Toronto Blue Jays 2019 season preview: Outfield provides intrigue
Randal Grichuk
Blue Jays fans are probably hoping that whatever struggles Grichuk had in the first month of the season are a thing of the past. The 27-year-old started the month of March/April batting .106/.208/.227 but saw his average jump right after that.
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB | ROE | BAbip | tOPS+ | sOPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April/March | 25 | 19 | 77 | 66 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 24 | .106 | .208 | .227 | .435 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .119 | 14 | 22 |
| June | 25 | 23 | 91 | 85 | 15 | 25 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 17 | .294 | .341 | .647 | .988 | 55 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .283 | 142 | 168 |
| July | 24 | 23 | 99 | 90 | 15 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 25 | .222 | .293 | .444 | .737 | 40 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .262 | 86 | 96 |
| August | 26 | 24 | 104 | 98 | 12 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 22 | .316 | .356 | .551 | .907 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .366 | 128 | 144 |
| Sept/Oct | 24 | 22 | 91 | 85 | 12 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 34 | .247 | .286 | .576 | .862 | 49 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .326 | 110 | 133 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/26/2019.
Based on how Grichuk performed after returning from a knee injury which saw him miss most of May, there is a better chance he is the hitter who produced at a great rate in June and August. Even if he has streaky stretches, Grichuk will provide more than enough pop but it also depends on where he slots in the batting order.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Texas native isn’t a liability in the outfield and is capable of playing either right field or centre field. He doesn’t try to make circus catches but he doesn’t get caught out of defensive position either.
This would also be a great time for Grichuk to try and gain a long-term as MLB free agency has been unpredictable for players who aren’t superstars. The Blue Jays could also get a decent producer like Grichuk at a fair deal.