In the midst of larger offseason moves such as the signing of Anthony Santander, Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins made numerous underrated acquisitions. Among these was trading for Cleveland Guardians’ Platinum Glove second baseman, Andrés Giménez.
Up until that point, Giménez had a career batting average of .261 with 49 home runs over the course of five years dating back to his time with the Mets. Over the past three years, Giménez hit doubles at a rate of 22+ per year (while mixing in nine triples during that span) and won three consecutive Gold Gloves. Now in his sixth Major-League year, Giménez’s performance has slipped drastically.
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Andrés Giménez is posting the worst numbers of his career
Since making the move to Toronto, Giménez hasn’t quite lived up to his standards. In 143 plate appearances with the Blue Jays this year, Giménez is hitting a mere .195/.273/.305 with three home runs and five doubles. Giménez has largely struggled against fastballs and off-speed pitches, hitting .161 against both pitch types, two of which he normally does well against.
Thus far, these are the worst numbers of his career. But his slump hasn’t just affected his bat; it appears the shine has worn off his Gold Glove as well.
Since posting a career-high and yearly-best 21 OAA (outs above average) last season, Giménez maintains just two OAA this year. Giménez’s defense, which has always been his strongest skillset, now appears to be middling towards neutral.
On Wednesday of last week, Giménez exited a game against the Angels with an apparent injury. That Friday, he hit the IL with a right quad strain. It isn’t yet known if this injury is what caused his underperformance, but regardless, it has been an ugly year for Giménez. Toronto fans will surely hope he finds his form after returning from his injury.