Two Blue Jays Hitters Make Bo Bichette’s Departure Easier Pill To Swallow
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Bo Bichette was on track for his first Silver Slugger Award last season, had he not missed the final month of 2025 with a sprained knee. Bichette led the team in total hits and runners brought home while eyeing a 20-homer year. His production will be missed.
Now that Bichette is going to be playing for the New York Mets, one would think that there is quite a concern stirring for the Toronto Blue Jays' organization, but that isn't necessarily the case, as two familiar faces had a breakout season in 2025 and are ready to carry a heavier load.
Utility man Ernie Clement and outfielder Addison Barger not only had great regular seasons that helped lead the Blue Jays to their division title, but also guided Toronto to their first Fall Classic in three decades.
Record Breaking Playoffs For Clement
Watching Clement during the playoffs was a thing of beauty as he came through on multiple occassions. By the end of their 18 game stretch, he etched his name in the history books:
- Most Multi-Hit Games (10)
- Most Hits (30)
- Most Singles (21)
This wasn't an anomaly, and nobody should be worried that Clement's performance was a fluke, as he has found a home with the Jays since joining the club in 2023. He is continually getting better at the plate as he finished with career numbers (in a full season played) across the board.
Clemented finished 2025 with a .277 batting average to complement an on-base percentage over .300 (.313) for the very first time in his career. His confidence continues to grow, and seeing him in the cleanup spot would be anything but surprising.
Barger Looking Like a Veteran Hero
Barger would have been only 25 years old when he was playing in his first career postseason, but he looked anything but an inexperienced young gun. By the end of their run, the team had played in 18 games (Barger 17), and with significantly fewer at-bats, he was one of the biggest contributors.
Addison Barger just hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. pic.twitter.com/WUU1u3E7wC
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 25, 2025
With nearly 15 fewer trips to the plate, Barger trailed only Clement and Guerrero Jr. in total hits as the only three players on the team with at least 20 hits. To complement those hits, Barger had three long balls and batted nine teammates in while slashing .367/.441/.583.
Throughout the regular months of the year, he established himself as a reliable slugger, as he was one of four Blue Jays to cross the 20 long ball threshold (21), only two fewer than Guerrero Jr., who played in 20 more games than Barger.
These two have shown everyone in baseball that they are anything but a liability when it is their turn to step up to the plate. The loss of Bichette wasn't ideal, but with the way these couple of players continue to grow, the burden has been lessened.
Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.