Outfielder George Springer continues to struggle offensively at the plate for the Toronto Blue Jays, as he ranks 155 out of 157 qualified players in OPS at .539. Springer started off the season on a high note in April but, since then, has not been able to figure things out. Springer has three home runs, nine RBIs, and a .188 batting average thus far. This isn’t the first time Springer has struggled at the plate. Last season, Springer was on a long-hitting drought that caused him a lot of frustration.
George Springer ranks 155th out of 157 qualified players in OPS (.539). He has been a more productive hitter than only Javier Báez & Andrew Benintendi.
— nick (@splitteraces) May 25, 2024
George Springer Near Bottom of MLB in OPS, Looking Lost Offensively
Springer Can’t Find the Dinger
Springer started off the season on a high note as the leadoff hitter in the lineup. He is one of the many core members on the Blue Jays roster. But unfortunately, he is not playing up to that status. Springer’s rough start continues to get worse. In May, he is hitting .155, and his slugging is below .200. Will he be able to turn it around soon? It would certainly be motivating for this struggling Blue Jays team. Their biggest issue so far this season has been consistency. Their 2024 season has mostly consisted of them winning one or two games and then losing a game or two. They haven’t been able to get a strong winning streak going.
The biggest win streak they’ve had so far this season has been five games. They’ve also had trouble sweeping series. They had opportunities to score runs in both games of the current series against the Detroit Tigers but were unsuccessful. The 2-1 loss on Saturday was certainly frustrating, as José Berríos pitched well for the Blue Jays and he has been their most consistent pitcher this season. While Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette have been playing well recently, for the Blue Jays to be successful, they need to have offense coming from more than two players. The Blue Jays need all their players to contribute. It must be a collective offense, but that hasn’t happened much this season. Especially when you have certain players like Springer and Justin Turner who have been struggling in May, this is when everyone else needs to step it up.
What’s Feeding Into Springer’s Low OPS
With his continuous struggles, you have to wonder why manager John Schneider put him fifth in the lineup. Maybe he shouldn’t play every day. They have kept him high in the lineup for way too long at this point. This could be a key opportunity to give someone else a chance. When things are not working out, you don’t continue to stick with something that doesn’t work.
When Schneider was asked about Springer’s struggles at the plate, he commented that Springer has been hitting the ball really hard but hasn’t been able to produce hits. He said that when he’s good, he hits the ball up in the air more and that he needs to keep grinding away. Springer himself has also mentioned that he needs to work on his form at the plate. The league-average hitter is, without question, underperforming this season. This comes from a Springer whose wRC+ (Weighted Runs Created Plus) was 143 between 2019 and 2022. This placed him ninth across all qualified hitters, which is certainly better than he’s been this season.
While offensive struggles don’t last forever, and you want to give your players a chance to prove themselves, Springer’s struggles continue to linger. Springer should take the time to work on things and improve his offensive output. Move him down and Isiah Kiner-Falefa up in the lineup, who has been getting on base and playing well recently. Looking at the batting order again on Saturday against the Tigers, Schneider placed Turner second in the batting order. It’s an odd move, considering his struggles and lowered OPS in the month of May.
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