As June approaches, we are just over a month from the All-Star break, and four Toronto Blue Jays players have shown they deserve to be All-Stars this season. Daulton Varsho, Brendon Little, Alejandro Kirk, and Bo Bichette have all shown refined approaches and a higher productive output. All four have been dominant in their performances after mostly struggling in 2024.
The player who has shown the most improvement is Varsho, who showed early signs of increased power during camp with four home runs. Varsho’s solid contributions are justifying Toronto’s decision to trade for him. Let’s explore how all four players are worthy of earning All-Star nods for the Blue Jays this season.
Varsho, Little, Kirk, and Bichette Demonstrate All-Star Worthiness for Blue Jays
Brendon Little
Little did perform well last season and was one of the few relievers who didn’t have prolonged struggles. But his success this season has made him one of the most underrated relievers in the bullpen.
Little has a 1.50 ERA and has only given up four earned runs this season. The swing-and-miss reliever has continued to be effective with his ground ball rate of 58.5 percent. His xBA has also been impressive, holding opponents to a .191 average, ranking in the 94th percentile. Little has been a solid young arm in the bullpen, and aside from Mason Fluharty, he is the only other left-handed reliever for Toronto.
Little’s presence has been significant, and he was thankful not to miss significant time as he was undergoing a lat cramp at the start of the season. His reliability in the bullpen has made him a success story, and they would hate to lose him to the IL this season. The Blue Jays still have Erik Swanson on the IL, but he is making progress with his recovery and pitched in a rehab assignment on May 22nd, going 0.2 innings, not giving up any hits, runs, or walks, along with one strikeout. He is expected to meet with the Blue Jays in the Rays series and assess if he is ready to return.
Daulton Varsho
Varsho has been the most exhilarating player this season and leads the team in home runs with seven. His adjusted stance with his bat in a vertical stance has been the key to his success. Compared to his horizontal bat stance last season, which resulted in more pop-ups. His return to his 2022 dominance with the Arizona Diamondbacks has been achieved. This has been accomplished by working with new hitting coach David Popkins. All pointing to signs that make him worthy of earning his first All-Star nod.
Varsho’s Bat Adjustment
Popkins has helped Varsho return to his past success by making adjustments. Exploring his past approach when he was with the Dbacks has helped him establish more power. The grand slam he hit for the San Diego Padres has given him the offensive edge. He now leads the team in home runs (seven). In addition, the triple that he hit contributed to an extra-innings walk-off victory. It also allowed them to sweep the Padres. All in all, it represented his clutch abilities at the plate. But his defense has also been stellar, which is no surprise from the high-caliber defender, 2024 Gold Glove winner, and 2023 DRS leader. Varsho was also the DRS leader last season.
But he has taken his defense to the next level this season, making plays that have been out of this world. In his return from the injury list on April 29, he made a catch where he fell during the play, but then still caught the ball. Varsho also made a catch in the Detroit Tigers series, where he leaped so high to try and take a home run away from Riley Greene. While he couldn’t catch the ball, the effort he put into trying to catch the ball and how high he leaped against the wall will be in the defensive highlight books for a long time.
Alejandro Kirk
Kirk is another player who has stepped up, signaling his All-Star form. He’s been productive and clutch with his two-strike approach at the plate. He’s shown signs of returning to his All-Star form in 2022. Kirk has also caught 10 of 31 base stealers this season, demonstrating his accuracy with throwing. Kirk was also a finalist for a Gold Glove last season, so his defensive caliber has remained consistent.
His 11.3 % strikeout rate illustrates his solid plate discipline. Also, his hard-hit rate of 52.4 %, which ranks in the 90th percentile, is impressive. Kirk’s bat speed and offensive output have signaled improvement. His enhanced bat speed of 71.9 mph this season has also been positive. As well as his 16 RBIs and three bombs are signs of resurgence. Overall, his performance has contributed to the Blue Jays’ success, which accounts for the five-year contract extension he earned this season.
Bo Bichette
Bichette’s 2024 season is one he will want to leave in the past. For the two-time All-Star, it was his worst season offensively. But it was undoubtedly spoiled by an injury-riddled season that impacted his performance. This hasn’t been the case this season as he’s shown his natural consistency with his contact. He has also shown enhanced power with four home runs on the season.
As well, three of them were hit in a six-game stretch recently. Bichette is sporting an xBA of .309 in the 96th percentile. He’s also held a hard-hit rate of 50 %, which ranks in the 83rd percentile. Bichette has also already recorded multiple multi-hit games this season, which is something he lacked last season.
Main Photo Credits: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
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