A championship has eluded MLBbro George Springer since leaving the powerhouse Astros, but 2023 poses to be the year that Springer and the Blue Jays get over the hump.
After nine seasons in the Majors, Springer is known as one of the premier leadoff hitters around the league. The 33-year-old totes a .276/.362/.503 slash over 785 starts during his entire career at the top spot of the order.
The outfielder dealt with right elbow inflammation among other injuries during 2022, but despite the setbacks, he hit .267 with 25 homers, and 76 RBI. Springer went through offseason surgery to clean up the injury. And with Springer back to being healthy, the Blue Jays are confident in his abilities to impact every facet of the game.
“We’re talking about damage, on-base, energy, presence — a guy who can work an at-bat who just rubs off on everyone one through nine,” manager John Schneider told MLB.com. “You’re looking at one of the best leadoff hitters in the game over the last handful of years. I think if you have him in there regularly, you’re off to a really good start.”
Springer Wants To Stay Injury Free & Lead Team To World Series
As a veteran on a young Toronto squad, Springer saw the team reach the playoffs in just his second season with the organization. And as the youthful duo of Vladamir Guerro Jr. and Bo Bichette have swiftly adjusted to the big stage, the team up north has grown ever dangerous.
Spring training could be a good sign of things to come from Toronto’s potent offense. Springer blasted three homers in spring training, Bichette collected 17 hits in 20 games with four homers and a .315 average and Guerro notching a scorching double with a 113.6-mph exit velocity in his first game back since exiting a game on March 3 with right knee discomfort and continued to progress over the remainder of spring camp.
The Blue Jays also took a major step forward defensively after acquiring Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier. These Gold Glove-caliber outfielders, paired with Springer, make for one of the game’s best outfields. The additions will also move Springer out of center field and into right, where he’s played just 15 games for Toronto over the last two years.
“It’s just different,” Springer told MLB.com about the transition to right field. “The ball is hit differently, and there are a lot more angles when it’s hit in play. There’s a lot more spin on the ball, and there are some big boys up there.”
But don’t expect a different play style because he’s in a relatively new position. When he’s on the field, Springer is going to play with intensity.
“I don’t play [a] very slow style of game,” Springer told MLB.com. “I play aggressive. I like to run. I play fast.”
The Blue Jays’ first challenge will be to dethrone the reigning American League East champions, the 99-win Yankees and MLBbro Aaron Judge. But with Springer at full strength and ready to put his foot on the throttle, Toronto is eyeing their first win in the postseason since 2016.
The MLB playoffs are here and with that comes anticipation and expectation. The Toronto Blue Jays are having feelings of both as they are back in the playoffs after missing the postseason last year. The Blue Jays are laser focused and come into the playoffs winning seven out of their last ten games. But the most noteworthy difference in the team this year versus the previous postseason trip is the addition of MLBbro George Springer.
This is his second year with the ball club, but he brings postseason experience that few others in the Toronto’s lineup can provide. MLBbros George Springer and Jackie Bradley Jr. are both former World Series Champions. The team is full of young stellar players, such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Cavan Biggio, but in the playoffs veteran experience is key. This is exactly what the team envisioned when they signed Springer to a six-year $150 million contract before the 2021 season.
This bodes well for the team and Springer as he is in a position with which he is all too comfortable. Having been the leadoff hitter for a championship team already, he is poised to set the tone for a young team that is looking to take the next step. Springer brings more than just experience; he has excelled at the highest level. In the now infamous 2017 World Series title, MLBbro Springer batted .379 with five home runs, three doubles, and seven RBI in the seven-game series over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
While both Springer and MLBbro Jackie Bradley Jr. will help the young team be prepared for the Wild Card round, the team will lean heavily on Springer to lead the charge. If he can set a pace that ignites the team, the young stars will feel more comfortable and undoubtedly follow his lead. Springer is not the most talented player on this roster, but he is the veteran leader that is needed to succeed in October. If he can deliver and the team experiences success in the first round it will go a long way in establishing how far this gifted Toronto squad can go.
With power, speed and average as their main assets at the plate, Aaron Judge and George Springer are two leaders of the new school leadoff hitters making an impact from the first pitch of the game.
Aaron Judge
The American League home run record is impressive, but one of the unsung things outfielder Aaron Judge has done this season is move into the leadoff spot to spark the New York Yankees offense into being one of the best in baseball.
Aaron Judge has shown the world that fans need to be in their seats early with a beer and popcorn in hand because he is ready to get the party started.
“We were at a point where we were really thin and did not have any options,” manager Aaron Boone said when asked why he began using Judge in the leadoff role this season.
The door opened for him to slide into the leadoff spot after a toe injury to infielder D.J. LeMahieu earlier this year.
This season Judge is batting over just under .400 out of the leadoff spot with 11 home runs.
Comparing that to the two hole, where he is around .290 and the three spot where he is at .360, the fear factor Judge can have on pitchers when he is the first batter they face when stepping into the batter’s box can have an effect that lasts throughout the game.
The only offensive categories Judge does not lead the American League in currently are steals, which he has a career-high 16 and batting average. He has two legs of the Triple Crown locked up and trails in average by only .003 with four games left this season.
George Springer
George Springer is fourth All-Time with 52 leadoff home runs and will be looking to add a few more when he is back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
George Springer showing Aaron Judge how to lead off
This year he has a Blue Jays franchise record nine, just three of his personal record of 12 back in 2019 with Houston. Over the weekend the Blue Jays officially locked up their first playoff berth since losing in the 2020 Wild Card Game. That was the only playoff experience this young Blue Jays core has besides Springer, who helped the Astros get a ring in 2017 and 2018 ALCS MVP Jackie Bradley Jr.
Over his last seven games Springer is hitting .429 with four home runs, eight RBI and seven runs scored.
His Blue Jays currently have a four game hold on the top American League Wild Card spot, which guarantees them three home playoff games in “The Six.”
George Springer is a World Series MVP who was signed as a free agent to help lead Toronto back into World Series contention and he’s finishing the season strong with a hot bat that hopefully carries into the playoffs. He’s the centerpiece of this week’s Home Boi Highlights.
MLBbro.com reporter Malik Wright caught up with Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer, one of the most prolific leadoff hitters in MLB history. Springer’s bat has been hot in the last month of the regular season and is leading Toronto’s surge towards a playoff berth.
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