370 AB)
Danny Jansen, C (.207, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 0 SB in 347 AB)
The rebuild was slow and painful for the Blue Jays, but they are finally ready to reap the rewards. This team is young and very talented. Billy McKinney, Derek Fisher, and Anthony Alford, all top prospects at one point, aren’t even projected to start! That could change. Shaw and Tellez aren’t sure things.
If you want Bichette, Biggio, or Vlad Jr., you’re going to have to reach. That’s just the way it is. Everyone talked about Vlad and his other-worldly power, but Biggio and Gurriel hit more homers in less at bats. Bichette’s 11 with a .311 average at SS is going to make his draft stock right up there with Vlad’s.
Biggio’s low average is going to temper his stock but look at that OBP. The average doesn’t tell the whole story. Even his Hall-of-Famer dad only hit .211 in his first taste of the majors. Biggio could take a big jump this year. I’ll be glad to have him after the top of 2B is skimmed off early.
Gurriel and Teoscar are largely lost on a team full of top prospects, but maybe they shouldn’t be. Gurriel has a ton of upside as well. I wish I could say that I trusted Teoscar, but with Fisher and McKinney lurking, I think the leash is quite short. His subpar spring didn’t help, but it’s not like McKinney or Fisher looked great this spring either.
The power on Tellez is going to be tempting as a late flier, but his hold on an everyday role is tentative. The team wants Fisher involved somewhere, likely in CF. That would push Rowdy into a timeshare at DH unless he can take over if Shaw struggles at 1B. That may happen considering Shaw looked pretty bad again this spring.
Prospects to watch:
The farm system is depleted with Gurriel, Biggio, Vlad, and Bo all coming out of the minors for good last year. Alford and Reese McGuire are the next best prospects they have, but a hot spring from Jansen just solidified his hold on the C job. Alford is stuck behind a crowded outfield. I like both, but unless an injury strikes, you are likely wasting a bench spot. The future is already here for the Jays.