Grichuk to split leadoff spot with McKinney

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo appears to have settled on two players who will handle the bulk of the leadoff hitter duties this season: Randal Grichuk and Billy McKinney.

Montoyo previously indicated that whenever McKinney is in the lineup, it likely would be out of the top spot. The issue is that McKinney's expected to split playing time with Teoscar Hernández, so the Blue Jays needed to find another option for the No. 1 slot.

That's where Grichuk comes into play. After previously suggesting that players such as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Hernandez might get a look, Montoyo seems poised to give the job to Grichuk. Montoyo pulled his right fielder aside Saturday morning to deliver the news and make sure he was comfortable with it.

"I told him that ultimately, as long as I’m in the lineup, I’m good," Grichuk said. "Hitting at the top of the order is great. That’s kind of up to him, but I’d love it."

Grichuk does have some experience in the role. He led off for the Blue Jays 15 times last season, and he did it six times before with the Cardinals. It's a tiny sample size, but in 21 plate appearances to lead off games, Grichuk has two hits -- both doubles -- with a walk and seven strikeouts.

The Blue Jays will try to survive this year without a prototypical leadoff man, which is something the organization attempted last season as well. In 2018, Toronto used 13 players in the top spot. Curtis Granderson led the way with 69 at-bats, McKinney was second at 24, Hernandez was third at 19 and Grichuk was fourth.

Toronto's overall numbers out of the leadoff spot last season were middle of the pack. Blue Jays leadoff men ranked 13th in the Majors with a .258 average and 22nd with a .319 on-base percentage. Grichuk doesn't draw a lot of walks, and only has a career .298 OBP, but he is one of the Blue Jays' most dangerous hitters. Whether he changes his approach at the start of games remains to be seen.

"Some guys might say that first at-bat you want to take," Grichuk said. "Some guys might say treat it like a normal at-bat. Some say work the pitcher. So it’s kind of one of those things where I’ll probably be having some talks with [Montoyo] and more talks with [hitting coach Guillermo Hernandez].

"But no, I’m going to go in there, having a normal at-bat, if it’s leading off the inning in the second, leading off the first or hitting third in the fourth, treat it like the same at-bat -- see pitches. If you get a good pitch out over the plate and you want to put a good swing on it, then do it."

Shortstop prospect Bo Bichette may eventually turn into the Blue Jays' leadoff hitter at some point in 2020, but for now, the club will continue to experiment with an unorthodox approach. It's not so much that Montoyo does not value players who can take a walk, or someone who has a lot of speed, but more so the fact that Toronto currently doesn't have any players that fit into that category.

“It’s just who we’ve got," Montoyo said. "We don’t have that many guys that are patient, which is fine. They like swinging the bat. I just want the guy to be comfortable, whoever that guy is.

"I know for sure when McKinney plays, he’ll lead off, because he’s patient and he can do the job, he’s done it before. We’ll see how comfortable Randal is."