Three games, three starters: Jays' 2B job is a puzzle
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ST. LOUIS — John Schneider’s second base situation is the one spot where there’s some daily thinking involved.
On most days, it doesn’t take much brain power to pencil in the majority of his lineup, one chock full of stars that are mostly everyday guys.
But the keystone is a daily puzzle with how this roster is constructed, and over the first three games of the season a different name has shown up at the position each day.
On opening day, it was Whit Merrifield.
In the second game on Saturday, it was Cavan Biggio’s turn.
On Sunday, with left-hander Jordan Montgomery on the mound for the Cards, Santiago Espinal’s number was called.
It’s a puzzle that has some obvious situations where the pieces fit, but performance could drive how the playing time is divided up, too.
Staying ready will be key for all three, but sometimes that’s easier said than done.
Merrifield definitely still sees himself as an everyday player and hopes to prove that, which will in turn earn those at-bats.
“It’s an adjustment when you’re not sure if you’re going to be in there every day, but it’s my job to show the coaching staff and front office that I am who I am and what I’ve done, I’ve still got that in me,” Merrifield said as the club packed up in St. Louis and started their trek to his old stomping grounds in Kansas City for the second series of the young season. “I had a bad start to the year last year and I guess the month or two before the ending weren’t great, but besides that I’ve done some pretty good things in this game so I’m trying to remind everybody that I can still play this game at a high level.
“It’s not our job to make the lineup, it’s our job to be ready when we’re put in,” the veteran added. “It’s not the easiest role in the world, but it’s where we’re at so that’s what we’ve gotta do.”
Espinal, who turned 28 in November, still needs at-bats to develop and is also hoping his performance will help him earn more playing time as the season progresses.
“It’s hard, but at the same time we’re just trying to get Ws,” Espinal said. “Wherever I’m playing, I’ve just gotta stay ready, no matter the situation. I’m taking it day-by-day and just go from there. I just have to stay ready for whatever situation comes up.
“I can always pinch-hit, pinch run, whatever it is. I just want to help the team win at any point. Whenever the chances get there, they get there.”
Here’s a closer look at the three players, how they fit, and in what situations they’ll be counted on to contribute.
WHIT MERRIFIELD
If all three of these bats end up in the range of 400-450 plate appearances this season, that means everything went according to plan and nobody got hurt or performed so poorly that they were stapled to the bench for an extended period.
Merrifield’s opening day start against a right-hander may indicate he’s the lead dog in this playing time fight, and the Jays are hoping he can turn back the clock a bit and prove he’s still an everyday player at the age of 34.
With a career .807 OPS against lefties and a .739 mark against righties, Merrifield’s ability to play the outfield is going to come in handy, which is exactly what we saw Sunday in St. Louis.
When a left-hander is on the mound, one of Kevin Kiermaier or Daulton Varsho is going to get a day off — it was Kiermaier on Sunday, as Varsho is seen as an everyday player — and Merrifield slides into left field with his career 114 wRC+ against southpaws.
If Merrifield isn’t starting, he’s a key pinch-running piece for Schneider to turn to.
CAVAN BIGGIO
Out of these three players, Biggio is the one under the most pressure to perform when he does get his at-bats.
Seen as a key piece of this club not so long ago thanks to his versatility and ability to get on base from the left side, the soon-to-be 28-year-old has struggled for two years now, posting a combined .213/.320/.353 slash line with just 13 homers over his last 176 games.
Injuries have interfered at times, but Biggio is facing an extremely important personal campaign in 2023.
Schneider has mentioned that Biggio will see a lot of his time in the outfield this season, although with Varsho and Kiermaier also both lefty-hitting outfielders, it’s hard to envision much playing time being available out there for another left-handed bat without an injury.
How Biggio’s season unfolds will be interesting to monitor.
SANTIAGO ESPINAL
It took three days for Espinal to get into the lineup, but it was the spot everyone expected against a lefty.
The best defender of this bunch, Espinal does more damage against lefties with a .322 batting average and a well-above average 125 wRC+.
Against righties, however, he’s sporting a .673 OPS.
Espinal’s sample size isn’t huge so it’s maybe too early to call him just a platoon piece, but what he’s done against lefties helps him fit the puzzle perfectly in this scenario.
It may just not come with as much playing time as he wants.