Blue Jays' tapping into Daulton Varsho's offensive potential
Photo credit: https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/video/daulton-varsho-homers-4-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field
There was always more in Daulton Varsho's bat. He hit 27 homers in 2022 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, posting a .745 OPS that remains his full-season high in two seasons since his trade to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Varsho hasn't bested 20 homers or a .700 OPS. The Blue Jays hope they've finally found that extra pop.
Varsho altered his swing over the offseason, working with Toronto's hitting coaches amid his recovery from rotator cuff surgery.
His pre-pitch setup is new, holding the bat more upright and the knob closer to his head. Add slight tweaks to his pre-pitch charge and compression, Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins said, and Varsho now works above and down to the ball.
Getting under the ball, especially high fastballs, has been an issue for Varsho with the Blue Jays. He posted an infield fly-ball rate of 18.3 percent over the last two seasons, fourth highest in baseball.
It's 15.8 percent so far this year, below his career average. Looking at where in the zone Varsho makes contact this year, it's clear he's now able to get to higher pitches.
Daulton Varsho's batting average hexbin chart - 2024 vs. 2025 (Baseball Savant)
The adjustments have made Varsho's swing more accurate, manager John Schneider said, and seemingly more powerful. Last year, Varsho's average exit velocity was 86.1 mph.
This year, it's 94.1 mph, and he has the two hardest-hit balls of his career. Varsho is hitting homers on over 30 percent of his fly balls, which is unsustainable, but raw power can't be faked.
«Guys figure out things at different times,» Schneider said. «Not comparing him to José Bautista, but I think that's the one that jumps out. You figure kind of something out mechanically, and it just gives you a better shot every single time. So I think that Varsh is kind of still an untapped resource offensively.»
SOURCE: The Athletic
| POLL | ||
MAI 19 | 81 ANSWERS Blue Jays' tapping into Daulton Varsho's offensive potential Withe the adjustments in Daulton Varsho's swing and approach will he have his best offensive season yet? | ||
| Yes | 71 | 87.7 % |
| No | 2 | 2.5 % |
| Too early to tell | 8 | 9.9 % |
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