Blue Jays' Andrés Giménez Has Move Value Than Some Realize
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The Toronto Blue Jays brought in some big time players in Dylan Cease and Kazumo Okamoto this offseason, but they did suffer a big loss in Bo Bichette.
Bichette had been a big part of Toronto's success at the plate last season an was generally known as one of the better offensive shortstops in the game even if his defense left something to be desired. With him gone, there would be a big hole to fill at the position and in the lineup.
It was clear from jump who the heir apparent was, with Andrés Giménez already on the roster. The second baseman on last year's AL pennant winning team struggled at the plate last year and dealt with injuries, but one thing was for sure: he has an elite glove.
With three Gold Gloves and a Platinum Glove under his belt, there were no concerns about his defense at short. The bat, on the other hand was a little worrisome. So far this season, Giménez has looked healthy and better than expected at the plate.
So much so that MLB.com's Keegan Matheson believes that even though it's early in the season, Giménez's value at the plate and in the field is something to believe in.
Giménez Could Become One of the Most Valuable Shortstops in Baseball
Giménez was once a highly touted shortstop prospect in the New York Mets system before being traded to the Cleveland Guardians after just 49 games in the big leagues. He'd get an everyday role with Cleveland and had an incredible year in 2022.
As a 23-year-old that season, Giménez hit .297 with 17 home runs, an .837 OPS, 7.4 bWAR and a Gold Glove. It was by far his best season. Although he was never able to replicate that production at the plate, he was a nine bWAR player in his last two seasons with Cleveland before being acquired by the Blue Jays.
It was a tough go during his first season in Toronto. Besides the team success, Giménez hada rough season, especially at the plate. He posted career lows in batting average (.210), OPS (.598), and OPS+ (65). He lack of production could partially be blamed on injuries. He had two IL stints, one for a quad injury and one for an ankle injury.
Still, he produced 1.1 bWAR because of the glove, giving him a good baseline of value.
Coming into 2026, he was healthy and coming off of a WBC championship as a member of Team Venezuela and he is looking better at the plate than he has in a couple of years.
So far in 20 games, Giménez is hitting .274 with three homers, three doubles and 11 RBIs. It's still very early, but his .777 OPS and 117 OPS+ are the highest marks he's had since his MVP level campaign in 2022.
According to Baseball Savant, he's barreling the ball at a higher rate, up from 3.0 percent last season to 4.8 percent this year. His average exit velocity has gone from the eight percentile to the 19th and his hard hit percentage is up from the fifth percentile to the 11th.
The numbers themselves aren't great compared to the rest of the league, but it just goes to show how much injuries affected him last season.
Will be return to being a seven win player? It seems unlikely. But if the bat can return to league average form, at least, then four wins is definitley in play for Giménez this season. Couple the potentially bounce back bat with an elite glove and Toronto could have an All-Star shortstop on their hands.
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