is now 26 and entering his fourth full season as one of the centerpieces of the team. It appears he’s ready to take on more of a leadership role and that includes being publicly vocal. Bichette and Blue Jays manager John Schneider said as much in start of camp.
“He relayed that quietly in years past and this year really took a step forward and said ‘we need to be better.’ It’s not just players. It’s everybody,” Schneider said.
That voice may not be the loudest, but that’s not Bichette’s style. It doesn’t fill the clubhouse, where teammates bellow over music, the buzz of bodies and the constant ratta-tat-tat of ping pong games, but when Bichette speaks, those other sounds stop. Each word, each letter, each pause for thought means something.
The Blue Jays’ star shortstop understands as well as anyone what this team needs to do better, which starts with understanding where this team has been.
“This is the first time we’ve been doubted,” Bichette said Wednesday in Dunedin. “We’ve always had high expectations and it’s definitely a different mindset trying to prove people right instead of trying to prove people wrong. I think we’ll see what we’re capable of this year.”
This isn’t the empty claim of fabricated doubters you hear to the point of exhaustion every year in every sport. Bichette is right. The Blue Jays have been a preseason darling these past few years, always a trendy pick to come out of the American League and make a run at the World Series. That’s what happens when your star-stacked roster looks so good on paper.
