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We should know Bo Bichette by now.
In the last three seasons, he’s finished with OPS+ values of 127, 121 and 127. He’s been very consistent (at least on a year-to-year basis). In the last two years, he’s received MVP votes, finishing 12th and 11th.
But last year, at the end of August, he was hitting just .260/.305/.420, but he hit 406/.444/.662 in September to save his season and drag our team into the playoffs. We know he is a streak hitter, and he saved the hot streak for the end of the season. If you only have one hot streak, he might as well be at the end of the season to help your team into the playoffs. Though if you have it at the start of the season, no one will notice the cold streaks.
Defensively, well, he’s had 47 errors over the past two seasons, the most of any shortstop, though just one more than Javier Baez (who played 650 fewer innings). This year his UZR/150 was -28.0. The two-year value is -13.0, the worst among MLB shortstops.
Bo is as streaky with errors as he is with the bat. He’ll go a bunch of games without one and then have three in a week. Speaking as someone with hot and cold streaks at just about everything he does, I can understand.
But it doesn’t seem like they will move him off the position, and I don’t see any sign that he’s about to get better. We are told that he works hard (it seems to be a topic of conversation in almost every game that Buck and Pat did), but it doesn’t seem to pay off in games.
Steamer thinks he’ll hit .281/.329/.475 for a 129 wRC+ (the same number as last year). Bo is one of those guys who don’t need a computer to make predictions. His BABIP numbers have been .353, .345 and 347 in the last three seasons.
I’m always surprised when very streaky hitters can put up almost the same season time after time.
What did change last year was his base running and base stealing. He stole 25 bases (caught once) in 2021. Last year he stole 13 bases (caught 8 times). FanGraphs' “baserunning runs above average” went from a +6.9 to a -2.7. Maybe there were leg issues that caused his slow offensive start?
He played 159 games for the second season in a row. I think he’d be better off with the odd day off. I think everyone needs a day off now and then. A mental break is a good thing. It is why God gave us weekends.
Poll
In 2023 Bo Bichette’s bWAR will be
This poll is closed
-
5%
Between 1 and 1.9
(16 votes) -
10%
Between 2 and 2.9
(32 votes) -
35%
Between 3 and 3.9
(108 votes) -
35%
Between 4 and 4.9
(107 votes) -
8%
Between 5 and 5.9
(26 votes) -
4%
Over 6
(14 votes)
Poll
Where will Bo bat the most in the lineup?
This poll is closed
-
2%
1
(8 votes) -
55%
2
(183 votes) -
18%
3
(62 votes) -
11%
4
(37 votes) -
8%
5
(27 votes) -
2%
6
(7 votes) -
2%
7 or later
(7 votes)
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