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The Blue Jays starting left field job is Joey Loperfido’s to lose
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Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Jan 20, 2025, 10:30 ESTUpdated: Jan 20, 2025, 10:20 EST
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The Toronto Blue Jays need one of their prospects to break out in the biggest way possible.
Currently, Joey Lopefido is penciled in to start in left field for the Blue Jays in 2025 according to Fangraphs’ 2025 depth chart for the team. Of course, things could change before now and the start of Spring Training, as the Blue Jays have been interested in Anthony Santander all off-season long.
However, in the past two off-seasons, players that the Jays have had interest in have usually signed with other teams. First, it was two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in Dec. 2023, before Juan Soto signed on the exact same date a year later. Most recently, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Rōki Sasaki. This one was especially heartbreaking as the Jays took on Myles Straw’s contract and now have $2 million extra in international free agent bonus pool money and not much to do with it.
So, as pleasant as it’d be if the Jays could sign Santander (or Pete Alonso or Alex Bregman), I’m not exactly holding my breath that they can. Therefore, Loperfido needs to break out.
The Blue Jays acquired the 25-year-old outfielder from the Houston Astros before the 2024 trade deadline, getting him, Jake Bloss, and Will Wagner in exchange for Yusei Kikuchi. Loperfido made his big league debut last season and as a whole slashed .214/.264/.350 with four home runs in 262 plate appearances for a 74 wRC+ and a 0.1 between the Astros and Blue Jays. Not particularly great.
After the trade, Loperfido became a regular in the big leagues, where he slashed .197/.236/.343 with two home runs in 144 plate appearances for a 61 wRC+ and a -0.2 fWAR. The biggest moment of his young big league career came on Aug. 23, 2024, as he hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth, followed by Addison Barger’s walk-off home run. It was just the best moment of his young career, but one of the best moments for the Blue Jays all season long.
There are signs of a breakout though, as the 25-year-old had good results with the Astros’ Triple-A team, slashing .272/.365/.568 with 13 home runs in 189 plate appearances for a 124 wRC+. The power is there and it’s reflected in where he ranked in the Astros’ farm system before graduating, ranking fifth.
Earlier in the month, Gate 14’s Avery Chenier showed a side-by-side video of Loperfido’s swing during the season and during this off-season. The swing is much cleaner, as the footwork is quieter, there’s less of a hitch in his swing and he’s quicker to the ball. It may not seem like much, but an adjustment in the swing can have a massive effect on both a player’s development and performance.
Fangraphs’ Steamer doesn’t seem him having a good season, as it has him slashing .219/.284/.363 with eight home runs in 328 plate appearances for an 84 wRC+ and a 0 fWAR. FGDC has him slashing .219/.284/.363 with 10 home runs in 371 plate appearances for an 84 wRC+ and a 0.1, while OOPSY has him slashing .214/.280/.375 with 12 home runs in 371 plate appearances for an 87 wRC+  and a 0.2 fWAR.
For now, left field is Loperfido’s to lose and he may even get a run in centre depending on how long Daulton Varsho is out. Things can change, especially if the Jays sign a player like Anthony Santander, but if he gets the opportunity, he needs to run with it.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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