Time is now for Blue Jays to find order to their lagging offence

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It’s fascinating to watch the daily release of manager John Schneider’s batting order for the endless stream of Grapefruit League games down in Florida.

Normally reading too much into those day-to-day challenges is silliness given the prime emphasis this time of year is getting players at-bats and tinkering with lineups to make it all work with the number of players still in camp.

And while that’s the case once again this March, it certainly could be instructive to watch for tendencies and changes in the lineup, especially as the March 27 season opener draws nearer.

The manager has hinted at a sense of urgency for his team as he enters his third full season at the helm, a sentiment felt throughout the organization. The first month of the 2025 campaign has few soft spots, especially for a last-place team coming of a 74-88 season.

While the leadoff spot to start the season will in all likelihood be George Springer’s to lose, it certainly appears as though Schneider and his staff are keeping their options open.

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For Monday’s game in Lakeland to face Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, shortstop Bo Bichette was leading off followed by Vlad Guerrero Jr., Anthony Santander and Springer.

Andres Gimenez, who was hitting fifth on Monday, has had a look at leadoff as well, though Bichette is an intriguing option in a bounce-back season that ideally awaits.

What does it all mean? Beyond the expected spring training tinkering, it certainly appears as though Schneider wants to keep his options wide open.

Given his veteran status (and salary) plus his past pedigree as an elite leadoff hitter, we’d expect Springer to start the season in a familiar spot. But beyond that, expect it to be a limited revolving door until the manager finds the right productive mix.

But if the decline he has shown the past two seasons continues, then don’t expect the Jays to be overly hesitant to make a switch from Springer.

In fact, it could be argued that having Springer hit fifth or sixth may allow him to channel more power. The veteran outfielder was second in homers among Jays each of the past couple of seasons with 19 in 2024 and 21 the season prior.

For Schneider, it’s all about maximizing what he has while not waiting around for things to happen. Obviously, Guerrero and Santander will be joined at the hip to provide that one-two punch the team so desperately needs.

Beyond that, there will be an emphasis on creativity and situational hits — which translated from Blue Jays coach speak means to revive one of the worst offences in the sport.

Maximizing the strengths in the batting order will be central to that pursuit, making the lineups we see for a good portion of the remaining games a potential indicator of what’s to come.

VARSHO VALUE

Every year there are surprises in spring training, eye-opening performances to file away for future reference. Often, they come from unheralded players looking to make an impression rather than veterans going through the grind of preparing for a season.

This year, though, from the latter category we present centre fielder Daulton Varsho.

As he recovers from shoulder surgery, spring training was supposed to be about working back into game shape to avoid missing much of the regular season. Instead, it has become a testament to Varsho’s drive to fast-track the recovery.

While he’s not ready to play in the field — throwing strength is taking longer than wielding a bat strength — Varsho is mashing in his limited plate appearances. In his first swing of the spring on Friday, Varsho hit one out of TD Ballpark, following that up with another first-inning homer on Sunday.

That’s an encouraging sign from Varsho for multiple reasons, starting with some swing adjustments he has made even while recovering from the surgery that ended his 2024 season early.

Varsho told reporters in Dunedin that he has been working on hitting the ball lower to avoid those annoying fly ball outs that he felt were happening far too frequently.

Defensively, there’s still recuperation remaining which puts opening day in doubt. That said, Schneider told reporters that Varsho has been throwing to 120 feet. That has led to cautious optimism that if he’s not ready to go opening day, it won’t be long after.

As for the home runs: A timely reminder that Varsho did hit 27 dingers in 2022 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

AROUND THE BASES

Surprising stat of the day: Of the Jays batters this off-season, your leader in hits early in camp is outfielder Myles Straw with five from 11 at-bats. Right behind him is Gimenez with four from 12 … Think Bichette wants to get the work in? Heading into Monday’s game, Bichette led all Jays with 16 at-bats from six games … On Sunday, Bichette launched his first homer of the spring, a 420-foot bomb to left field at TD Ballpark … After an off day on Tuesday, starter Kevin Gausman is scheduled to make his spring debut on Wednesday against the Pirates at Bradenton.