It’s good to have Toronto Blue Jays’ baseball back.
On Thursday, the Blue Jays started their 2025 campaign against the Baltimore Orioles. After allowing six earned runs through four innings, the Blue Jays were being no-hit.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. earned a walk before Anthony Santander flew out, bringing up Andrés Giménez to the plate. If you had Giménez hitting the Blue Jays’ first home run in 2025, congratulations, because I didn’t! His first home run as a Blue Jay was a 366-foot blast with a 99 mph exit velocity to put the Jays on the board.
WELCOME TO THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS, ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ ‼️ pic.twitter.com/FQ6Qh8p0nB
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 27, 2025
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Giménez hit his first home run last season with the Cleveland Guardians on Apr. 30, in his 27th game. The 2024 season with the Cleveland Guardians didn’t go well offensively as he slashed .252/.298/.340 with nine home runs in 633 plate appearances for an 83 wRC+.
This past off-season, the Blue Jays acquired him and reliever Nick Sandlin from the Guardians for Spencer Horwitz and prospect Nick Mitchell. The Jays used the compensation pick they got for losing Matt Chapman to pick Mitchell in the 2024 draft.
There is hope for Giménez’s bat, though. In 2022, he slashed .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs in 557 plate appearances for a 141 wRC+ and a 6.1 fWAR. It was by far his best season of his career, and he was slightly below average in 2023.
Even if Giménez doesn’t produce with the bat this season, the Jays know he’s going to be an impact player for them. Before the game, he received his Gold Glove award as he posted 20 Defensive Runs Saved and 19 Outs Above Average in 1331 innings last season. It was the 26-year-old’s third Gold Glove at second base in four seasons.
Hopefully, this is a sign that the second baseman is going to have a great season with the bat. If he can have a 2022-like season for the Jays, it’s going to be a fun season for the team.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.