Bo Bichette is officially on the World Series roster for the Toronto Blue Jays. The All-Star shortstop has not played since Sept. 6 with a left knee sprain. In the final year of his contract and widely expected to leave in free agency, it was unclear if Bichette would get his chance to compete for the ultimate glory with the team that brought him up. But he will. Now it's just a question of how exactly the Jays use him.
While Bichette's bat is a welcome addition to MLB's most well-rounded offense, it's another story on defense. Bichette finished this season with -13 outs above average, in the bottom percentile on Baseball Savant. In short, Bichette is the worst defensive shortstop in MLB this season, give or take one Anthony Volpe (but Bichette's metrics are, like, twice as bad as Volpe's if we want to be serious).
Bichette has only played shortstop since arriving in Toronto, however. The Blue Jays don't move him around. He's too valuable to take off the field in the regular season. It's too early in Bichette's career to entertain a move to the DH slot or an impromptu audition in the outfield. But this is the World Series, which means Toronto needs to put its absolute best foot forward.
Where does Bichette sit in the lineup? And more importantly, where should be play in the field?
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Preferred Blue Jays lineup with Bo Bichette back for World Series
Order | Name | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | George Springer | DH |
2 | Nathan Lukes | LF |
3 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | 1B |
4 | Bo Bichette | 2B |
5 | Daulton Varsho | CF |
6 | Alejandro Kirk | C |
7 | Ernie Clement | 3B |
8 | Addison Barger | RF |
9 | Andrés Giménez | SS |
Bichette has not played second base in 2019, in the Minors. But desperate times call for desperate measures and he's simply less of a liability there. It requires Bichette to master the nuances of a fairly new position on the fly, but he's taking groundballs at second in practice this week and it allows Toronto to keep a far more dependable glove at short in Andrés Giménez (10 outs above average).
Toronto could mix things up, of course. Manager John Schneider has mentioned the possibility of using Bichette at short and DH, on top of second base. Bichette is certainly more comfortable at shortstop, where he has spent, again, his entire career. Put him at DH, and the Blue Jays don't even need to worry about the glove. The nightmare outcome here is Toronto blowing it on an ill-timed error from a rusty Bichette.
That said, DH comes with other concerns, primarily the fact that it means Toronto needs to put George Springer somewhere in the outfield. That takes a quality bat out of the equation (probably Nathan Lukes) and sets up Isiah Kiner-Falefa (.631 OPS and 75 wRC+) to fill in at second base. Springer is also a severe liability on defense at this stage in his career, tallying -6 outs above average in limited outfield reps this season. He's 36 with recent injury history. The Jays don't want to place too much strain on their ALCS hero.
Bo Bichette at second base gives Toronto the best alignment on offense and defense
Bichette will not come in and provide Gold Glove services at second base, but it's a position that requires him to cover far less ground than shortstop. And while there are unique wrinkles to playing second base, he does have prior experience there, even if it was a long time ago. Bichette is a middle infielder by trade and should known when to cover, how to flip a double play and all that fun stuff.
With Bichette at second, Springer in the DH slot and Giménez at short, Toronto tries to balance all their shortcomings with the necessary delicacy. Bichette is in the field, but he's not under immediate fire at a physically and mentally exhausting position. Springer can stay in his routine at DH. Giménez has swung the bat well this postseason (.764 OPS), so he stays at his best position.
There's a case for putting Bichette at third base instead, with Ernie Clement offering a bit more recent experience at second base. That is an understandable strategy, but third is a notoriously difficult position to field — the infamous hot corner — and it puts Bichette at a corner infield spot, where his responsibilities are vastly different. Learning third base is more of an offseason activity.
Second feels like the simplest and most risk-averse adjustment to maximize Toronto's defensive and offensive setup. Bichette coming in ice-cold off a month-long absence is less than ideal, but he's one of the most consistent hitters in the sport — .311 with an .840 OPS and 134 wRC+ this season — so the Blue Jays need to kick the tires and see what he's got. Bichette could absolutely be the difference in a series against a team as talented as the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Let's see if Schneider can play his cards right. History is at stake.