Bo Bichette has seemingly found a home in the lead-off spot.

The shortstop has had experience batting in the lead-off spot before. In 2019, Bichette had 208 plate appearances batting first in the lineup, slashing .313/.361/.578 with 11 home runs for a 145 wRC+.
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That makes up the bulk of his 365 plate appearances in the spot heading into the 2025 season, but he also led off in at least seven games in all but one season before this year. In 2020, he played seven games at lead-off with 33 plate appearances, finishing with an 81 wRC+ when he batted first. The 2021 season wasn’t much better, registering 45 plate appearances with an 87 wRC+. 
Bichette didn’t bat in the lead-off position in 2022, but he returned to the lead-off spot in 2023, where he slashed .342/.390/.526 with two home runs in 41 plate appearances for a 156 wRC+
As was the case for any spot in the batting order he was in last season, Bichette struggled leading off in 2024, slashing .147/.237/.176 with no home runs in 38 plate appearances. Speaking of his 2024 season, it was a rough one for the shortstop. When he was healthy, Bichette slashed .225/.277/.322 with four home runs in 336 plate appearances for a 71 wRC+ and a 0.3 fWAR.
Unfortunately for the shortstop, he had three separate stints on the injured list, two because of a calf injury and one because of a broken finger once he returned in September. All of that made the 2024 season the worst of Bichette’s career, as the Blue Jays finished with a 74-88 record, last in the American League East.
While better than last season, Bichette didn’t have a great first month of his 2025 season. From Mar. 27 until Apr. 27, Bichette slashed .283/.320/.350 with no home runs and eight doubles in 128 plate appearances, with a 3.9 BB% and a 14.8 K%, giving him a 91 wRC+.
Since April 29, the Blue Jays are slashing .275/.339/.428 with 15 home runs for a 118 wRC+. That’s best for ninth in the league, while their home run total is tied for eighth. Bichette has been a reason for the turnaround, as he’s slashing .275/.351/.471 with two home runs and four doubles in 57 plate appearances since April 29th, giving him a 136 wRC+. 
More importantly, Bichette has been a little bit more patient at the plate. His highest walk rate of his career came in his rookie season, where he had a 6.6 BB%. In the stretch of 12 games, he’s drawn six walks for a 10.5 BB%, passing the baton to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Anthony Santander, and George Springer.
Thanks to Bichette’s last 12 games, the 27-year-old is slashing .281/.330/.386 with two home runs in 185 plate appearances, raising his wRC+ to 105 with an fWAR of 0.5, more than he had last season. He hasn’t been great defensively, at least in terms of the metrics (-4 Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average), but that doesn’t matter if he’s smoking the ball, <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/bo-bichette-666182?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb">something he’s been doing all season</a>.
Hopefully, Bichette can continue this hot stretch and return to his 2021-2023 form, because when he’s at his best, so are the Blue Jays.
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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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Bo Bichette has seemingly found a home in the lead-off spot.



The shortstop has had experience batting in the lead-off spot before. In 2019, Bichette had 208 plate appearances batting first in the lineup, slashing .313/.361/.578 with 11 home runs for a 145 wRC+.
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That makes up the bulk of his 365 plate appearances in the spot heading into the 2025 season, but he also led off in at least seven games in all but one season before this year. In 2020, he played seven games at lead-off with 33 plate appearances, finishing with an 81 wRC+ when he batted first. The 2021 season wasn’t much better, registering 45 plate appearances with an 87 wRC+. 

Bichette didn’t bat in the lead-off position in 2022, but he returned to the lead-off spot in 2023, where he slashed .342/.390/.526 with two home runs in 41 plate appearances for a 156 wRC+

As was the case for any spot in the batting order he was in last season, Bichette struggled leading off in 2024, slashing .147/.237/.176 with no home runs in 38 plate appearances. Speaking of his 2024 season, it was a rough one for the shortstop. When he was healthy, Bichette slashed .225/.277/.322 with four home runs in 336 plate appearances for a 71 wRC+ and a 0.3 fWAR.

Unfortunately for the shortstop, he had three separate stints on the injured list, two because of a calf injury and one because of a broken finger once he returned in September. All of that made the 2024 season the worst of Bichette’s career, as the Blue Jays finished with a 74-88 record, last in the American League East.

While better than last season, Bichette didn’t have a great first month of his 2025 season. From Mar. 27 until Apr. 27, Bichette slashed .283/.320/.350 with no home runs and eight doubles in 128 plate appearances, with a 3.9 BB% and a 14.8 K%, giving him a 91 wRC+.

Since April 29, the Blue Jays are slashing .275/.339/.428 with 15 home runs for a 118 wRC+. That’s best for ninth in the league, while their home run total is tied for eighth. Bichette has been a reason for the turnaround, as he’s slashing .275/.351/.471 with two home runs and four doubles in 57 plate appearances since April 29th, giving him a 136 wRC+. 

More importantly, Bichette has been a little bit more patient at the plate. His highest walk rate of his career came in his rookie season, where he had a 6.6 BB%. In the stretch of 12 games, he’s drawn six walks for a 10.5 BB%, passing the baton to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Anthony Santander, and George Springer.

Thanks to Bichette’s last 12 games, the 27-year-old is slashing .281/.330/.386 with two home runs in 185 plate appearances, raising his wRC+ to 105 with an fWAR of 0.5, more than he had last season. He hasn’t been great defensively, at least in terms of the metrics (-4 Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average), but that doesn’t matter if he’s smoking the ball, <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/bo-bichette-666182?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb">something he’s been doing all season</a>.

Hopefully, Bichette can continue this hot stretch and return to his 2021-2023 form, because when he’s at his best, so are the Blue Jays.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette has found a home in the lead-off spot

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