Five key Blue Jays storylines for 2020 season

TORONTO -- As the Blue Jays move out of their rebuilding phase and into the early years of what they expect to be their competitive window, a sprint could fit them even better than a marathon.

With a veteran rotation to act as the bedrock for a young and talented lineup, one hot stretch over 60 games could quickly move the Blue Jays, who were still expected to be a year away from a serious run, into a legitimate race down the stretch.

With Summer Camp set to begin this week and Opening Day slated for July 23 or 24, here are the Blue Jays’ biggest storylines.

1. What role does Nate Pearson play?
No player in this organization -- not Vladdy, not Bo -- will generate more interest than Nate Pearson when camp opens. The game’s No. 8 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, consistently topped 100 mph in a dominant stretch of Spring Training performances, and when paired with his breaking pitches and changeup, hitters simply couldn’t make sense of him at times. Service time remains a factor here, yes, but the Blue Jays are staring at a massive opportunity in Pearson. The nature of a 60-game season means he could start without any strict workload restrictions, of course, but there should also be plenty of room to use him in a hybrid or multi-inning relief role.

Entering 2019, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a favorite to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award. Should Pearson crack the Opening Day roster, he’s got a fine shot in 2020.

2. Encore from the young core
Guerrero, Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio have seen Major League pitching now, and Major League pitching has seen them. This is when the game of adjustments begins, and where their baseball IQ becomes an even more important tool alongside their physical gifts. How, then, will their encore go, given the unique landscape of the 2020 season?

Guerrero faded last season, which both he and the club have spoken openly about. A shortened season could suit him well if his body holds up to it, while Bichette brings a level of energy that should spark his teammates in a sprint to the finish. That edge Bichette plays with -- he has some Josh Donaldson in him -- is built for this season. Biggio, on the other hand, might be the steady hand in all of this. It’s a great example of how the trio’s styles of play and distinct personalities complement one another.

3. How will this rotation work?
The Blue Jays have four veterans in Hyun Jin Ryu, Tanner Roark, Matt Shoemaker and Chase Anderson. This is a good thing. With so much to adjust to at once, the Blue Jays should benefit from having arms who know the league and, while they don’t throw 100 mph, they throw strikes. Toronto’s young lineup could be red hot or ice cold, so it’s key to have a rotation that’s predictable.

What’s the strategy, though? Some clubs will go with a standard five-man group while others will use an opener or piggybacks. The Blue Jays have 19 starters in their 60-man player pool already, so there is no shortage of options for manager Charlie Montoyo and pitching coach Pete Walker.

4. High-leverage opportunities are wide open
Rafael Dolis and Anthony Bass seemed to be competing for the setup job in front of Ken Giles in Spring Training, but there was no clear hierarchy of who the high-leverage innings would go to. Given how closes these races will be over 60 games, we can use “high leverage” a little more liberally, too.

Others like Wilmer Font, A.J. Cole, Jordan Romano and Shun Yamaguchi will be given opportunities, but someone needs to grab this and run with it. The shortened season means, again, that Montoyo can ride the hot hand as soon as he finds it.

5. Is it still 1A, 1B behind the plate?
Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire were expected to split duties this season, with a 65-35 split in Jansen’s favor seeming reasonable based on talks during Spring Training. Given that these catchers don’t need to hold up over 162 games anymore, how does that change?

Jansen surprised many outside of the organization by earning an AL Gold Glove Award nomination last season, but the work he put into his defense was significant. This spring, he shifted some of that focus back to his bat with a totally new hitting routine, and the results were immediate. The door is cracked open for him to take a bigger piece of the pie.