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DUNEDIN — He has been serious and driven since he was a teenager making his way up through the Blue Jays system.
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But as a quiet leader of the big-league team — both off the field and on it — Bo Bichette also is a realist and unabashed when it comes to evaluation.
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That said, there is definitely an edge of professional pride to the Jays all-star shortstop as he approaches a season of redemption.
“I think it’s the first time we were being doubted,” Bichette said on Wednesday when asked of the approach to what shapes up as a pivotal season for him and his teammates. “We’ve always had high expectations and I think it’s definitely a different mindset trying to prove people right than trying to prove people wrong.”
That isn’t Bichette playing the ‘woe is Bo’ card, either. He understands that criticisms that dogged the team through much of last year — particularly of the offence — were well-earned.
“I don’t think a lot of things went right,” Bichette said before lauding the team’s pitching and defensive efforts in 2023. “From an offensive standpoint, we didn’t bring consistency. We have to be better in our competitiveness, our preparation and day-to-day focus. All of that.
“We just have to be better.”
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Bichette wasn’t done there, either.
He seemed particularly jazzed at offensive coordinator Don Mattingly’s initial address to hitters on Wednesday morning. For people who know him, it was music to Bichette’s ears.
“He had a little fire when he addressed us today, which I thought was nice,” Bichette said. “I think that overall he just wants us to compete better, to give away less at-bats, to have more of a plan every single day.
“At the same time understanding that there’s going to be days when you don’t bring it as well, you have to show up to the field every day, but just setting the expectation for us as a team to be tough guys to pitch against.”
From a personal standpoint, Bichette altered his off-season routine shutting down his baseball activities for a while and attacking fresh fitness pursuits. For example, he added pilates, swimming and Muay Thai to his routines and has noticed an increase in flexibility.
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“I took the most time off I’ve ever taken from baseball and that was a very fun,” Bichette said. “Those things helped a lot. I’m just excited about the shape I’m in and I feel like I’m in a good place.
“It was putting myself in the best position to be able to play at a high level for hopefully every single game of the season and be at my best at the end.”
While Bichette isn’t going to reveal the specifics, he did make the point that, along with the excitement that usually heralds arrival at spring training, there is also a recognition of change being necessary.
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“I think everybody is excited to work hard and excited to build something here,” the 25-year-old Floridian said. “I think we are working on building culture and building expectation and building standards. I think it’s been good so far and it’s not gonna happen overnight.
“But we have a goal in mind, which I think is super important and everybody seems optimistic about us making the changes we need to.”
And to punctuate those thoughts, another glimpse at that Bichette drive.
“I don’t think we’ve earned the right as a team to be taken at our word for it,” he said. “We need to go show everybody and that’s the main focus.”
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