Could Shane Bieber Be the Blue Jays’ Hidden Wild Card for the Stretch Run?
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The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off clobbering the Colorado Rockies to start their West Coast trip and are riding high before a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It was an extremely impressive showing for the Blue Jays against the Rockies to start the week. Even though Coors Field has a reputation for being a good park for offense, Toronto took that to the next level with the team scoring 45 runs in three games.
What might be even more impressive is that despite the offensive explosion, they only allowed six runs to Colorado.
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Now, they will be facing a much harder opponent in the Dodgers coming up, but the team will be focused on continuing to play good baseball.
The Boston Red Sox have been red hot of late, but the Blue Jays have been able to fend off their pushes so far.
Even though the team has been successful, they will be hoping to get even better down the stretch. With some key players out with injury, Toronto might be expecting a boost in the next few weeks.
Alden Gonzalez of ESPN recently wrote about Shane Bieber potentially providing the biggest boost for the Blue Jays when he comes off the injured list.
“The Blue Jays are counting on several offensive pieces returning in the not-too-distant future, including George Springer, Andrés Giménez and, they hope, Anthony Santander. But Bieber is the wild card.”
Despite being in first place, Toronto has had several key players miss a good amount of time.
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Anthony Santander could have certainly been the choice here over Bieber. The star slugger was able to total 44 home runs last year and was an impact power hitter for the Baltimore Orioles.
However, he has been a massive disappointment in his first campaign after signing a long-term deal.
While Santander getting healthy will certainly help, success in October usually comes down to pitching.
Will Bieber Provide More Than Santander?
Adding Bieber to the rotation could provide the Blue Jays with a pitcher who is a front-line starter and a former AL Cy Young Award winner. Toronto is taking a significant risk by seemingly putting a lot of its eggs in his basket.
Not all pitchers return from Tommy John surgery and thrive right away. Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins is just starting to find his groove, and he has been back since Opening Day.
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Bieber has performed well in his rehab assignments so far, and the hope will be that he will be sharp for the postseason.
Overall, if the right-hander is healthy and on point, he could be a significant boost for the Blue Jays.
For more Blue Jays news, head over to Blue Jays On SI.
Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.