SARASOTA, Fla. -- Replacing Marcus Semien’s production was never going to be easy, and it was never going to be a one-for-one solution for the Blue Jays.

• 'It's exceptionally exciting': Chapman joins Blue Jays

Toronto’s lineup led the Major Leagues with 262 home runs and a .796 OPS in 2021, so even a small step backwards leaves it in elite company. The answer to replacing Semien’s historic production from ’21, though, will require growth from the entire lineup, and that process starts with new third baseman Matt Chapman.

Alongside Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the second-base duo of Santiago Espinal and Cavan Biggio, the Blue Jays’ infield already has the potential to be an offensive juggernaut.

“I think this infield is amazing,” Chapman said Friday. “We have so many talented players offensively and defensively on this infield. We’ll leave the ‘best in baseball’ to you guys, but I think it’s worth putting us in that conversation. And once we get to play with each other and know each other a little better, who knows what’s possible.”

The Blue Jays beat the Orioles, 9-5, on Friday afternoon in Sarasota with a mix of regulars and prospects in the starting nine. As we inch toward Opening Day and see more of those regulars, you’ll see a lot of one thing: right-handed hitters.

Biggio could be the only left-handed hitter on the Opening Day roster. The Blue Jays have some lefty-hitting depth options in their outfield with Greg Bird in camp on a Minor League deal, but it’s possible -- maybe even likely -- that you’ll see a lineup early in the season without a lefty.

“I know it’s right-handed heavy, but I’m pretty sure all of those righties can hit any kind of pitching,” Chapman said. “It was impressive to see what they did from afar last year. They’re right-handed heavy, but I think it’s still a balanced lineup that can hit the baseball. It’s just a deep lineup capable of wearing down starting pitching, getting into the bullpen and taking long at-bats. If one guy doesn’t get the job done, you know the next guy will come to the plate and take another good at-bat.”

Starting with Chapman, here’s a look at the Blue Jays’ hitters who could be part of the collective effort to keep Toronto’s offense atop the league.

3B Matt Chapman (2021 stats: .210 AVG, .716 OPS, 27 HR)
Chapman wasn’t himself at the plate in 2021. Coming off right hip labrum surgery the prior offseason, it was difficult for him to fully rehab and ramp-up in time for the season, so Chapman was adjusting on the fly. Now that it’s behind him, Chapman feels much better about his strength, which allows him to drive with his back hip and stay behind the baseball.

“I feel a lot like I did in 2018 and ’19,” Chapman said, referencing two excellent seasons. “I’m physically healthy. Now I can take the experience I had last year and know how to get that stuff stopped when I see it happening.”

Moving from Oakland to the American League East should only help, too. Chapman set a career high with 202 strikeouts in 2021, but he takes plenty of walks and should have the power to push past 30 home runs across a full, healthy season.

CF George Springer (.264 AVG, .907 OPS, 22 HR)
This one isn’t complicated. The Blue Jays got 78 games from Springer in 2021 as he battled through multiple injuries, and he still managed to put up a great line while doing so. If Springer keeps his OPS over .900 and gets into 140-plus games, Toronto will have one of the best outfielders in baseball with 40-homer potential.

C Danny Jansen (.223 AVG, .772 OPS, 11 HR)
From May 1 on last season, Jansen hit .279 with a .948 OPS over 54 games. Even the .772 OPS Jansen finished with looks fantastic toward the bottom of a lineup, but the catcher is feeling confident that his early struggles will propel him forward. Jansen is leaning into his identity as a pull hitter now, which showed in Friday’s Spring Training opener when he ripped a double down the left-field line.

“The biggest development for me personally was figuring out who I am,” Jansen said earlier in the week. “I’ve always been a guy who will take the struggle I went through and try to benefit from it as much as I can. I really feel like I’m finally figuring out who I am and what works for me with my mentality. I said this last year, but watching Marcus Semien do his work was really eye-opening for me.”

C Alejandro Kirk (.242 AVG, .764 OPS, 8 HR)
Don’t sleep on Kirk, the 23-year-old catcher who was limited to 60 games by a left hip injury in 2021. He won’t play every day given the presence of Danny Jansen and No. 1 prospect Gabriel Moreno -- who could be a major piece of this conversation by midseason -- but Kirk’s bat is better than he showed last season. If the Blue Jays need to put a ball in play with a runner on third late in a game, Kirk is exactly who they want coming off the bench.