The Toronto Blue Jays are right in the thick of the playoff hunt in the American League with a 76-60 record, jockeying for position against teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners in the wildcard race. Bo Bichette has been an instrumental part of the Blue Jays' rise into solid playoff contenders, and at only 24-years old, he will be a fixture at the heart of the Blue Jays batting order for years to come.
After an impressive 2021 season finishing with 29 home run and 102 runs batted in, Bo Bichette was primed to take an even bigger leap into superstardom. However, he scuffled through the middle of 2022, hitting only .256 with 12 HRs through August 20, and it got to a point where Bichette was deep in his own head, exasperated as to why he was struggling to the degree he did.
But Bichette finally learned to let go of perfection and accept that not all days will go his way, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), and he's been on a tear ever since, hitting a torrid .406, with five homers and a 1.192 OPS, helping strengthen their hold on the final wildcard spot.
“I definitely didn’t feel like myself, probably for the first time in my career. […] Just for me, it was kind of letting go of trying to be perfect, trying to be the perfect hitter. That’s kind of what changed for me,” Bichette told Rosenthal. “I’m going out there and being me and living with the results instead of trying to please everybody.”
Teammate George Springer thought Bo Bichette was too hard on himself, especially knowing the talent the shortstop possessed.
“He’s his own worst enemy, his drive to be perfect,” Springer said of Bichette. “He believes, I’m going to outwork you and hopefully I’m going to see the results. When you’re lining out or when you’re striking out it’s hard to (accept).”
Bichette agreed with Springer's assessment of him but knows that amidst his struggles, his self-belief never wavered.
“I definitely can get too hard on myself. That’s maybe why it took five months for me to figure it out. But I don’t think the expectations I had for myself were too much. I still, throughout everything, believed in myself, believed I could accomplish great things,” Bichette added.
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An in-form Bo Bichette will be a scary sight to see for opposing pitchers going into the stretch run. For the Blue Jays, it's better late than never for their prized shortstop.
“Mentally, I feel free.” Good on Bichette for conquering his demons.