The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to take another series heading into today’s afternoon tilt. Before their final game against the Oakland Athletics, the Blue Jays’ news of the day involved Brandon Valenzuela.
Today’s game will begin at 1:05 PM Mountain Time or 3:05 PM Eastern Time, a much more appropriate time than the 9:40 PM Eastern (and later) start times.
Toronto Blue Jays Announce Sudden Brandon Valenzuela News
Before the Blue Jays took to the field for warm-ups, they announced their lineup for the final game of their series against the Athletics.
- RF: Brett Bateman
- LF: Charles McAdoo
- 1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- DH: Alejandro Kirk
- 3B: Kazuma Okamoto
- SS: Andres Gimenez
- 2B: Ernie Clement
- C: Brandon Valenzuela
- CF: Myles Straw
Starting Pitcher (Bullpen Game): Brandon Fisher
Valenzuela is an underrated contributor for the Blue Jays. The 25-year-old has recorded 21 RBIs, 48 hits, and eight home runs in 83 games.
Looking at Toronto Blue Jays Lineup Changes: Brandon Valenzuela, Jesus Sanchez, Josh Smith, & Nathan Lukes
The Blue Jays have made some lineup changes for the final game. These changes include players coming in, and players being shuffled around.
First, the big changes:
- Valenzuela back in.
- Charles McAdoo back in.
- Straw back in.
- Josh Smith out.
- Jesus Sanchez out.
- Nathan Lukes out.
Now, with that out of the way, here are the changes in positions and batting order from the previous game.
- Bateman moves from CF to RF.
- Kirk moves from catcher to DH.
- Valenzuela comes in at catcher.
- McAdoo slots in at LF.
- Straw moves to CF.
The Underrated Contributions of Brandon Valenzuela
Valenzuela has not been a regular member of the Blue Jays lineup, but he’s been making an argument for it.
Looking at FanGraphs WAR metrics, you can see the underrated value he has to the team.
In overall WAR, Valenzuela’s 1.9 WAR is fourth, with only Gimenez, Kirk, and Okamoto ahead of him. Additionally, his defensive WAR is second on the team with 12.7.
If George Springer is going to be out of the lineup for any extended length of time, having Kirk at DH with Valenzuela catching might be the best way forward.
Either way, its great for a player like Valenzuela to be rewarded with more playing time.
Toronto Blue Jays Announce Sudden Brandon Valenzuela News Before Athletics Finale