MLB teams hesitant to follow Toronto Blue Jays contact hitting blue print
Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
MLB teams aren't rushing to copy contact, the Toronto Blue Jays' blueprint for a revival that nearly resulted in a World Series title.
The Toronto Blue Jays finished last season with a .265 team batting average and nearly became the first World Series champion since the 2018 Boston Red Sox to lead the majors in hitting.
The Blue Jays came within two outs of their first title since 1993 before losing Game 7 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 11 innings.
Los Angeles ranked sixth in batting average at .253 but finished second in OPS at .768, trailing only the New York Yankees' .787.
Toronto's lineup featured four hitters among the top 25 qualified players in batting average.
Bo Bichette led the group, while George Springer hit .309 (fourth in MLB), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finished at .292 (12th), and Alejandro Kirk batted .282 (24th).
As a team, Toronto's .265 average was seven points higher than the next-best club, the Philadelphia Phillies.
«We've always believed that making more contact leads to more damage,» said Ross Atkins, the Blue Jays' general manager since 2016.
Toronto has emphasized contact hitting for several seasons. The Blue Jays led the majors in batting average in 2022 and ranked second in 2021.
What other MLB teams are saying about the Blue Jays balancing contact with power
Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said the club's ability to combine consistent contact with hard-hit balls is rare.
«The ability they had to put the ball in play and still drive it is pretty unique,» Kelly said. «Every hitter is trying to find that balance between making contact and producing power.»
Despite ranking only tied for 11th in home runs, Toronto still finished third in OPS at .761, behind the Yankees and Dodgers.
«They made a lot of contact, but they also crushed the ball,» Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. «If you're not striking out and still hitting for extra bases like they were, that's a special combination.»
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the goal is balancing contact and power.
«You don't want to just be playing ping-pong,» Schneider said. «It's about knowing when to use different approaches while trusting your ability to make contact.»
In today's power-driven game, high batting averages rarely translate to championships.
Since 2002, only the 2017 Houston Astros and 2018 Red Sox have led the majors in average and won the World Series.
Pitching dominance has also made hitting harder. The average four-seam fastball reached 94.5 mph last season, continuing a steady rise since tracking began in 2008. Across MLB, the league-wide batting average hasn't reached .250 since 2019.
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Former Toronto Blue Jays ace calling it a career, retiring following Dominican Republic 10-0 rout
| POLL | ||
MARS 15|72 ANSWERS MLB teams hesitant to follow Toronto Blue Jays contact hitting blue print Should other teams replicate the Toronto Blue Jays contact heavy hitting approach to improve their offense? | ||
| Yes | 59 | 81.9 % |
| No | 13 | 18.1 % |
| List of polls | ||