Veteran Sluggers Adding New Layers To Blue Jays’ Lineup

Brandon Belt, Kevin Kiermaier and Whit Merrifield have played like they have something to prove and a lot more to give

BY JULIA KREUZ

Of the many identities the Blue Jays’ lineup can embody in any given game, the most fascinating may be the clutch contributions from its veterans.

That was on display in early June, when Toronto swept the Mets in three electric road games that were part of a strong run to begin the month As Vladimir Guerrero Jr found his old form and Bo Bichette carried his consistency through another set, the Blue Jays also counted on the familiar sight of guys like Brandon Belt and Whit Merrifield stepping up when called upon Belt, who’s looked like his old self after b e g i n n i n g t h e y e a r i n a b i t o f a s l u m p , d e livered the sweeping swing for the Blue Jays. His two-run go-ahead homer in Sunday’s finale was no cheap shot, either. It travelled a Statcast-projected 427 feet with an exit velocity of 106 2 mph

It came after Guerrero hit a solo homer with similarly impressive stats –the numbers of players in their prime

“We’ve got the superstar in Vlad and the salty vet in Brandon, who’s kind of ‘been there and done that,’” manager John Schneider told reporters after Sunday’s win in New York “It’s nice to see those guys come through.”

That outing was indicative of all the layers this lineup possesses, and in how many ways it can hurt opposing teams

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This is no coincidence, either

One of Toronto’s offseason goals was to add some veteran bats to its squad – even better if those hitters were left-handed The club found what it was looking for in Belt and Kevin Kiermaier, who have shown solid production and flashes of greatness since joining the Blue Jays on one-year deals.

Add to the equation Merrifield, who arrived last season via a trade with the Royals, and the team rounds out an enviable group of vets with something to prove and a lot more to give that rivalled any other point in his 11year career

Hitting mostly from the No 9 spot, Kiermaier finished May with a 319 average and an 886 OPS, along with four homers and 16 RBIs The 33-year-old also stole five bases on five attempts, proving that there’s plenty of speed in the tank On the other side of the ball, Kiermaier has been exactly as advertised by his three Gold Glove Awards. He’s posted seven outs above average at center field as of June 5 – tied for the best mark among all MLB outfielders and ranking top five in all positions

Belt, meanwhile, was brought in as a bench option at first base But he’s made himself into a lot more than that After that admittedly slow start, the 35year-old batted 333 with a 940 OPS in May, driving in seven runs in 23 games It was good enough to move him from the bottom of the lineup to the clean-up spot in certain occasions. That’s where Belt was hitting when he homered against the Mets.

“One thing I’ve learned is that if I try to force some things, it doesn’t work out,” Belt said of what helped him get back into form “For the most part, I’ve got to get back to simplifying my approach It’s see ball, hit ball Don’t make it more complicated than that ”

“We have so much trust in our veteran guys to step up when we need them to step up, ” said Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt in early May “They can go two weeks without getting a hit, and I don’t think there’s much thought about it It’s just like, ‘OK, when is George [Springer] going to carry us? When is Belt going to carry us?’”

Belt is a two-time World Series champion

With Kiermaier at the bottom and Belt moving around in the lineup, Merrifield rounds out the Blue Jays’ group of veterans with his knack for finding himself “in the middle of everything,” as Schneider put it earlier this season. The 34-year-old Merrifield – who also came through with a pair of hits and two RBIs in the finale against the Mets – has shown the type of versatility that has fuelled modern-day baseball

They’ve all taken their turn with that

As the two-time World Series champion Belt worked to adjust to a new team and a new league for the first time in his career, Kiermaier opened the season with sky-high offensive numbers

Merrifield was hitting 299 with 16 stolen bases as of June 5, mostly appearing smack in the middle of the Blue Jays’ lineup as a nice bridge between the big names at the top and the small-ball contributors below

With the Blue Jays vying to gain ground in an uber-competitive division, this trio may have become just as indispensable as those big names l