There are many teams who’s seasons were going to be filled with question marks about how they would perform. The Toronto Blue Jays are one of those teams.
The MLB season is currently postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With that being said, here are three bold predictions for the upcoming Toronto Blue Jays season…whenever that may be.
Nate Pearson will win the A.L. Rookie of the Year
The eighth ranked prospect in all of baseball, and the top prospect in the Blue Jays system, Nate Pearson is set to make the big leagues this season.
In 2019, Pearson flew up the ranks in the Blue Jays system, starting his season in A-ball and finished in AAA Buffalo. In total, he sported a record of five wins and four losses, an ERA of 2.30, a WHIP of 0.89 in 101.2 innings pitched. He also held his opponents to a .176 batting average.
Pearson also has the “stuff” to be successful in the MLB. His fastball ranges from 98-101 mph which caps out at 104 mph. He has a slider that can reach the upper 80’s and is touted as the best slider in the Blue Jays organization. Pearson also has the ability to keep hitters off balance with a 12-6 curve. He also was able to improve on his change-up during the 2019 season.
Blue Jays fans have been excited for Nate Pearson for a few years now, and having a “one-two punch” of Pearson and Ryu is something they can look forward to for years to come.
Bo Bichette will Solidify himself as one of the games best Shortstops
Bo Bichette was called up in July of the 2019 season and wasted no time to impress in the big leagues. Bichette is definitely going to improve on those numbers this season.
Last season, Bichette hit 11 home runs and drove in 21 runs while slashing a .311/.358/.930. If that doesn’t impress you enough for rookie, he did it in only 196 at bats.
As a rookie, Bichette committed only seven total errors and sported a fielding percentage of .959. Not so bad for a 21 year old.
Bichette was primed for a strong sophomore season in 2020. Hopefully, there is an MLB season so the baseball world can see Bichette blossom into an elite third-baseman.
The Toronto Blue Jays will Play Meaningful Games in September
The Blue Jays had quite the off-season. Not only did they acquire one of the top free agents in Hyun-Jin Ryu, they also added good pitching depth in Tanner Roark as well. They will also get a healthy Matt Shoemaker to start the season, who had a great start to last season before he tore his ACL. Sticking with pitching, the aforementioned top prospect, Nate Pearson is also expected to make his MLB debut to help round out the rotation.
The Blue Jays’ bullpen is probably their biggest weakness. They have some good young pieces in Jordan Romano and Anthony Kay. Other than that, Ken Giles is a great closer who’s a big help in the bullpen.
The youth movement in Toronto is also in full effect. All three of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio are looking to build on their rookie seasons. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez could also be primed for good seasons in 2020 to help keep the team competitive. Additions of Joe Panik and Travis Shaw also create some good depth for the team.
The Blue Jays are near the end of a re-build and are not expected to be very competitive, but with a young roster, nothing is out of the question.
Follow me on Twitter at @joeycongi98 for more of my content!
Come discuss this and much more at the Overtime Heroics forums!
