<p>One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2025 season was whether Blue Jays outfielder George Springer would be able to overcome the funk that had followed him this spring. The veteran right-handed bat amassed a dreary .108/.298/.216 slash line with just four hits in 37 at-bats. He had his fair share of walks (eight compared to nine strikeouts), but the at-bats were not trending in the right direction for him.</p>
<p>This all raised some eyebrows, mostly because Springer is one of the more costly players on the payroll, and he is coming off numerous career lows from the previous season. Springer and manager John Schneider were saying all the right things, but with Alan Roden knocking on the big league door at the time, there was a possibility that a slow start for Springer may lead to some tough questions once the season was in full swing.</p>
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<p>While the sample size is indeed small, considering the Blue Jays are only five games into a very long season, Springer has completely flipped the narrative out of the gate &#8211; a positive sign for the outfielder.</p>
<p>Through five games, he has started in four and found himself pinch-hitting in the other, and he has three multi-hit games under his belt already. He played a pivotal role in Sunday&#8217;s win over the Baltimore Orioles, driving in two of the three runs that day, and he is coming off back-to-back games where he put extra bases on the board. He&#8217;s also got a stolen base to his credit.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">George Springer&#39;s 500th hit as a Blue Jay! <a href="https://t.co/58Xx9sgw3B">pic.twitter.com/58Xx9sgw3B</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) <a href="https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1906884981051322822?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>His current <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/george-springer-543807?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb">average exit velocity</a> sits at 93.5 MPH &#8211; roughly six points higher than his tally in 2024 &#8211; and he&#8217;s finding ways to provide clutch at-bats, collecting two hits in five at-bats when there have been runners in scoring position, accounting for all three of his RBIs so far this season. His bat speed is a bit slower than his swing speed last year (70.8 MPH vs. 71.9 MPH), but he is making better contact, with his Hard Hit percentage sitting at 60.0%. Springer continues to find ways to put the ball in play, with his hits ranging from an 84.7 MPH line drive up the middle off of a Charlie Morton sinker to his double last night where he punched a Lucas Sims four-seam fastball inside to left field, coming off the bat at 108.8 MPH.</p>
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<p>On top of his bat starting well, Springer is also doing it with the glove &#8211; something we have been accustomed to seeing from the veteran since he landed in Toronto. He made a spectacular diving play in centre field on Opening Day, covering the area at times with Daulton Varsho on the IL to begin the year, and he has +1 DRS to begin the year to show for it.</p>
<p>For Springer, this is a complete turnaround from what fans saw in spring training, at least for the time being.</p>
<p>There are still lots of games left in the season for things to trend one way or another, and I don&#8217;t expect Springer to keep up his +50% Hard Hit percentage the full year, but the narrative out of the gate is heading in the right direction to start the campaign.</p>
<p>Springer is putting a better swing on the ball, and while he does have five strikeouts to his name, when he makes contact, he can drive it in the air and find lots of open field. His launch angle is sitting at a 13.0 mark, and for comparison, his best season with the Blue Jays in terms of bWAR in 2022 saw him finish the season with a 13.9 mark. That doesn&#8217;t guarantee success by any means, but the underlying metrics for his strong start and a positive compared to his values produced across the board from last season.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">George Springer just pulled a 97.5mph pitch for a basehit.</p>
<p>The last time he pulled a basehit off a pitch that hard? September 2022.</p>
<p>Get off your A-Swings!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Popkins?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Popkins</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Chris Black (@DownToBlack) <a href="https://twitter.com/DownToBlack/status/1906873296366551332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>While Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Anthony Santander are the go-to driving forces of this Jays roster (and I guess Andrés Giménez can be added to the list as well), George Springer is putting together some solid at-bats further down in the lineup and is making a difference for the Jays on both sides of the ball.</p>
<p>Continuing to keep up a .400 average is not going to happen throughout a full season, and there will be some regression back to the normalcies of an everyday Major League player. However, if Springer can continue to drive the ball in the same manner and keep up with the tough at-bats with consistency this season, it will go a long way for a Toronto Blue Jays squad looking to find postseason success in a do-or-die year.</p>
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One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2025 season was whether Blue Jays outfielder George Springer would be able to overcome the funk that had followed him this spring. The veteran right-handed bat amassed a dreary .108/.298/.216 slash line with just four hits in 37 at-bats. He had his fair share of walks (eight compared to nine strikeouts), but the at-bats were not trending in the right direction for him.

This all raised some eyebrows, mostly because Springer is one of the more costly players on the payroll, and he is coming off numerous career lows from the previous season. Springer and manager John Schneider were saying all the right things, but with Alan Roden knocking on the big league door at the time, there was a possibility that a slow start for Springer may lead to some tough questions once the season was in full swing.
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While the sample size is indeed small, considering the Blue Jays are only five games into a very long season, Springer has completely flipped the narrative out of the gate - a positive sign for the outfielder.

Through five games, he has started in four and found himself pinch-hitting in the other, and he has three multi-hit games under his belt already. He played a pivotal role in Sunday's win over the Baltimore Orioles, driving in two of the three runs that day, and he is coming off back-to-back games where he put extra bases on the board. He's also got a stolen base to his credit.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1906884981051322822

His current <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/george-springer-543807?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb">average exit velocity</a> sits at 93.5 MPH - roughly six points higher than his tally in 2024 - and he's finding ways to provide clutch at-bats, collecting two hits in five at-bats when there have been runners in scoring position, accounting for all three of his RBIs so far this season. His bat speed is a bit slower than his swing speed last year (70.8 MPH vs. 71.9 MPH), but he is making better contact, with his Hard Hit percentage sitting at 60.0%. Springer continues to find ways to put the ball in play, with his hits ranging from an 84.7 MPH line drive up the middle off of a Charlie Morton sinker to his double last night where he punched a Lucas Sims four-seam fastball inside to left field, coming off the bat at 108.8 MPH.

&nbsp;

On top of his bat starting well, Springer is also doing it with the glove - something we have been accustomed to seeing from the veteran since he landed in Toronto. He made a spectacular diving play in centre field on Opening Day, covering the area at times with Daulton Varsho on the IL to begin the year, and he has +1 DRS to begin the year to show for it.

For Springer, this is a complete turnaround from what fans saw in spring training, at least for the time being.

There are still lots of games left in the season for things to trend one way or another, and I don't expect Springer to keep up his +50% Hard Hit percentage the full year, but the narrative out of the gate is heading in the right direction to start the campaign.

Springer is putting a better swing on the ball, and while he does have five strikeouts to his name, when he makes contact, he can drive it in the air and find lots of open field. His launch angle is sitting at a 13.0 mark, and for comparison, his best season with the Blue Jays in terms of bWAR in 2022 saw him finish the season with a 13.9 mark. That doesn't guarantee success by any means, but the underlying metrics for his strong start and a positive compared to his values produced across the board from last season.

https://twitter.com/DownToBlack/status/1906873296366551332

While Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Anthony Santander are the go-to driving forces of this Jays roster (and I guess Andrés Giménez can be added to the list as well), George Springer is putting together some solid at-bats further down in the lineup and is making a difference for the Jays on both sides of the ball.

Continuing to keep up a .400 average is not going to happen throughout a full season, and there will be some regression back to the normalcies of an everyday Major League player. However, if Springer can continue to drive the ball in the same manner and keep up with the tough at-bats with consistency this season, it will go a long way for a Toronto Blue Jays squad looking to find postseason success in a do-or-die year.

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