The Blue Jays Desperately Need a Lefty Bat This Season
PUBLICATION
Bobby Ohr
March 15, 2024 (8:51 PM)
Photo credit: Sportsnet
The Toronto Blue Jays have been hitting really well so far at Spring Training but the vast majority of their hitters are righties and with the majority of the pitchers being righties this puts them at a serious disadvantage. There are a few candidates that can fill the role of lefty bats for the Jays this season but they will need them to produce.
The Blue Jays Need a Breakout Lefty Hitter this Season
The Blue Jays have been doing really well it terms of hitting the ball at spring training but one area of concern is that they do not have any standout lefty bats.
Last season, 77% of the pitchers they faced were right handed meaning that Jays batters will be at a disadvantage of the platoon 3/4 of the season's at bats. Of course hitters such as Guerrero, Springer and Bichette will not necessarily feels this hardships as much but it is a concern for the rest of the lineup.
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The Toronto Blue Jays need a lefty breakout this season
The Jays have 3 serious options of left batters than can probably help there situation if they rise to the occasion.
Daulton Varsho is the number one answer, although he struggled last season against RHP, in 2022 he had a .240 average, .801 OPS, and 26 of his 27 home runs were against RHP.
Option 2 would be Cavan Biggio, although last year he did better against LHP, over his career the numbers prove that he produces against right handers.
The last option would be Dan Vogelbach as he batted 19% better against RHP but still is far from their best option. Some would say Votto is also an option but with his age and the fact that he will likely not play, it is hard to consider him an option.
Previously on Blue Jays Insider
POLL |
15 MARS | 89 ANSWERS The Blue Jays Desperately Need a Lefty Bat This Season Will Varsho be the lefty hitter the Jays need? |
Yes | 66 | 74.2 % |
No | 23 | 25.8 % |
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