Toronto Blue Jays: 3 bold predictions for the 2021 season

When Cavan Biggio (or Bo Bichette, or hopefully, George Springer) strides into the batter’s box at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day, he will kick off what may just be the most intriguing season of Toronto Blue Jays baseball since the team’s last playoff run in 2016.

Here are three bold predictions to get you primed for the 2021 season.

Cavan Biggio sets the Toronto Blue Jays record for walks

While it might not be the most exciting play in baseball, with the lethality in the Jays’ lineup, taking walks will be like scoring runs for the 2021 Blue Jays.

No Blue Jay is better at taking free passes than Biggio. The Houston-native walked 41 times last season. No other Jay walked more than 21 times.

If Biggio kept up this pace over 162 games, he’d walk 112.6 times. Only a slight improvement on this figure would be needed to surpass the current record of 132, set by Jose Bautista in 2011.

While opposing pitchers walked Bautista out of fear, Biggio works his walks in the more traditional way. With more protection around him in the order, Biggio can afford to be even more patient, as if pitchers don’t want to pitch to him, he’ll be happy to pass the issue onto the murderer’s row of bats behind him.

If he’s to make good on this prediction, Biggio must also cut down on his strikeouts. Only Teoscar Hernandez struck out more last season.