Three players who need to improve for the Blue Jays to contend in 2024
A fifth of the way into the 2024 MLB season, there have been plenty of surprise teams to start the season, and some have gotten off to disappointing starts.
One of those disappointing teams is the Toronto Blue Jays, currently 16-19 and in last place in the American League East. With the AL East filled with talented teams, the players must figure things out quickly if they want to compete.
Here are three players who need to produce for the Blue Jays if they want a chance to turn things around in 2024.
Bo Bichette, shortstop
2024 stats: .195/.254/.276, one home run and 11 RBI in 32 games played
The American League hits leader in both 2021 and 2022, Bichette has had a dreadful start to the 2024 season, managing only 24 hits in 32 games played.
The 26-year-old Blue Jays star has seen his frustrations boil over onto the field after a recent ejection from a game against the Washington Nationals.
After averaging just over 24 home runs a year from 2021-23, Bichette has only managed to hit one this season and has only driven in 11 runs after spending the majority of the season batting third for the Blue Jays.
One of the more potent offenses in the AL over the last few seasons, the Blue Jays are in the bottom five of nearly every hitting statistic in 2024.
With a bat that can get hot at any time, the Blue Jays will hope it does before it's too late.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., first base
2024 stats: .239/.338/.373, four home runs and 15 RBI in 35 games played
Finishing second in the 2021 AL MVP race after slugging 48 home runs and driving in 111 runs while slashing .311/.401/.601, Guerrero Jr. has watched his numbers regress season by season since then.
With expectations to be the savior of the Blue Jays franchise along with Bichette, Guerrero has gotten off to a slow start in 2024.
Set to become a free agent after the 2025 season along with Bichette, the duo hoped to cash in on a big contract extension with the Blue Jays before then.
Known to go on hot streaks, the Blue Jays will hope that both he and Bichette can start to tear the cover off the baseball and provide the team with a bump offensively.
If that doesn't happen, 2024 will likely be a lost season for the team north of the border.
Chris Bassitt, starting pitcher
2024 stats: 2-5, 5.45 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched
One of the most underrated pitchers in baseball since 2018, Bassitt is off to one of his worst starts in his 10-year MLB career, with 22 runs allowed and six home runs allowed in only 36.1 innings pitched.
Ranked in the top 10 in the AL in hits allowed, runs allowed and home runs allowed, Bassitt is far from the pitcher who posted a 3.37 ERA and a 60-31 record from 2018-23.
While the pitching staff hasn't been the main downfall for the Blue Jays in 2024 with the rest of the staff off to good starts, having Bassitt at his best would give them a boost as they try to claw their way back into the playoff race in the AL.
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