Bo Bichette opens up on his learning offseason experience as Blue Jays All-Star returns from injury-hampered 2024 campaign

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette revealed that he had introspected deeply on his career and persona during the offseason while recovering from an injury-marred subpar 2024 campaign. Bichette feels that those difficult times have been a great learning experience that will help him become better on the field.

Bo Bichette established himself as one of the best young players over his first years in the MLB since making his debut for the Blue Jays in 2019. The 27-year-old infielder led the American League in hits in 2021 and 2022, making two appearances at the All-Star Game. However, Bichette had a poor 2024 season and was limited to 81 games due to calf strain and a fractured finger.

On Tuesday, Bo Bichette reflected on his offseason, on The Interview Room on Sportsnet Toronto.

"I learned a lot. I think I just, through all the struggle, figured out who I really am. I tried to do some things that weren't me and realized that's not who I am," he said. "It could be the best thing ever for me, so I've got to go out every day and compete every day and put up numbers and help the team win.

"Realizing how blessed I am to play the game," he continued. "This year I'm just focused on enjoying every moment. Going out there trying to do something special every single day. I have the talent and the ability to put on a show. That's something I've done my whole career, and something I've always wanted to do as a kid is to put on a show in the big leagues."

Bichette only managed a .225/.277/.322 slash line with a 72 OPS+, resulting in a -0.3 bWAR for him last year.

"I conquered a lot of the things that were holding me back last season": Bo Bichette

Bo Bichette is a potential free agent at the end of the 2025 season (Image Source: IMAGN)

During his interview with Sportsnet Toronto, Bo Bichette underlined his expectations for himself for the 2025 season.

"If you're playing to win, you're going to see opportunities to gain momentum and things like that," Bichette said. "Both of those things are things that I want to accomplish this year.

"I feel like I conquered a lot of the things that were holding me back last season. There are things I need to do to get back to myself, mechanically and mentally, and all of that, but just assessing the issues and realizing where I went wrong," he added. "I think if I stay where I'm at, I'll be in a good place."

Bichette has made a hot start to the 2025 season on returning to the Toronto Blue Jays lineup. He has batted 9-24 through the first six games, with two extra-base hits and a .902 OPS.

About the author

Paranjoy Goswami (Bobo) is a baseball reporter at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience writing with publications such as Eagle Bet, India Bet and Paradine.

He has provided full coverage, match previews and betting tips on major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, English Premier League, German Bundesliga, ICC World Cup, Indian Premier League and several others.

Bobo grew up supporting the Red Sox but has also been on the Phillies bandwagon for the past couple of years. He also roots for the St. Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners.

While he hasn't played much baseball, Bobo's fascination with the sport started with an 8-bit Nintendo game, where he picked up the basic rules. He started watching live MLB matches on TV about 20 years ago and his love for baseball just grew by leaps and bounds from then on.

Bobo's favorite player was probably Tim Wakefield as not only was he the best knuckleball pitcher of his time, but he was also a Red Sox legend, an outstanding team player and a great human being. Among the current generation, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper get the nod.

Bobo's favorite moment in baseball history was when the Red Sox beat the Yankees before breaking their World Series curse in 2004. That said, Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier was the most important.

Outside of baseball, Bobo's interests include literature, comics, world history, science fiction, satire, classic movies, PC games, pets, playing sports, cycling, traveling, sightseeing and quiet reflection.

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Edited by Bhargav